Counter-referendum effort underway

July 5, 2021 — The latest entry in the political canvassing effort around the recently enacted cannabis cultivation ordinance is Citizens for Sustainable Agriculture. That’s a pro-ordinance organization that’s hired a strategist and canvassers to persuade voters not to sign either of the referendum petitions currently in circulation. The People’s Referendum to Save our Water, Wildlife, and Way of Life, seeks to repeal the entire ordinance, while the Small is Beautiful effort proposes to strike footnote six, which allows for 10% of a parcel over ten acres to be used for cannabis cultivation. The pro-ordinance canvassers offer counter-claims to those being made by referendum signature gatherers, as well as a template letter for people who have already signed a petition, regret doing so, and want the registrar of voters to remove their names from petitions that land in her office. This is legal according to the Statewide Initiative Guide, as long as the request for removal is filed prior to the date the petition is filed. Leo Buc is a local political strategist who is working to defeat the referendums against the ordinance...