Compton incumbent under attack by cannabis industry, again
Compton residents James and Charmaine Hays put together a volunteer-based, grass-roots campaign to stop efforts to allow marijuana sales in their city.(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times )
Compton Mayor Aja Brown has publicly declared that the city’s seniors citizens are holding the city back. One of the primary issues dividing the seniors and millenials is their position on cannabis, and the industry is back putting money behind their candidate of choices to unseat incumbents who are against it.
Compton Councilwoman Emma Sharif was the lone vote against cannabis back in 2018 when it was presented to voters.
“The voters in Compton decided this decision was the healthiest and most forward-looking for our community,” said Councilwoman Emma Sharif, who was the lone council member to vote against both items.
Sharif is now in a runoff election for mayor, against Christian Reynaga who is endorsed by Mayor Aja Brown. Brown went on the record during a council meeting calling “raids” on illegal dispensaries as a waste of taxpayer funds because the “city doesn’t make money” from it.
The city is currently listed in a lawsuit for allegedly performing illegal search and seizures of illegal dispensaries, and not providing legally required receipts and inventory of seized merchandise and/or currency.
Related: Compton facing lawsuit over alleged illegal search and seizures
Reynaga reported a $3850 in-kind donation from “Compton Strong 2021” who also goes by the name Elevate Compton.
City Clerk Alita Godwin publishes campaign contribution forms, for candidates and committees, but falls short of enforcement of when those forms are turned in.
“I am not responsible for enforcement if they aren’t turned in on time, FPPC does,” said Godwin when reached by 2UrbanGirls.
Related: WHERE ARE COMPTON COUNCILMAN ISAAC GALVAN’S CAMPAIGN FINANCE REPORTS?
Elevate Compton/Compton Strong has failed to provide campaign statements accounting for over $50,000, but has reported the cannabis industry contributed $10,000 to the fund in the last year.
Aja Brown, Christian Reynaga and Elevate Compton/Compton Strong all share the same campaign treasurer, Gary Crummitt.
Councilman Isaac Galvan also hasn’t turned in campaign finance forms in five years, despite making headlines months after his 2013 election that he wasn’t disclosing where his funds came from.
Galvan is currently intertwined in an FBI investigation related to cannabis, and was alleged to be the funding source behind $21,000 in money orders to candidate Justin Blakely, who unsuccessfully ran against Sharif to represent Council District 4.
Related: Weedmaps IPO & Federal Investigation Update
Mayor Brown has called the city’s senior citizens the reason behind the lack of advancement in the city, and that it’s time for “new and young” leaders to take over the city.
Seniors don’t want legal dispensaries in the city, while millennials gravitate towards the legal “devils lettuce”.
“Drugs have pillaged black and brown communities,” said James Hays Jr., a 61-year-old community activist who opposed legal pot in Compton. “It has taken all of our talent away from us. It makes our neighborhoods bad neighborhoods to live in.”
This article isn’t to demonize the cannabis industry, but to give voters a clear understanding that cannabis companies, and their agents, are trying to legalize dispensaries in the city.
Reynaga has refused to answer questions regarding his position on legalizing cannabis dispensaries in Compton city limits.
Residents should demand an answer.
More importantly, is there an unknown cannabis connection between Isaac Galvan and Aja Brown?
Wow pitting seniors against young people now that is a sad plan , reality check – if they don’t kill themselves or get killed by someone else all those young people will be seniors much sooner than they expect .
Here is another reality seniors used to be young people !
Let’s think about who fits into each group :
Seniors -lived through segregation and fought for civil rights, equal pay, education rights and fought in a few wars to keep those rights and lost friends to polio. They worked hard at very low paying jobs often for as little as $ 2 .00 per hour (minimum wage in the 1970’s), still they provided for their children and extended family members.
They saw many of their friends get “turned on” to a host of new age drugs LDS comes to mind, and die of overdose. Today’s seniors have experiences young people can never imagine -threat of nuclear war and sudden foreign military attack
Young people:beneficiaries of the sacrifice of those who came before them. Enjoy housing protection, educational opportunities and healthcare. They will not be drafted for military service and put at risk of loss of life on foreign soil. Have the LUXURY of EBT cards and other benefits that did not exist in the seniors youth workers compensation is just one.
Yes two ideologies one of experience and Understanding that every day is not a party, and experience that drugs of any kind -prescription, tobacco, alcohol or sugar (here is a scary look up thalidomide could explain vaccine hesitation) all have negative impacts on life.
As for the comment “the city makes no money…..” the reason governments make decisions has to be about more than if the city makes money or not. Decisions should be about a thing called quality of life. Clean Air, Clean and Safe Water, Open Space, Rights like free speech, freedom to assemble, education and a safe neighborhood for all.
So sad there are so many who will sell their souls for oh so little……..once a soul is sold it is hard to buy back.
Wake up young people those granny types have seen this kind of “eat drink and be merry” thing many times before ask them to tell you how it worked out before
Just reading this and it’s to bad it can’t be posted across city hall!! Great read!! 5 stars to you!!!