San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Oakland’s Emerald New Deal would aid drug war’s victims
Oakland officials are proposing a ballot measure that would divert millions of dollars in cannabis tax revenue to a separate fund to pay for services for victims of the war on drugs.
The proposal, called the Emerald New Deal, would move about $7 million in annual cannabis tax revenue from the city’s general fund to pay for services such as mental health services, housing support and community and economic development.
The war on drugs generally refers to the U.S. government’s decades-long push to stop the distribution of illegal narcotics and resulted in mass incarceration for decades that disproportionately targeted Black and brown people. Despite that, the Emerald New Deal isn’t race specific, said Council Member Loren Taylor, who is one of the sponsors of the proposal.
Bay Area cities, including Oakland, have tried to make up for the harm through “cannabis equity programs” that prioritize those harmed by the war on drugs for legal marijuana business permits, with varying success.
If passed, the measure would create a new nineperson commission, appointed by council members and the mayor, that would determine who qualifies for services under the program. People who were incarcerated or had a loved one put behind bars
City Council Members Treva Reid (left) and Loren Taylor are sponsors, along with Noel Gallo, of the idea to use $7 million in cannabis tax to aid people impacted by drug laws.
because of the war on drugs would be helped by the programs and would hold at least five seats on the commission.
The proposal, introduced by Taylor, Treva Reid and Noel Gallo, could be placed on the November ballot if it gets council approval. Taylor and Reid are running for mayor.
“This is critical because we talk about equity and addressing the vestiges of institutional racism, the war on drugs, but we don’t put real dollars behind that,” Taylor said. “When we talk about reparative investment, having that locked in as something that’s a commitment from our city with a dedicated revenue stream is important to make the progress we are trying to make.”
The plan would also reinvest some money into the city’s cannabis equity program, which was created in
2017 to reserve permits for people who were convicted of a marijuana-related offense in the city.
The program also set aside permits for people who earn an income of less than 80% of the city’s average median income, which was $68,200 for one person in 2017, or had lived for 10 years in an East or West Oakland neighborhood that saw a high number of cannabis arrests.
Some equity businesses have said the program hasn’t lived up to its promise.
Taylor said the proposal will come to a council committee on May 24 and will include a financial analysis from the city’s Finance Department.