Migden's new role

I appreciate your concern about recent changes in my Senate assignments. I respect and expect the constituents who elect me to express opinion, concern, and insight about matters that deserve due consideration.

I am writing to assure you and your readers that my decision to take a leave as chair of Senate Appropriations will in no way diminish my advocacy and effectiveness in representing San Francisco's values and securing appropriate state support for our programs. The president pro tem, in accepting my request for six months' time off, did so after I agreed to take a leadership post and to chair the Senate Public Safety Committee. As the new chair, [I] intend to revisit some of California's most draconian laws concerning three strikes and capital punishment (I would be happy to hear from you about other ideas).

Your article also questions my selection to support Controller Steve Westly for governor. All I can say is that I have known Steve Westly for over 20 years as a Democratic activist. I believe he has a compelling story to tell and the resources to propel him to victory. You mentioned Propositions 57 and 58, and although I didn't support [them], just about every Democrat in the state, as well as California's DC delegation, believed the measures necessary.

In sum, let me say that my energy and activism on behalf of the citizens of San Francisco will never wane or diminish. Last year the governor signed 68 percent of my bills, and I was able to steer tens of millions of dollars toward San Francisco schools, child care, and mental health programs.

Given my work ethic and my energetic approach, I will never fail to deliver for San Francisco. I truly believe we have a superb and fleeting opportunity at this moment to join an effort to oust the governor and greatly aid our city and county as well as the entire state.

state senator Carole Migden

San Francisco

In defense of Migden

The Bay Guardian's criticism of state senator Carole Migden is completely off-base. Senator Migden has done more than just about any current legislator to help San Francisco. Just this year she passed a law to increase reimbursements for local child care workers to account for San Francisco's higher cost of living. Since she's been in Sacramento, she's been the go-to person to get stuff done for our city.

There are other legislators in Sacramento who like the television cameras – a lot. Legislation to ban violent video games or outlaw Tasers gets a lot of press attention, but the nuts and bolts issues often get short shrift. Migden is there working on the causes and issues San Franciscans care about without a lot of press conferences and self-congratulation.

Finally, the single most important thing any San Franciscan can do to help our city is defeat Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Migden can sit there all day in the most powerful position in the building, but as long as we have a celebrity governor whose political base is in conservative California, we stand to lose.

Bill Barnes

San Francisco

Amend the pot bill

Americans for Safe Access and medical marijuana patients threw their support behind San Francisco supervisor Ross Mirkarimi and his legislation regulating medical cannabis dispensaries, but his bill must be amended to protect the long-term diversity of services and care in San Francisco dispensaries.

Supervisors understood for months of deliberations that San Francisco's dense demographic made it impossible to require dispensaries to locate outside of 1,000 feet from schools and other facilities. The city was acting progressively when it chose a proximity limitation from schools of 500 feet. At 1,000 feet from schools, new dispensaries would have to locate in very few random districts in the city, placing the burden on patients to travel sometimes long distances for their medicine.

So, surprisingly, in the last week prior to the passage of what many are calling historic legislation, Mirkarimi negotiated the "grandfathering in" of existing dispensaries at the expense of the 500-foot proximity rule.

Mirkarimi and the board still have the opportunity to act quickly to restore the 500-foot proximity rule through passage of a proposed cleanup bill. If the 1,000-foot rule is retained, progressive legislation will be sold out to "Big Pot." The city's dispensaries will disappear through attrition, and those that do survive will be located in very few areas of the city.

Steph Sherer, executive director

Americans for Safe Access

Oakland

For the record

In last week's issue, we reported that Sup. Sean Elsbernd was talking about a move to modify the district-elections system. Elsbernd told us Nov. 18 that he fully supports the current system and has no plans to seek any changes.