Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Lawsuit Accuses Santa Ana Mayor Of Taking Bribes From Pot Shops
Shortly after a controversial video of the Santa Ana Police Department conducting a raid on a medical marijuana dispensary surfaced, a lawsuit has been filed that accuses city officials, including the Santa Ana Mayor, of soliciting money from dispensaries in exchange for a license to operate.
Sky High Holistic is suing the City of Santa Ana for the use of excessive force during a raid on their business on May 27. The suit also accuses Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido and other officials of soliciting and receiving money and gifts from other dispensaries in exchange for a license to operate, the L.A. Times reports.
Santa Ana residents voted in favor of Measure BB, which allows only 20 dispensaries to legally operate in the City, in the November 2014 election. Those dispensaries were determined via a lottery held in February. Since then, the Santa Ana Police Department has been shutting down dispensaries that continued to operate illegally. Sky High Holistic did not win a spot in the lottery, and according to Santa Ana Police Chief Carlos Rojas, received a cease-and-desist order on February 26.
The suit alleges that Pulido is affiliated with one of the dispensaries that did win a spot in the lottery, and that an unnamed city employee went around asking dispensaries for $25,000 to support Measure BB prior to the vote in exchange for a guaranteed spot, the OC Register reports.
Support for LAist comes from
Pulido has denied the allegations in the lawsuit, calling them "categorically and unequivocally…false," NBC LA reports. He said the lottery was conducted by White, Nelson, Diehl & Evans LLP, an accounting and consulting firm—not the City of Santa Ana. He said he received no gifts, and that Sky High Holistic is filing the suit because they want to remain open illegally.
The video of the raid edited together by Sky High Holistic's lawyer, Matthew Pappas, seems to depict officers exhibiting some questionable behavior. According to Pappas, you can see officers eating edibles and playing darts in the video. You can even hear one officer say she wanted to kick an amputee who was present at the time of the raid "in her f*cking nub." The suit also alleges that officers damaged property and arrested volunteers and members of the marijuana collective for an unnecessary amount of time. The officers' behavior during the raid is under investigation by the Santa Ana Police Department.
Orange County Superior Court Judge David R. Chaffee issued a temporary restraining order against Measure BB earlier this month after medical marijuana collectives that didn't make the lottery filed lawsuits. Some collectives argued that because the city did not limit the number of applications that could be submitted, dispensaries who could afford to pay for multiple submissions were able to gain an advantage, according to OC Weekly. There will be a hearing on Friday to determine if Chaffee will issue a preliminary injunction that will prevent Santa Ana from implementing Measure BB.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity. -
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
-
The drug dealer, the last of five defendants to plead guilty to federal charges linked to the 'Friends' actor’s death, will face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
-
The weather’s been a little different lately, with humidity, isolated rain and wind gusts throughout much of Southern California. What’s causing the late-summer bout of gray?
Best of LAist