Against all odds, the citizens of Shasta county, with help from professional campaign organizers, have turned in an estimated 13,800 signatures on a referendum to repeal their outdoor cultivation ban, only 20 days after their campaign began. The number is more than twice the 6,600 valid signatures needed to overturn the measure.
A flurry of phone calls, emails and Facebook messages started coming in from Shasta county to CalNORML after the board of supervisors there pulled a last-minute switch and passed a ban on any outdoor cultivation on January 29. “People were asking for help, but no one wanted to lead the charge from the ground,” recalled CalNORML deputy director Ellen Komp.
“I told everyone they could file for a referendum to repeal the ordinance, but they only had 30 days to get the signatures in, so they’d better act fast.” Looking for a location where a meeting might be held, Komp placed a call to Planet Herb, a collective in Redding and CalNORML member.
That day, 36-year-old Jessica Lunsford, a Shasta county resident, went by Planet Herb. “I was looking for a bandwagon to join,” said Lunsford. She was given Komp’s number at CalNORML and the two spoke on February 4, just after
Komp testified in Tuolumne county about their pending cultivation ordinance.
“I didn’t even know what a referendum meant,” Lunsford said. “Ellen said: Help yourselves, start a web page, get a phone tree, and I did what she said,” starting the Sungrown in Shasta group. Komp also strongly recommended she get professional signature gatherers onboard, and put her in touch with the California Cannabis Coalition.
“Once we got the ball rolling everyone jumped on,” Lunsford said. “They started seeing how many people were coming to the meetings [like the Canna We Talk meeting that was organized by Dr. Tammy Brazil.] Then with CCC we got the Calvary.”
Still Lunsford had to fight negativity at every turn. “We just had to be blind to that and stay focused and guide everyone back from the negativity,” she said. Lunsford pointed out to detractors that Butte county has passed a referendum in 2011, and that Shasta didn’t have any other good options.
“I gave up every day, but then I’d get an idea and I’d get on the phone and it would just work itself out. It was magic,” she said. “We were completely disorganized and scattered, defeated and felt like we were all alone because the media has been telling us we were.” Soon the Redding Record Searchlight published a story calculating that the cost of complying with the new ordinance would be $12,000 just to grow 12 plants, and even more people got on board.
“We have realized our power,” said Lunsford, adding that Shasta’s grass roots coalition is considering writing an initiative for the ballot, rather than leaving the matter to the BOS, even though there are now pro medical-marijuana candidates for the Board who have stepped up. The group estimates they turned in 3600 voter registrations, not counting those who registered online, and the county clerk has said her office is having trouble keeping up with processing them all.
“I’m finally proud to be living in Shasta county,” wrote one supporter on Facebook. Another resident considered moving to Siskiyou county when the ordinance was passed and is now glad he didn’t, since Siskiyou is considering a Tehama-style ordinance now in their county.
By contrast, Fresno county was unsuccessful in repealing their total cultivation ban, despite efforts by local activists to gather signatures. In what points to a racist policy, most of the people who called CalNORML about that ban were Hispanic, Laotian or Hmong, and faced language barriers as well as a lack of experience in political organizing.
“Shasta county has turned the tide on medical marijuana cultivation rights, and it’s a great example of what can be accomplished by committed residents,” said Komp. “Look for more citizen action against other jurisdictions who don’t listen to their electorate.”
Save Butte Growers Rights is collecting signatures on a referendum to repeal their county's new restrictive growing ordinance. Those signatures must be turned in by March 13. They are also working towards an initiative with a May turn-in. A PAC, Butte County Citizens Against Irresponsible Government, is fundraising for the efforts.
A PAC has also been formed in Shasta for future efforts under the name Shasta County United.
