Pubdate: Sun, 20 Sep 2015
Source: Chico Enterprise-Record (CA)
Copyright: 2015 Chico Enterprise-Record
Contact:  http://www.chicoer.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/861
Note: Letters from newspaper's circulation area receive publishing priority
Author: Kathy Cohoon

TOTAL OF FINES IMPRESSIVE, BUT COLLECTION RATE ISN'T

The report given by medical marijuana code enforcement supervisor 
Chris Jellison at the Sept. 15 Board of Supervisors meeting sounds 
impressive. However, when you take a closer look, it doesn't look so 
good. His numbers don't add up or make any real sense to me, but the 
board seems to be impressed by them.

The one that really got my attention was the $1.1 million in fines 
imposed, but only $85,000 collected so far. That is less that 8 
percent. Not very good returns, and how much of that was in the form 
of liens on properties (that may never be collected)?

Did we hire Jellison to oversee code enforcement officers (one of 
whom is taking leave during the busiest part of the grow season), or 
to create statistics to appease the Board of Supervisors and create 
the illusion that they are actually accomplishing something while the 
growers snicker behind their backs?

Jellison also said that when the growers harvest their crops, the 
problem will be "abated." To me, this means he will have job security 
next year when they "unabate" by planting their next crop. How 
convenient for him. Not so much for the law-abiding citizens.

- - Kathy Cohoon, Oroville
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom