Los Angeles City Clerk June Lagmay announced earlier today that proponents of a ballot measure to overturn the city council’s total ban on dispensaries turned in more than enough signatures to put the measure before the voters.

The petition contained 49,021 pre-verified signatures. In order for the petition to be deemed sufficient, 27,425 valid signatures were required. As provided by the City’s Election Code, the City Clerk utilized a random sampling procedure which included the examination of at least five percent of the signatures. The statistical sampling showed that the number of valid signatures was 110% or more of the number needed to declare the petition sufficient, which satisfied the minimum threshold. The City Clerk today has presented a Certification of Sufficiency to the City Council.

The city council can now either work with advocates on a reasonable set of regulations, or allow the issue to go before voters, either in an expensive special election or on the March ballot that the council members will also be on.

It all depends on how stubborn the members of the council want to be. They have to know they won’t win a total dispensary ban at the ballot box, so what’s the point of continuing the fight?

- Joe Klare

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