Politics
Not all Oaklanders will be looking at the same ballot tomorrow: while every resident is eligible to vote for citywide offices, the winners of several local offices will be determined by voters in specific districts. To see which offices and candidates you’ll have a chance to vote for, check out Oakland North’s political district maps.
Oakland North reporters Abby Baird and Teresa Chin asked a former Bay Area police officer, a smoke shop employee, a retired emergency physician, and a Berkeley parent to share their best guesses about what will happen if California passes Proposition 19, the measure to legalize marijuana for recreational use.
Oakland mayoral candidate Terence Candell isn’t an easy man to ignore—in fact, he believes it is one of the keys to being elected mayor of Oakland. “What do I say to the people who think that I’m going to scare people away? I say good!” he said. “Its about time that they met a real black man who doesn’t back down when someone gets scared.”
Explore the arguments for and against this year’s state and local measures with our pop-up ballot.
Proposition 19, on the ballot this coming Tuesday would legalize several marijuana-related activities statewide, allowing for taxation and regulation of the drug. To better understand where the law would fit in California history, scroll over some dates from the timeline below for a short history of cannabis, locally and nationally.
Following California’s lead after 1996’s Proposition 215, medical marijuana is now legal in 14 states plus Washington, DC. On November 2, three more states will vote on medical marijuana. In California, voters will consider legalizing growing or possessing pot for recreational use, and many cities will vote on pot taxes and dispensary regulations. Our interactive map explains what’s legal where, and who will be voting on new pot laws next week.
On Thursday, the Oakland City Attorney’s Office announced it was suing four people for their alleged role in the looting and vandalism that followed the protests after the Johannes Mehserle verdict on July 8, 2010.
These marijuana numbers and statistics can provide an important general overview of what our country is facing with pot and Proposition 19, the California measure to legalize marijuana on the November 2nd ballot. To take you through trivia about drug arrests, marijuana use, and our attitudes about legalization, Oakland North built this interactive overview of doobie data.