LAKE COUNTY — The same advocates who gathered enough support for a referendum petition against the county”s medical marijuana cultivation ordinance plan to submit signatures today for their initiative measure proposing different regulations for local pot growth.
The Lake County Citizens for Responsible Regulations (LCCRR) announced Monday it collected more than 3,200 signatures supporting its proposed ordinance, “The Lake County Medical Marijuana Cultivation Act of 2012.”
The Registrar of Voters” Office has set a Thursday deadline for proponents hoping to have their initiative measure on the June ballot.
That could be cutting it close for a different group of people gathering signatures for a proposal that would effectively ban medical marijuana in the county.
The other advocates began collecting names last week in support of an effort to have local voters decide whether to implement federal pot laws in Lake County.
Proponents of the “Lake County Act to Adopt Federal Marijuana Laws” were accepting signatures on Wednesday, one day after their ballot title and summary, and intention to circulate a petition appeared in the Record-Bee Classified section.
Petitions are available with some residents and at a few area businesses, including Bit Sculptor on South Main Street in Lakeport and Polestar Computers on Main Street in Kelseyville. The Lakeport shop had just one signature as of noon Monday.
Those advocates would have until Thursday to gain enough support to have their proposal on the June ballot, potentially alongside the opposing act.
If they do not meet the deadline, they could continue collecting signatures in order to have their initiative qualify for the November election.
Should either proponent submit signatures before the deadline for the June ballot, the Registrar of Voters” Office would have to verify that at least 2,115 Lake County voters supported the initiative.
The office would have to confirm its count by Jan. 25, according to Maria Valadez, deputy registrar of voters.
A certification would then be submitted to the Board of Supervisors (BOS), which would have to decide whether to adopt the proposed law without any changes or put it on the ballot.
The supervisors will face a similar debate early next year when they consider how to address LCCRR”s successful referendum petition against the cultivation ordinance the BOS passed in October.
The Registrar of Voters” Office determined on Wednesday that sufficient signatures had been gathered for the referendum effort, Valadez said.
With the certification submitted, the BOS will have to decide whether to rescind its ordinance or place the issue before the voters.
The supervisors are tentatively set to discuss the referendum petition on Jan. 3 at 10:15 a.m., according to Mireya Turner, assistant clerk of the board.
