Can Cannabis Save Lemon Grove?

A breakdown of who’s running for city council in Lemon Grove, CA. Remember, midterm elections will take place on November 6th. The deadline to register to vote is October 22nd.

By Cara Anderson | @carajojo

Featured photo by Omar Hamilton | @photosbyblvckwolf

Driving through the main strip of Lemon Grove, it’s clear that the city is in disrepair. The disheveled roads, dilapidated buildings, and homelessness are a high concern for community members. Lemon Grove is desperate for new tax revenue; the city is teetering on bankruptcy or disincorporation and is pulling out of its emergency fund to pay the bills.

When Prop 64 was approved by the voters of California, cities became responsible for laying down the rules of where cannabis can be bought, sold, and consumed within their jurisdictions. Local city councilmembers are typically the judge, jury, and executioner when it comes to whether a medical or recreational dispensary can open or not.

In 2016, a citizens initiative was passed to allow the growing, processing, and dispensing of medical marijuana in Lemon Grove. Yet, Lemon Grove city staff has found ways to painstakingly delay and deny cannabis business applicants. Two years later, there is still not one legal cannabis business operating in the city. Cannabis could be the answer to the city’s budget crisis and create more jobs for the community, if only cannabis businesses could make it past the council gates.

For cities like Pueblo, Colorado, which has a population of around 100,000 people, cannabis has been a solution to financial woes. Pueblo had deep issues with destitution, oppression, and a remarkable ineptitude from city officials. A study conducted by Colorado State University-Pueblo alongside the Department of Agriculture, Department of Public Health and Environment, and Industrial Hemp Research Foundation showed that legal cannabis had an economic impact of 58 Million in 2016, just two years after approved cannabis regulations.

With midterm elections approaching on November 6th, Lemon Grove residents have to make a decision to either stick with the status quo or look at alternative options to represent them on the city council. New faces can bring new energy and more accountability to the city of Lemon Grove.

Four candidates are running for two seats in Lemon Grove. The incumbents, Jerry Jones, and Jennifer Mendoza, have years of experience representing Lemon Grove and have had much to do with the city’s successes and failures. The nonincumbents who are running for council, Kamaal Martin and Teresa Rosiak, spoke candidly about the city’s infrastructure and the potentialities of cannabis tax revenue.  

Kamaal Martin, who has lived in Lemon Grove for ten years, has worked in positions ranging from wildland firefighter to taxi driver and college professor. He was raised in Honolulu, Hawaii and attended college in Eugene, Oregon. Martin pledges to stand for Lemon Grove’s residents, rather than a political party. Among his plans to stimulate the local economy, create green walkable spaces, and support community gardens, Kamaal wrote, “Let’s generate tax revenue with the growing cannabis industry.”

“I specifically remember my mother using cannabis while she was undergoing radiation treatment and chemotherapy for cancer. It worked wonders on alleviating her pain in addition to reducing nausea and stimulating her appetite.” – Kamaal Martin on MMJ.

Do you believe Adult Use cannabis should be available in Lemon Grove?  

Kamaal Martin: Perhaps in the future… I think we need to take our time and be patient and intentional. First, I’d like to see our medicinal cannabis businesses establish themselves. That will give us the opportunity to weigh out their pros and cons and address any unforeseen or unintended impacts of these new business ventures.

Do you believe MMJ sales in Lemon Grove could increase tax revenue for the city?  

Kamaal Martin: I absolutely believe MMJ sales in Lemon Grove could increase our tax revenue! I’m looking forward to working with our city’s emerging cannabis entrepreneurs to discuss and determine the best ways to appropriately tax the industry.  

What would you personally encourage that tax revenue to be spent on?  

Kamaal Martin: That depends on the projected revenue. A few priorities that jump out are additional resources to address our population of people experiencing homelessness, or re-opening the restrooms at Promenade Park next to the Lemon Grove Ave trolley stop.  Another idea would be to use the revenue as part of a larger economic development strategy. It could support a catalyst fund or help subsidize a business improvement district.

Teresa Rosiak has been a lifelong resident and community leader of Lemon Grove. Rosiak prioritizes public safety and fiscal responsibility; she aims to clean up Lemon Grove and assure that taxpayer dollars are being allocated appropriately. Rosiak believes that cannabis tax revenue can help Lemon Grove. Rosiak’s perception of cannabis has greatly changed over the course of the past few years. Rosiak said that back in 2016, she was not supportive of cannabis regulations.

Rosiak stated, “Since that time, I have evolved and I have become more educated with regards to cannabis. I have seen what the Medical Marijuana Dispensary people have gone through in order to open up a facility here in Lemon Grove. We’ve only approved two facilities so far, and with the current city council, it is not a fair process.”

In addition, Rosiak’s perceptions have likely changed as people close to her began turning to cannabis as medicine for chronic pain, anxiety, and PTSD. One of Rosiak’s family members uses cannabis to treat anxiety and chronic pain. Rosiak said the family member suffered from a car accident, and over the past three years has become pretty open about using cannabis medicine.

“Times are changing and marijuana 30 years ago is technically not what marijuana is today. There’s been a lot of research and trials that prove that it does help people. People need to be educated. I was thoroughly against it, but the more and more I was educated and I kind of took the blinders off, the more and more I saw that it is a need for it.” – Teresa Rosiak on her changed perceptions of cannabis.

Do you believe MMJ sales in Lemon Grove could increase tax revenue for the city?

Teresa Rosiak: The sales of Medical Marijuana are going to help the city, and the city is in dire need of financial help. Not just with Medical Marijuana, but we need to beg business to come to Lemon Grove. We need to clean up Lemon Gove and beg Medical Marijuana to come to us. Do I want a dispensary on every street corner? I would say no, but we need to have an appropriate amount of dispensaries.

What would you personally encourage that tax revenue to be spent on?

Teresa Rosiak: The primary concerns of our residents. One is public safety, so that could mean more sheriff protection for us, getting another sheriff brought on. Possibly road repair; if Prop 6, the gas tax, is repealed, we won’t be getting money for our road repair. Roads are a huge concern for our residents. We’re possibly looking at disincorporation because we aren’t balancing the budget. Even to bring back the recreation center for our youth, our youths have been neglected. Any money that we can put towards our youth would be money well spent.

Edit: Teresa has added that her door is open to community members that may have questions for her. Rosiak can be reached by cell phone at 619-991-1004.

The incumbents, Jones and J. Mendoza, have represented Lemon Grove in some capacity for almost 30 years. During that period of time, the city has experienced alarming budget issues, numerous lawsuits, and Hollywood-movie-like scandals.  

Jennifer Mendoza has been working for the city of Lemon Grove for 14 years; first as a planning commissioner and now as a city councilmember. In Mendoza’s statement to the public, she wrote, “As a councilmember, I will continue to make our town one in which people desire to live and work. I will support continuing efforts to improve streets and sidewalks, give fire and law enforcement the tools they need to keep us safe, and improve parks and recreation facilities.”

Lemon Grove’s recreation department has faced major budget cuts, the city hasn’t had a year-round youth recreation facility for the majority of the past seven years.

“One of my goals for our city is to improve our parks so that more community members, including youth, families and seniors, will be encouraged to participate in a more active lifestyle. I believe that prohibiting the consumption of alcohol, tobacco and marijuana will encourage this positive activity in our community.” – Jennifer Mendoza told East County Californian in June 2017.

Jerry Jones is a 40-year resident, homeowner, business owner, and volunteer in Lemon Grove. s the longest-tenured councilmember, Jones has been instrumental in the good, bad, and ugly. Last year, Jones was notably involved in a civil rights lawsuit which resulted in a settlement and letter of apology to the plaintiff Mr. Marcus Bush.

Jones has been vocal about his understanding of cannabis’ medical benefits and he supports medical cannabis, not without reservation. The councilman even penned multiple Op-Eds about cannabis in the city.

In his reelection statement, Jones wrote, “I have been the voice for reasonable change and inclusive planning for how we spend your tax dollars. I will work to find every savings possible, balance the budget, give the taxpayer every option, and greater say in how we spend your hard-earned dollars.“

It is often said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. In Lemon Grove and other cities like it, it may be time to be out with the old and in with the new.   

On October 23, 2018, the Lemon Grove city council is having a public meeting on its budget shortfall and are desperately seeking new money sources. “If you have any recommendations regarding the budget, maybe grant opportunities we can seek out, programs we can tap into for sources of funding, by all means, contact city staff,” said Mayor Vasquez, at a city council meeting on 10/16/18.

To date of publication, Jennifer Mendoza and Jerry Jones have declined to comment. Chris Williams, a founder of Candid Chronicle, currently has MMD applications in the city of Lemon Grove. Photos of Kamaal Martin, Jennifer Mendoza, and Jerry Jones via their respective Facebook pages. Photo of Teresa Rosiak was provided by the nonincumbent. 

Register to vote here! California’s voter registration deadline is 10/22/18.