ASA California Weekly Alert

*1) Reminder: ASA is Seeking Submissions for Medical Marijuana Film Festival
2) December 10th, San Jose: Activist Meeting to Plan Strategy for
Mountain View City Council Hearing
**3) December 12th, Stockton: Court Support for Aaron Paradiso
4) December 13th, San Francisco: SF ASA Meeting
5) December 13th, San Diego: SD ASA Meeting
6) December 13th, Mountain View: City Council Study Session on Medical
Marijuana Dispensing Collectives
7) December 14th, San Francisco: Green Cross Board of Appeals Hearing
8) December 15th, Guerneville: Sonoma ASA Meeting
9) December 16th, Sacramento: Court Support for Louis Fowler
10) December 17th, Tulare: 1st Tulare County ASA Meeting!
11) December 19th, Fresno: Court Support for Joe Fortt
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1) Reminder: ASA is Seeking Submissions for Medical Marijuana Film Festival*

Two years ago, ASA hosted the Medical Marijuana Film Festival in
Oakland. It was a big success, with Martin O' Brien winning the
'People's Choice Award' for his documentary /Regarding Medical Marijuana./

ASA is hosting the 2nd Medical Marijuana Film Festival at the Parkway
Speakeasy Theater in downtown Oakland during Medical Marijuana Week 2006
(Thursday, February 16 @ 9:15), and we need your submissions! Winners
will be chosen. Prizes given! The only rules are that films must be
original, focused on medical marijuana, and no more than fifteen minutes
long (feel free to submit a portion of your film).

Please pass this message on to all the videographers, filmmakers, and
documentarians you know with a possible submission, and ask them to
contact Rebecca at rebecca [at] safeaccessnow.org for more information.

Please send submissions to the ASA office in DVD format:

Attn: Rebecca Saltzman
1322 Webster Street #208
Oakland, CA 94612

Ideally, we would like to see submissions by January 1st, but this is
not a hard and fast deadline.

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**2) Saturday, December 10th, San Jose: Activist Meeting to Plan
Strategy for Mountain View City Council Hearing

*Please join Marnie Regan and other local activists to plan a strategy
for the city council hearing on medical cannabis dispensing collectives
(see below for more info on this hearing).

1:00 p.m.
Burger Pit Restaurant
Blossom Hill & Kooser Road, San Jose

Contact Marnie for more info:
408-391-8220
mars_2112 [at] juno.com
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3) Monday, December 12th, Stockton: Court Support for Aaron Paradiso

*Aaron Paradiso, a quadriplegic medical marijuana patient from Stockton
and his mother Debra, who acts as his caregiver, were arrested in August
2003 and charged with felony cultivation and possession for sales.
Charges were dropped against Debra, and Aaron's case was later dismissed
on a technicality in December 2004. The DA immediately reinstated the
case against Aaron AND his mother and is due to go to trial soon.

At Aaron's recent court appearances, medical marijuana patients packed
the courtroom in an incredible showing of solidarity! Aaron was
surprised at the huge turnout, and asked that we thank everyone for
their support!

Please come out and support Aaron and by attending his motion to dismiss
hearing:

The hearing is Monday, December 12th, 1:30 p.m.
San Joaquin County Courthouse, Department 23, Judge Hammerstone
222 East Weber Ave, Stockton

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*4) Tuesday, December 13th, San Francisco: SF ASA Meeting

*It's more important than ever that San Francisco patients join together
to ensure regulations that protect patients' access, rights and privacy.
Join SF ASA to plan for the future of medical cannabis in San Francisco.

7:30pm

223A 9th St.
San Francisco
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**5) Tuesday, December 13th, San Diego: SD ASA Meeting

*Our San Diego chapter of ASA has been busy lately and needs you to get
involved. San Diego County is planning to sue the state to overturn
Proposition 215. ASA activists are planning a press conference and
call-ins to tell the county to stop harassing patients and to uphold
state law. If you're interested in protecting patients' rights to safe
access in the San Diego area, please attend this meeting!

For more info about the chapter, please visit their site:
http://sdasa.4mg.com/index.html

Twiggs Coffee House
4590 Park Blvd.
In the Green Room
7:00-8:00 p.m.

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*6) Tuesday, December 13th, Mountain View: City Council Study Session on
Medical Marijuana Dispensing Collectives

*The Mountain View City Council is holding another study session on
medical marijuana dispensing collectives. When they met two months ago,
they were discussing the possibility of allowing pharmacies to dispense
medical marijuana, but local ASA activists and the ASA office seems to
have convinced them that this is unfeasible due to federal laws. The
staff report on the issue expresses this:
http://www.ci.mtnview.ca.us/citygov/council/agendas/pdf/121305_2C.pdf

Currently, there are no dispensing collectives in the entire county.
Mountain View is looking at models of regulating dispensaries comparable
to Santa Cruz, Hayward and San Francisco. Please show up to show your
support and speak in favor of a positive ordinance that protects safe
access!

For general talking points about dispensary ordinances, please visit:
http://www.safeaccessnow.org/downloads/general.ordinance.talking.points.pdf

CITY HALL - 500 CASTRO STREET, MOUNTAIN VIEW
6:30 P.M.-REGULAR SESSION

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*7) December 14th, San Francisco: Green Cross Board of Appeals Hearing*

From Kevin Reed:

Board of Appeals will be dealing with The Green Cross at its meeting on
December 14, 2005. (The hearing will take place in room 416 in City Hall
at 5:00 p.m.). I would like to think this will be the *_last_* hearing
in this very long and drawn out process.

At the September 21^st , 2005 meeting of the San Francisco Board of
Appeals, the Zoning Administrator presented his findings and
recommendations related to The Green Cross. After testimony from Green
Cross supporters (including many of you), the neighbors, their lawyers,
our lawyer and thoughtful discussion among the Board of Appeals members,
The Green Cross was basically given 6 months to relocate. The Zoning
Administrator and the Board of Appeals seemed to genuinely respect our
collective efforts, but both concluded that MCDS are not
compatible/appropriate in neighborhoods having the zoning designation of
NC-1. In short, the Zoning Administrator's recommendations included
more than 30 conditions that must be met in order for The Green Cross
to remain in operation.... while it searches for a new home.

Since the September meeting, we have been working day and night to find
a new location for The Green Cross. Now that the Board of Supervisors
has adopted a regulatory framework for MCDS located in San Francisco,
The Green Cross is in an even more challenging position. To relocate,
we are being treated as a new MCD. That means we have to meet all of
the new location and proximity requirements. So we have encountered two
major stumbling blocks: First, we have found that there are many
property owners who are unwilling to rent to an MCD. They won't even
meet to discuss the possibility. Secondly, compliance with the new
location and proximity requirements eliminates much of the city as a
possibility for relocation. In a chart we have developed to document
our location search efforts, we have a list of 48 locations we have
pursued. All have led to a dead end. It really does feel like we are
trying to find a needle in a haystack!



The legislation passed by the Board of Supervisors provided a
"grandfather provision" to exempt MCDS that were in operation before the
moratorium from proximity requirements. We are hoping the Board of
Supervisors passes a resolution that exempts MCDS that have been in
operation since before the moratorium and are forced to relocate (like
The Green Cross), to be exempt from the new proximity requirements.

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8) Thursday, December 15th, Guerneville: Sonoma ASA Meeting

*ASA Sonoma will be meeting to discuss a response to the Santa Rosa
dispensary ordinance and planning for the upcoming Sonoma ordinance. All
patients, advocates, and doctors are encouraged to attend and get
involved with our local ASA chapter.

Thursday, December 15th @ 6:30 p.m.

Odd Fellows Hall
16219 1st St. Next to Johnson Beach cabins
Guerneville, CA 95446

For more information, email asasanomaco [at] aol.com or call 707-332-6556

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*9) Friday, December 16th, Sacramento: Court Support for Louis Fowler

*Status hearing at 10:00am before Judge Edward Garcia in U.S. District
Court at 501 "I" Street in Sacramento.

The Sacramento County Sheriff conducted a raid on Rancho Cordova
dispensary operator Louis Fowler, 51, on July 7, 2005. With a search
warrant based on Alternative Specialties operating without a business
license, the Sheriff found two indoor gardens allegedly with more than
800 plants. However, the Sheriff did not confiscate the plants and
instead called in the DEA, who charged him federally with manufacture of
marijuana and illegal possession of weapons. Fowler is currently
incarcerated in Fresno.

Please come show your support!

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*10) Saturday, December 17th, Tulare: 1st Tulare County ASA Meeting!*

Activists in Tulare County are organizing a new ASA chapter and invite
you to their first meeting. At this meeting, they will be discussing
national campaigns, local ordinances and structuring the chapter. Please
join them and help them make this a strong chapter!

6:30 p.m.

CCOFT (Charity Caregivers of Tulare)
219 North M St #101
Tulare, CA

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*11) Monday, December 19th, Fresno: Court Support for Joe Fortt

*Status hearing at 9:00am before Judge Anthony W. Ishii in U.S. District
Court, 5^th Floor, 1130 "O" Street, Fresno, CA.

Despite Joe Fortt closing the doors to his Bakersfield medical marijuana
dispensary a day after the Gonzales v. Raich decision, his place of
cultivation was raided and he was arrested on July 20, 2005. Fortt's
arrest and prosecution is emblematic of recent actions taken by the DEA
in full cooperation with local law enforcement.

Please come show your support!
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--
Rebecca Saltzman
Field Coordinator
Americans for Safe Access
p (510) 251-1856
f (510) 251-2036
http://www.safeaccessnow.org