Los Angeles City Council Schedules 18 Medical Marijuana Hardship Hearings

Hearings set for September 1, 2009 at Los Angeles City Hall


Brett Stone
MMJ News From Brett
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/mmjnews/

August 27, 2009


The Los Angeles City Council will vote on 18 medical marijuana hardship exemption applications when it returns from its summer vacation break on Tuesday September 1, 2009.

These are the applications heard on August 6, 2009 in front of the Los Angeles City Planning and Land Use Management (PLUM) Committee. PLUM denied all the applications and has recommended that council do the same. Audio of that meeting is archived at http://lacity.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=103&clip_id=6480 and runs a little over 3 and a half hours.

Attached is the meeting agenda, the hearings are items 28-45.

In addition council will consider 21 medical marijuana hardship exemption applications that have been withdrawn by the applicants (see item #46).

The term hearing is actually a misnomer in this case as City Council is not required to debate or take any further comment on any of these 18 applications since public hearings have already been held on these items (The PLUM Committee hearing was the public hearing on these items).

Normally if people come down to the Council meeting and fill out a speaker card for a specific item that has already had a public hearing the Council President will usually ask that that item be called as "special" and additional comment may be allowed. But again, the Council is not required to take any further comments on these items even if people fill out speaker cards and request time to speak.

Just part of the kangaroo court that these hearings have been up until this point. When someone challenges the rulings in these hearings in court down the road (and someone will) is when it will get interesting and people will then have an opportunity to speak.

The meeting begins at 10:00 AM at The John Ferraro Council Chamber, ROOM 340, CITY HALL, 200 N Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90012.

You can also view the City Council meeting live via the internet at: http://lacity.org/lacity/YourGovernment/CityCouncil/CouncilMeetings/LIVEandON-DEMANDVideo/index.htm

You can listen live via telephone: COUNCILPHONE, A dial-up system which allows the public to listen to live coverage of the Los Angeles City Public Meetings from any phone. The numbers may be used from any location, not just in Los Angeles. Dial up and listen in. Use any of these 4 numbers- (213) 621-CITY, (310) 547-CITY, (310) 471-CITY or (818) 904-9450.