CITY OF OAKLAND

CI TY HALL 1 FRANK H. OGAWA PLAZA OAKLAND, CALI FORNI A 94612

REBECCA KAPLAN (510) 238-7008
Councilmember At-Large FAX: (510) 238-6910
atlarge@oaklandnet.com TDD: (510) 839-6451

July 16, 2014
Senator Dianne Feinstein
Senate Committee on Appropriations
Subcommittee -Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
The Capitol
Room S128
Washington, DC 20510

Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Fiscal Year 2015 Appropriations bill
City of Oakland position: Support for inclusion of Booker/Paul amendment
Dear Senator Dianne Feinstein,
As the City-wide elected representative of the people of Oakland, California, I write to urge your support of the
Booker/Paul amendment and its inclusion in the Fiscal Year 2015 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related
Agencies (CJS) appropriations bill. As you know, the amendment would broadly ban DEA enforcement on
medical marijuana laws in states where it is legal. Inclusion of the amendment and passage of the CJS
appropriations bill will help devote law enforcement resources to fighting serious and violent crime, by ending
the practice of wasting federal law enforcement for raids on locally-authorized cannabis dispensaries.
We in Oakland have been in the lead nationally on providing responsible regulation and oversight of permitted
cannabis facilities, and have strict local requirements to provide for safety and security of our community, while
simultaneously taking marijuana proceeds out of the hands of criminal cartels. Our locally-permitted facilities,
as authorized under the laws of the State of California, have been responsible neighbors, contributing to the
betterment of their surrounding communities, and paying taxes to help improve public services.
Our local regulations have proven successful, and our cannabis facilities have not become magnets for crime,
and have contributed jobs and other benefits to our community. Regretfully, even though our cannabis
regulations have been a success, the people of Oakland continue to suffer from other unrelated crimes such as
illegal gun trafficking and the sexual exploitation of minors. This is part of why the people of Oakland, and I as
their representative, feel so strongly that it is essential that all available law enforcement resources be devoted
to the serious problems we face, such as fighting against the sexual trafficking of children, and against gun
violence. Therefore, diverting any federal law enforcement resources to raiding licensed cannabis facilities is
the wrong choice to make not only because shutting down permitted cannabis facilities returns cannabis
funds to the hands of criminal cartels, but also because any time an enforcement officer is working on raiding a
cannabis dispensary, that is time they are not spending fighting serious and violent crime.
We understand that the CJS bill has been pulled from the floor and is currently not scheduled for a vote. As
you work to wrap up your legislative business before the August District Work Period, we urge you to bring the
bill and the Booker/Paul amendment to a vote before the Senate. As you know, On May 30, The U.S. House of
Representatives passed the 2015 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Act,
inclusive of Dana Rohrabachers (R-Ca) amendment that prohibits the use of funds to prevent certain States
from implementing their own State laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession, or cultivation of
medical marijuana. We cannot afford to forfeit our groundbreaking progress on an issue so vital to Oakland
and many cities across the country.
Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to working with you in addressing this policy matter.
Sincerely,



Rebecca Kaplan
Oakland City Council, President Pro Tem