Council candidates on medical marijuana: Ladan Bezanson
Ladan Bezanson, learning coordinator for Montclair:
QUESTION: There have been several medical marijuana cooperatives open up and shut down within the city over the past year. What is your stance on medical marijuana and it's place in the city?
ANSWER: Right now there is a medical marijuana cooperative running in Upland named G3 Holistic. It appears that an injunction was already filed by the city and the courts overturned it. G3 has a legal right to run in the city and there is not much that the city can do to stop stop it unless they violate the business owner's civil rights. I don't believe that the city should infringe upon any legitimate business' rights and the rest is up to the courts to decide.
Attended the candidate forum. You mentioned something about one of the candidates being under investigation by the FBI. That's a pretty serious statement. The fact that it was incorrect concerns me. If you are ill informed as to the facts, how would you be able to represent the citizens of Upland? Before making allegations against another running for council, you should have done your homework. And, as someone sitting in the audience, Upland is not Montclair. You must have mentioned Montclair at least 10 times. As a resident of Upland, I don't particularly care about Montclair or your employment there or what that has to do with the council seat you are seeking.
First of all, I said that there was a person involved in a case that is being investigated by the FBI ma'am. Also, I understand that Upland is not Montclair, but Montclair has not cut any programs or services, raised taxes on their residents, and still maintains a balanced budget. They are definitely doing something right in this economy, and that knowledge can be shared with our own city. Lastly, with the amount of money they bring in due to property taxes, is unequivocally lower than ours, and yet their budget is under control. We can learn something from them. Please let me know if you have any other questions.