December 12, 2019
By MICHAEL R. BLOOD
Associated Press
A California panel voted Wednesday to declare marijuana smoke and the drug’s high-producing chemical — THC — a risk to pregnant women and their developing fetuses and require warning labels for products legally sold in the nation’s largest pot market.
The decision by the little-known Developmental and Reproductive Toxicant Identification Committee will not take effect for a year, and it remains to be seen what impact it will have on the state’s emerging marijuana industry.
The vote came after hours of discussion by a nine-member panel of scientists who delved into the reliability and accuracy of dense research studies involving people and animals, including mice, rats and fish.
Surveys have indicated that a rising number of mothers-to-be have turned to marijuana products for relief from morning sickness and headaches, though it’s effectiveness has not been backed by science.
Since 2009, California has listed marijuana smoke as being known to cause cancer, similar to tobacco smoke. The vote adds THC and pot smoke to the list of chemicals the state has judged to be known to cause birth defects or other developmental problems and must carry warning labels.
Cannabis industry officials say too little sound research is available to support such a move and warn that it could make marijuana companies a target for lawsuits with unverified claims of injuries from pot use during pregnancy.
Ellen Komp, deputy director of the legal pot advocacy group California NORML, told the panel that the studies only examined women who smoked marijuana, not those who used vapes, topical lotions or other methods. Taken together, the studies “produced conflicting results,” she said.
Some studies didn’t make clear how frequently a mother used cannabis during pregnancy or what products were being used. Others didn’t account for instances when mothers were using marijuana and tobacco and whether that could skew the results. In other cases, studies relied on self-reporting by new mothers, putting the reliability of the information in doubt.
The panel spent several hours debating the studies, and in the end, it found the weight of the evidence was sufficient.
The review was carried out under the umbrella of the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act, better known as Proposition 65. It requires warning labels for chemicals judged as dangerous and allows residents, advocacy groups and attorneys to sue on behalf of the state and collect a portion of civil penalties for failure to provide warnings.
The 1986 law has been credited with weeding out cancer-causing chemicals from products but also faulted for setting the stage for legal shakedowns.
Lawyers looking for a quick buck will say “give us $10,000 or we are going to take you into a long court case,” said Los Angeles dispensary owner Jerred Kiloh, who heads the United Cannabis Business Association, an industry group.
The California Cannabis Industry Association echoed that fear, noting that pot’s standing as an illegal drug at the federal level has choked off research by government agencies.
“Good policy and consumer protections are based on facts and data,” spokesman Josh Drayton said.
The U.S. surgeon general warned in August that smoking marijuana is dangerous for pregnant women and their developing babies. Mainstream medicine advises against pot use in pregnancy because of studies suggesting it might cause premature birth, low birth weight or other health problems, but many of those studies were in animals or had findings that were open to dispute.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse is paying for several studies on marijuana use during pregnancy.
The California panel’s decision raises questions about the impact on the state’s legal pot industry.
During the one-year grace period, state officials will determine a level of exposure that does not present significant health risk and require warnings.
Presumably, packaging would need to be changed over time to carry warning labels for pregnant women. But such requirements would likely take additional steps by agencies that oversee marijuana regulation and packaging.
State law already requires pot packaging to carry a warning that marijuana use during pregnancy or breast feeding “may be harmful.”
Even products containing CBD, a trendy ingredient extracted from marijuana or hemp, can contain trace amounts of THC.
December 05, 2019
By Danny Bakewell, Jr.
Executive Editor
In the South Los Angeles community, Karim Webb is well-known for his four Buffalo Wild Wings franchises. The Baldwin Hills location, which opened in 2011, brought new jobs to the Crenshaw District along with a fun and safe place for community members to watch sports.
If you’d have asked him back then what he did for a living, he’d say, “I sell chicken and beer.” And he’s done well building all four of his restaurants into profitable businesses – each outperforming other BWW locations nationally.
But, through getting engaged philanthropically with non-profits like The Brotherhood Crusade and the California Community Foundation, he quickly realized that he wasn’t just “selling chicken and beer,” he was using his restaurants as a training ground to develop people.
“I came to understand that young people saw possibility for themselves because they saw us behave in a way that is consistent with success, and thought – I can do that too. They were changing because we were asking them to,” said Webb.
In 2018, when the City of Los Angeles began legislating recreational cannabis, Webb saw it as another opportunity to expand what he had done at BWW.
“One of the really beautiful things about being a BWW franchisee is – Wings. Beer. Sports. – it’s a fun place to be but we really are a platform for helping people discover what is possible for themselves and their lives,” said Webb.
That platform has now expanded to include 4thMVMT, a local firm helmed by Webb, that partners, trains and finances individuals who qualify for Social Equity to become entrepreneurs through owning retail cannabis businesses.
The goal is to provide access to equitable ownership and employment opportunities in the cannabis industry. And to address the disproportionate impact of the war on drugs in order to achieve economic parity for minority communities.
“Black and Brown people own less than 1% of the billion-dollar cannabis industry, yet they suffered 75% of the harm under the government’s war on drugs. And that’s unfair,” said Webb
Leveraging a new opportunity like this to help people is common for Karim, said his friend and pastor, Nisan Stewart
“He hasn’t started a cannabis company, he’s daring to address the issues and offer solutions to the pain that has been placed upon our inner city,” said Stewart.
“We have an opportunity to make change and we’d be foolish to let just anyone come in. Why not have someone like Karim who has the intelligence of an entrepreneur and the heart for caring about the city? Someone who will stand up and say no, let’s help our people,” said Stewart.
4thMVMT’s name is rooted in the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s comparison of the modern Black struggle for equality to a symphony of four movements – the final one being the fight for economic parity. Webb sees ownership as the way to reach this parity for Black and Brown communities.
The median wealth of black families is roughly $3,500 compared to the nearly $147,000 the median white family owns – without intervention the median wealth of Black families will become $0 by 2053.
“Educational attainment, household income and health problems in our communities aren’t getting better, they are getting worse. In order to reverse that, we need something more. We need access to resources, to money. And cannabis licenses provide that access,” said Webb.
The City of Los Angeles set aside 100 cannabis licenses for “Social Equity” applicants. Which according to the Department of Cannabis Regulation, is an effort “to begin to acknowledge and repair the harm caused by the War on Drugs and the disparate enforcement of cannabis prohibition.”
In order to qualify for Social Equity in Los Angeles, you must be low-income, making less than $45,644, had an arrest or conviction for a cannabis offense or been a resident for at least 5 years in a “disproportionately impacted area.”
However, Webb contends that those who qualify are being set up to fail.
“Without the necessary resources and financing to build successful businesses, Social Equity applicants will become vulnerable to predatory companies looking to buy up licenses for cheap at the first sign of trouble,” says Webb.
4thMVMT wants to bridge this gap by providing their Social Equity partners with complete wraparound services that will allow them to be competitive retail business owners in the saturated cannabis market.
The process starts with trauma-informed personal development, then an intensive 12-week business training program that culminates in a community impact initiative competition, where candidates are asked to work together to create a non-profit program they’d like to see in their community.
Those who make it become co-applicants with 4thMVMT and 81% majority partners of a Social Equity license. In Los Angeles, 11 Social Equity partners have received invoices from the city. The firm has also begun training candidates in Chicago, recently announcing that 31candidates had moved on to become co-applicants with 4thMVMT.
Once the licenses are issued, 4thMVMT will assist them in vetting employees, construction build out, and negotiating wholesale product costs. It also secured real estate for each of its partners in high-traffic affluent areas.
“By opening retail stores in these upscale areas, it provides the best chance for our partners, and the associated store “Sixty Four & Hope,” to be successful. It also allows for wealth to be transferred back into black and brown communities,” said Webb.
“We’ve had enough folks that come to our community and take the money back to their community and beautify it. We need to reverse that flow of capital,” said Webb.
“He’s coming from a pure place. Helping our people, I mean inner city, with the highlight on minorities, to elevate. That’s such a great thing that he’s doing and done. I stand with him 100%,” added Stewart.
Webb believes that strategic development of minority entrepreneurs is the path to creating an equitable America – providing people of color with adequate income to thrive in America and a real chance at building generational wealth.
And cannabis is not the only stop. Once he perfects the 4thMVMT model, Webb plans to implement Social Equity in other industries.
December 05, 2019
LAWT News Service
After a distinguished and accomplished eight years serving as President of the Los Angeles City Council, last Wednesday, November 27, 2019 Council President Herb Wesson announced his intention to step away from the presidency this January while he shifts his focus to his campaign to become the Los Angeles County 2nd District Supervisor and continues to serve the constituents of the 10th District for his remaining year as a Councilmember.
In the motion announcing his intentions, Wesson also indicated his support of Councilwoman and President Pro Tem Nury Martinez to lead the Council, and Councilmember Buscaino to succeed Councilwoman Martinez as President Pro Tem.
Martinez was chosen by her colleagues on Tuesday, December 3, 2019 to become the next council president, making her the first Latina to be selected to the post.
"I want to thank Council President Wesson and my City Council colleagues for their overwhelming support and partnership,'' Martinez said. "As the daughter of Mexican immigrants, it is not lost on me that in one of the most diverse cities in the world and the second-largest city in the nation, I will soon become the first Latina city council president in Los Angeles' storied history.''
“Serving Los Angeles as the first Black Council President and 10th District Councilmember has been the honor of a lifetime,” said Wesson. “I’m so proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish as a unified Council over the last eight years, and have no doubt that the good governance that has helped to make Los Angeles the greatest city in the world will carry on under our next president.”
Wesson has led the government of the nation’s second largest city since 2012 in tandem with two mayors – 41st Mayor of LA Antonio Villaraigosa and current LA Mayor Eric Garcetti. Wesson is the longest serving City Council President since the legendary John Ferraro.
Under Wesson’s leadership, the Los Angeles City Council has passed some of the most progressive public policy that has improved the lives of millions of Angelenos and often sparked similar actions in local and state governments across the country. Some of Wesson’s most significant accomplishments as Council President include:
• Bringing nearly 1 million Angelenos out of poverty by raising the citywide minimum wage to $15 per hour and putting in new protections to LA’s working families.
• Confronting the epidemic of homelessness and housing facing Los Angeles, devising and championing the passage of Measure H and Proposition HHH and organizing an unprecedented pledge to build a minimum of 222 supportive housing units in each council district.
• Removing barriers to employment for the formerly arrested, convicted, and incarcerated through Ban the Box legislation.
• Starting the process to right the wrongs caused by the War on Drugs by creating the City’s Social Equity Program, a first-of-its-kind plan to reduce the barriers to ownership of commercial cannabis businesses for the people and communities most negatively impacted by marijuana arrests.
• Fighting for gender equality by closing the pay disparity in sports by requiring equal compensation for any competition featuring both male and female divisions taking place in Los Angeles and requiring a permit from the City.
• Diversifying the City’s leadership through moves like appointing Sharon Tso to become the City’s first woman Chief Legislative Analyst.
• Reforming the City’s campaign finance system by developing the implementation ordinance to Charter Amendment H which restricted contributions by City contractors and banned City Commissioners from being involved in City elected official campaigns; created the most robust matching funds program in the country with a 6:1 match for candidates; and will soon adopt an ordinance to restrict campaign contributions for developers and others involved in the planning process.
• Increasing voter engagement in local elections by consolidating city elections to increase voter turnout and create more a more representative local government.
• During a White House administration of hatred and divisiveness stemming from the White House, commemorating the legacy of the nation’s first Black President Barack Obama and a leader who embodied the ideals of hope and unity by renaming Rodeo Road to Obama Boulevard.
• Fighting against the Trump Administration’s discriminatory policies by creating a $10 million fund to provide legal assistance for Los Angeles residents facing deportation, hiring the City’s first-ever immigrant advocate, establishing the City’s Civil and Human Rights Commission, creating the first ever full-time policy committee dedicated to working on Immigrant Affairs, and passing a law that would change our zoning code to eliminate the construction and operation of private detention centers in the City of Los Angeles.
• Leveling the playing field for underprivileged Angeleno students by reducing the digital divide through programs like OurCycle LA and the City’s partnership with the 1Million Project.
• Unifying Angelenos and holding our institutions accountable with the embRACE LA initiative and in one of his final moves as Council President, the proposal to create an Office of Racial Equity to make Los Angeles a city where every, no matter their background, are included and empowered to participate in civic life.
• Leading Los Angeles to adopt a plan to modernize the Los Angeles International Airport, a multi-billion dollar effort which is the largest public works project in the City of Los Angeles. This ongoing project will improve security and safety, alleviate traffic and passenger congestion, and create thousands of jobs over the course of the project.
Wesson’s departure as Council President will bring to a close another chapter in his historic career in Los Angeles civic life. Prior to serving as Los Angeles City Councilman and Council President, Wesson served as the 65th Speaker of the California State Assembly and the representative for what was then the 47th Assembly District. Prior to his elected service, he served as the Chief of Staff to Los Angeles County Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke and Los Angeles City’s 10th District Councilman Nate Holden.
December 05, 2019
By City News Service
Los Angeles World Airports CEO Deborah Flint will leave the Southland in March to become president and CEO of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, the city agency announced today.
The Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners is expected to conduct an international search for a new CEO in the coming months.
Flint was appointed by Mayor Eric Garcetti in 2015 to lead LAWA, the city agency that oversees Los Angeles International Airport and Van Nuys Airport.
“I am incredibly grateful to Mayor Garcetti, the Los Angeles City Council and the Board of Airport Commissioners for the opportunity to
lead Los Angeles World Airports, and incredibly proud of what we have accomplished over the past four-and-a-half years,” Flint said.
“It is bittersweet to be leaving LAWA, but, as a Canadian-born airport executive, I am looking forward to this homecoming and to leading Toronto Pearson, a rising and notable star on the international airport stage.”
During Flint's tenure with LAWA, the agency began work on more than $14 billion in projects, including the Automated People Mover train, the Consolidated Rent-A-Car facility, the Intermodal Transportation Facility-West and a new Airport Police facility.
“Deborah is an extraordinary leader whose ingenuity, patience and uncommon commitment have helped bring LAX to the doorstep of transformational change,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said. “She has put in motion all the key pieces of LAX's modernization.”