Rules Committee advances ordinance to create medical cannabis task force with rotating chair and city admin support

Chair David Campos introduced an ordinance on Jan. 7 to create an advisory medical cannabis task force to provide policy advice to the Board of Supervisors. Campos said the task force "is a very diverse committee" and described months of community meetings led by Lynette Peralta Haynes to reach consensus.

Campos proposed two technical amendments: language creating a "revolving chair" so each member chairs one of 13 annual meetings and an amendment that "the Office of the City Administrator shall provide administrative support for the task force" to ensure clerical and administrative assistance. Campos read the revolving-chair language into the record: "The task force shall have a revolving chair. Each member of the task force shall serve as chair for one of 13 annual meetings." The amendments were presented as clarifying the task force's structure and support.

Public testimony was strongly supportive. Michelle Aldridge, who said she had worked in the community for 37 years, told the committee this work "will be a fruition of something that has really been needed to unite the community." Dozens of advocates and providers urged the Committee to adopt the ordinance; many praised Peralta Haynes' facilitation and welcomed a rotating chair model to broaden representation. Supervisor Chris Daley commended Campos for building consensus and raised the question of how the new task force would coordinate with existing citizen advisory committees.

After public comment and discussion, the Committee moved the ordinance with the proposed amendments forward to the full Board without objection. The matter will appear on the Board agenda for final consideration; Campos said further technical changes to co-chair provisions may be proposed after public input.