Pubdate: Fri, 06 Jan 2012
Source: Record Searchlight (Redding, CA)
Copyright: 2012 Record Searchlight
Contact:  http://www.redding.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/360
Author: Ryan Sabalow

POT GROUP UNABLE TO GATHER 20 VALID SIGNATURES TO RECALL BOSENKO

A medical-marijuana group seeking to recall Shasta County Sheriff Tom 
Bosenko was unable to gather 20 valid signatures that would have 
started the process.

Cathy Darling Allen, the county's registrar of voters, said that 
though the group had submitted 23 signatures, she was able to confirm 
the legitimacy of just 14 of them.

She said the rest of the signatures either didn't belong to 
registered voters, were illegible or were missing an actual 
signature, though the person had printed a name.

Rob McDonald, the 50-year-old Redding medical marijuana patient and 
advocate behind the recall effort, said he plans to try again.

"I've got to find 20 people that are truthful about being 
registered," he said. "... I did ask that everybody sign only if they 
were registered."

The 20 signatures needed for a recall notice are the necessary 
precursor for an official recall effort.

Darling Allen said if McDonald's group eventually files a legitimate 
intent to recall petition, it would then need to gather more than 
14,000 valid signatures   or 15 percent of the county's registered 
voters -- to recall Bosenko, something the sheriff has said is unlikely.

McDonald has said the recall move against Bosenko was in response to 
the sheriff's recent comments at public meetings on medical cannabis 
growing. County supervisors passed cultivation restrictions Dec. 13 
along with a ban on dispensaries in unincorporated areas of the county.

Last month, McDonald handed recall notices to Redding City Council 
members Patrick Jones, Francie Sullivan and Rick Bosetti in response 
to the city's dispensary ban, passed a month earlier.

Darling Allen also tossed those recall intent petitions because there 
weren't enough valid signatures.

Bosenko said Friday he and his deputies understand the state's 
medical marijuana laws, but he also believes county and city 
governments are well within their rights to regulate marijuana 
dispensaries and growers, something he supports to stem crime and 
other problems associated with the operations.

"The marijuana proponents seem to be using the recall process as 
wielding a sword against those who disagree with them," Bosenko said.
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D