Council Extends Moratorium on Medical Marijuana

The Foutain Valley City Council unanimously passed an ordinance Tuesday night that will extand the city's moratorium on medial maraijuana dispensaries for another year.

City Attorney Alan Burns reported that many cities around the state believe they have the right to enact a permanent ban, and also reported on the statuses of several court cases tackling the issue. Local resident Jim Pull said he believed the council was stalling rather than actually studying the issue's impact.

"It does not say to provide a study to see how other cities will enact the law," he said. "Why does it take a whole year to study this issue? We're talking about medical marijuana. Medical marijuana is not a gateway drug. We have a bigger problem; it's called alcohol. That's the real gateway drug."

The council also voted unanimously to establish a local housing authority in an effort to mitigage the potential losses that the city could face should Gov. Jerry Brown go through with his plan to slash redevelopment budgets. Housing Coordinator Brent Hoff reporte to the council that about 19 percent of Fountain Valley residents are considered low-income, and that Brown's plan would cost the city about 20 percent of the money it uses to create low-income housing.

In other business, the council presented a proclamation to Fountain Valley police detective Derek Link and his former K-9 partner Renzo, who died last year.