As if proof were needed that West Hollywood, my hometown for the past eight years, is a liberal bastion within the liberal enclave of Los Angeles, our City Council approved a measure yesterday that would decriminalize the recreational use of marijuana.
While both San Francisco and Oakland have similar ordinances, West Hollywood is the first southern California city to enact such a law. Even so, the measure is basically toothless. West Hollywood does not have its own police department but rather contracts the law-enforcement services of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Laws passed by the city (with 1.9 square miles and a population of 35,000) do not supersede policies of the county, with its 500 square mile territory and 10 million-plus population.
On the other hand, the deputies who patrol the streets have long had an unspoken policy of looking the other way when they see people smoking pot on the street. As home to both the Sunset Strip, a playground young hets, and the gay nightlife along Santa Monica Blvd., it would scare off business and become costly to local coffers to prosecute minor offenses.
Which brings us to the bottom line. The real motive behind the council’s move may be fiscal. There is a move afoot to put a smiliar referendum on an upcoming city ballot. By passing the law unilaterally, the city would save the $80,000 cost of a special election.
God, I love this town.
