Signal Hill City Councilmembers Woods and Hanson continue racist legislation

Jason R. Aula

Photo credit: City of Signal Hill www.cityofsignalhill.org

LOS ANGELES, California — On Tuesday, February 8th, pursuant to AB 361, the Signal Hill City Council continued to hold virtual meetings.

The Signal Hill City Council had two cannabis business permits on the table. However, councilmember Lori Woods, Hansen, and Mayor Keir Jones are using municipal law making as a vehicle for subtle racism to not allow cannabis business permits. The council meeting effectively yielded a position of fear in regard to direct democracy promised to the people on January 25, 2022, by municipal law makers to allow cannabis business permits. 

The City of Signal Hill has had a frivolous and hate based moratorium in place since 2010. Woods and Hansen have a pattern of racist behavior and incompetency in the law-making process as to cannabis business a civil rights issue. The City of Signal Hill needs the tax revenue and new constituents cannabis business brings to town not subtle racism invoked by municipal lawmakers. 

A 2020 analysis by the American Civil Liberties Union, concluded, “African American people are 3.64 times more likely than Caucasian people to be arrested for cannabis possession, notwithstanding comparable usage rates.” Authors declared, “In every single state, African American people were more likely to be arrested for cannabis possession, and in some states, African American people were up to six, eight, or almost ten times more likely to be arrested. In 31 states, racial disparities were actually larger in 2018 than they were in 2010.”

​The City of Signal Hill needs cannabis tax revenue not racist hate based municipal law making. Councilmembers Copeland and Wilson got it right on cannabis, but the discriminatory refusal of the "majority" should be condemned. The fact of the matter is a ballot measure is not necessary, the council should make a law, in fact the Signal Hill Patients Access PAC possess nearly a perfect legal pathway that includes a labor peace agreement. 
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The next regularly scheduled Signal Hill City Council meeting will be held Tuesday, February 22, 2022, at 7:00 p.m.

City Council Members are compensated at a rate of $694.14 per month.