Principles, Not Self-Interest

The elephant in the room in the 1st
District supervisor’s race is cannabis. Das Williams had not endorsed or even
voted for Prop. 64 and would have preferred a state-run system.

When California legalized recreational
marijuana in 2016, it fell to the supervisors to tax and regulate the new
industry. Das rolled up his sleeves and got to work, bringing his collaborative
skills and legislative experience to benefit the South Coast. The supervisors,
in bipartisan fashion, hammered out ordinances to handle the industry from the
ground up — agriculture, processing, and sales. And passed them on a 4-1 vote.
Das was a leader from the outset, crafting strict but fair regulations.

The Carpinteria Valley’s
languishing flower farms were literally fertile ground for the new businesses.
Indeed cannabis tax has generated more county revenue than expected — $2.86
million in the last quarter alone. The county coffers went from deficit to
surplus, which enabled the county to pick up the shortfall on three libraries.
The revenue also funds the inspection of the cannabis industry as well as
policing illegal growers.