30 November 2020

CONTRACTS, RESOLUTIONS & ORDINANCES THAT "FLY UNDER-THE-RADAR" > Let's Go There! Especially "MARIJUANA PROHIBITIONS"


Let's take a look:
There's almost always a sweet contract award to the Fleet Services Department: $375,000
7-Month Term Contract with 4 Years of Renewal Options
That's Item *4-g 
File #: 20-1179   
Type: Contract Status: Agenda Ready
In control: City Council
On agenda: 12/1/2020
Title:

Seven-Month Term Contract with Four Years of Renewal Options for Automatic Transmission Repairs and Services for the Fleet Services and Mesa Fire and Medical Departments (Citywide)

This contract will provide automotive transmission parts, repairs, and replacement services for the City’s heavy-duty vehicles (fire apparatus, refuse trucks, and heavy-duty trucks) and light-duty vehicles (medium trucks and passenger cars). The Fleet Services Department and Purchasing recommend authorizing the purchase using the Mesa Public Schools cooperative contract with RWC International, dba, RWC Group; The WW Williams Company LLC; Don Sanderson Ford, Inc.; AAMCO Transmissions Total Car Care Mesa, aka AZ Transmissions Systems; Courtesy Chevrolet; Jasper Engines & Transmissions; and Sun Devil Auto; at $375,000 annually, with an annual increase allowance of up to 5%, or the adjusted Consumer Price Index.

Attachments: 1. Council Report 
 
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ITEM *4-a IS A WHOPPER : $1,600,000
An 8-month renewal +  Dollar-Limit Increase by $500,000 from $400,000 > $900,000
TOTAL = $1,600,000
NOTE: [From the Council Report]
Background / Discussion  
This contract provides for the City’s PC Cycle Replacement program and provides supplemental purchases of computer equipment. 
Supplemental purchases are made for customer departments to meet their current and future technology needs both known and unknown. 
On June 4, 2018, Council approved the annual contract amount of $400,000 for supplemental purchases of computer equipment and $1,600,000 for PC Cycle Replacement program.  
The Department of Innovation and Technology (DoIT) requests a dollar limit increase of $500,000 for supplemental purchases.  The amount for the supplemental purchases is based off spending from the previous two years and annual purchases have increased compared to those years.  This estimated amount should meet the on-going technology needs of the City.  
The DoIT also requests that the contract amount of $1,600,000 be approved for the PC Cycle Replacement Program and that Microsoft Corporation be added to the contract to account for cycle replacement of Surface Pro devices in use throughout the City. 
File #: 20-1173   
Type: Contract Status: Agenda Ready
In control: City Council
On agenda: 12/1/2020
Title: Eight-Month Renewal to the Term Contract for PC Cycle Replacement and Dollar-Limit Increase for Supplemental Computers, Ruggedized Laptops and Tablets for various City Departments as requested by the Department of Innovation and Technology (Citywide) This contract provides for the City’s PC Cycle Replacement Program and provides supplemental purchases of computer equipment. Supplemental computer purchases are made for departments to meet their current and future technology needs. The Department of Innovation and Technology and Purchasing recommend renewing the PC Cycle contract through July 31, 2021 using the State of Arizona cooperative contracts with Dell Marketing LP; Apple Computer, Inc.; Panasonic Solutions; and adding Microsoft Corporation; at $1,600,000, based on projected usage for scheduled device replacement; and increasing the dollar-limit for supplemental computer purchases by $500,000, from $400,000 to $900,000, to be used by Citywide departments, with the above listed ...
Attachments:

1. Council Report 

 

 
                                                                                     
 
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ITEM *4-l IS ALSO A BIG WHOPPER > $1,300,000
1-Year Renewal with aa 1-Year Renewal Option to the Term Contract
for Residential Refuse & Recycling Containers
File #: 20-1175   
Type: Contract Status: Agenda Ready
In control: City Council
On agenda: 12/1/2020
Title: One-Year Renewal with a One-Year Renewal Option to the Term Contract for Residential Refuse and Recycling Containers for the Environmental Management and Sustainability Department (Citywide) This contract provides a supply of 35, 65, and 95-gallon plastic refuse and recycling containers for residential and commercial use on an as-needed basis. The Environmental Management and Sustainability Department and Purchasing recommend authorizing the renewal with Otto Environmental Systems North America, Inc. (Primary); and Schaefer Systems International, Inc. (Secondary); at $1,300,000 annually, with an annual increase allowance of up to 5%, or the adjusted Consumer Price Index. In addition, Rotational Molding, Inc. is a third vendor award for the 300-gallon containers to be used by the municipal partner agencies.
Attachments: 1. Council Report
 
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There are also 2 Resolutions to accept funds ITEM 5
Item 5-a Embedding Clinicians in Police Department Crisis Response Unit $476,527
File #: 20-1146   
Type: Resolution Status: Agenda Ready
In control: City Council
On agenda: 12/1/2020
Title: Approving and authorizing the City Manager to accept a $476,527 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice for the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program, Embedding Clinicians in Law Enforcement Agencies, for the Police Department’s Crisis Response Team. (Citywide)
Attachments: 1. Council Report, 2. Resolution, 3. Agreement
 
Item 5-b
File #: 20-1161   
Type: Resolution Status: Agenda Ready
In control: City Council
On agenda: 12/1/2020
Title: Approving and authorizing the City Manager to enter into an agreement with the Office of Justice Programs to accept $250,025 in grant funds for personnel services and software for the Police Department’s Forensic Services Division for DNA capacity enhancement and backlog reduction. (Citywide)
Attachments: 1. Council Report, 2. Resolution, 3. Agreement
 
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ITEM 6-b "MARIJUANA PROHIBITIONS" ....... Nothing original here that shows any input from the public, or any significant amount of time by city officials, city staff, or any independent review or independent analysis.
#: 20-1212   
Type: Ordinance Status: Agenda Ready
In control: City Council
On agenda: 12/1/2020
Title: Amending Title 6 of the Mesa City Code (Police Regulations) by adding a new Chapter 25 entitled “Marijuana Prohibitions” prohibiting certain activities and facilities related to marijuana including: recreational marijuana retail establishments, except for retail sales by a state dual licensee at a shared location; marijuana testing facilities; delivery of marijuana unless delivered by a nonprofit medical marijuana dispensary in accordance with state regulations; and the consumption of marijuana on City property, certain prohibited property, and in vehicles/transportation. (Citywide)
Attachments: 1. Presentation, 2. Council Report, 3. Ordinance 
 

RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA ORDINANCE: PUBLIC SAFETY HEALTH AND WELFARE
Presented by Assistant Chief Lee Rankin Mesa Police Department

        

Page 5 Why present only one Snapshot of one City?

DENVER A SNAPSHOT


• In 2019, burglary or attempted burglary accounted for 57% of marijuana industry-related offenses.  Theft accounted for another 10% of all marijuana industryrelated offenses.

• There were 22 violent offenses related to the marijuana industry for every 244 violent offenses overall. 

• Marijuana business make up less than 1% off all businesses in Denver, but account for approximately 10% of all reported business burglaries.

Mesa-map-page-001 - Marijuana Venture

Page 7

PROPOSED ORDINANCE: TITLE 6, CHAPTER 25
Prohibits recreational marijuana retail establishments except those who hold both a nonprofit medical marijuana dispensary registration and a recreational marijuana retail license at a shared location.  MCC 6-25-4 

Prohibits marijuana testing facilities. MCC 6-25-5 

Prohibits marijuana use, sale, possession on City property. MCC 6-25-3 

Prohibits recreational marijuana delivery. MCC 6-25-6 

Prohibits consuming marijuana on private property where notice has been provided. MCC 6-25-7 

Prohibits consuming marijuana in vehicles.  MCC 6-25-8 

Penalty:  A violation of this chapter is a petty offense (fine only) to be adjudicated in the Mesa Municipal Court

 

The “Smart and Safe Arizona Act,” certified as Proposition 207, was passed by Arizona voters at the November 3, 2020 General Election. Proposition 207 declared that “the responsible adult use of marijuana should be legal for persons twenty one years of age or older, subject to state regulation, taxation, and local ordinance.” The Ordinance is consistent with and substantially similar to Gilbert’s adopted ordinance and draft versions of Chandler, Scottsdale, and Avondale ordinances that will soon be considered.

 

Proposition 207 authorizes marijuana establishments and testing facilities to use chemical extraction or chemical synthesis, including butane and other flammable gases, to extract marijuana concentrate, which poses a threat to the health, safety and security of the community and increases the responsibilities of law enforcement and other City departments to respond to violations of state and local laws, including building, electrical, plumbing, and fire codes.

 

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RELATED CONTENT

Marijuana Dispensaries in Mesa

https://potguide.com/arizona/marijuana-dispensaries/mesa/

Mesa is the third largest city in Arizona with a population of over 450,000 residents, and the 38th largest city in the United States. Mesa is home to Arizona State University and is located approximately 20 miles east of Phoenix. Additionally, the city is considered the center of Arizona’s population and contains several medical marijuana dispensaries.

 

 

Arizona Natural Selections - Mesa

938 E Juanita Ave
Mesa, AZ 85204
Phone: (480) 272-9888

Open Now
  • Medicinal

Store Profile

GreenPharms - Mesa

7235 E Hampton Ave Ste 115
Mesa, AZ 85209
Phone: (480) 410-6705
Open Now
  • Medicinal
Website Store Profile

Health for Life - Crimson

9949 E Apache Trl
Mesa, AZ 85207
Phone: (480) 400-1170
Open Now
  • Medicinal
Website Store Profile

Health for Life - Ellsworth

7343 S 89th Place
Mesa, AZ 85212
Phone: (480) 888-0247
Open Now
  • Medicinal
Website Store Profile

Health for Life - McDowell/North

5550 E McDowell Rd
Mesa, AZ 85215
Phone: (480) 830-8251
Open Now
  • Medicinal
Website Store Profile

Kind Meds - Mesa

2152 S Vineyard Ste 120
Mesa, AZ 85210
Phone: (480) 686-9302
Open Now
  • Medicinal
  • ATM On-Site
  • Handicapped Accessible
Website Store Profile

Nova Dispensary

1911 W Broadway Rd Ste 23
Mesa, AZ 85202
Phone: (480) 912-4444
Open Now
  • Medicinal
Website Store Profile

Sky Dispensaries - Mesa

5205 E University Dr
Mesa, AZ 85205
Phone: (480) 500-5054
Open Now
  • Medicinal
  • ATM On-Site
  • Handicapped Accessible
Website Store Profile

Territory - Gilbert

5409 S Power Rd
Gilbert, AZ 85212
Phone: (480) 307-6880
Open Now
  • Medicinal
Website Store Profile

The Good Dispensary

1842 W Broadway Rd
Mesa, AZ 85202
Phone: (480) 900-8042
Open Now
  • Medicinal
Website Store Profile

TruBliss

6859 E Rembrandt Ave Ste 128
Mesa, AZ 85212
Phone: (480) 325-5000
Open Now
  • Medicinal
Website Store Profile

 

 
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#DiaperDon > The Internet Started To Have Some Fun -Actually Lots of It...and Then

Just As #DiaperDon Starts Trending, Trump Claims That Twitter Uses 'Fake' Trends, Calls For 'Termination' Of Section 230

Failures

from the for-national-security? dept

Mon, Nov 30th 2020 9:30am — Mike Masnick

"It's no secret that Donald Trump doesn't like Section 230. Wait. Actually, let's back up and try that again: it's no secret that Donald Trump doesn't like what he thinks Section 230 is about, which has little-to-no-resemblance to what Section 230 is actually about. However, over the long weekend, things took an even more ridiculous turn than usual. It started on Thanksgiving when the President was signing some legislation and taking some questions from the press. For unclear reasons, the setup where he had to sign things was with a very small desk affixed with the Presidential seal. While this desk has been used before for such things -- and Trump has even joked about the size of it, the framing of the shot -- the lack of people around him, the wide frame of the shot, the tread over carpet, and just... everything really made it look like the President was sitting at an elementary school desk . . . .

TOO MUCH FUN

It was not long until #DiaperDonald started trending on Twitter.

And, then, it was not much longer beforel the Commander-in-Chief of the military, and the leader of the United Stated of America decided to throw a tantrum on Twitter and claim that Twitter made up its trending topics (it does not).

Filed Under: diaper don, donald trump, intermediary liability, national security, section 230, temper tantrum, trending, trends
Companies: twitter

 
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Goodbye Determinism, Hello Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle

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Out-of-Touch Public Officials: They Say They Believe In Citizen Participation But Have A Stranglehold On Public Policy


Here's are four official statement from The City of Mesa: https://www.mesaaz.gov/government/mayor-council
 
1. The Mesa City Council sets policies based on the input and needs of its citizens.
2. Mesa operates under a charter form of government with citizens electing a mayor and six councilmembers to set policy for the City.
3. The mayor and council are elected on a non-partisan basis.
4. The Mesa City Council believes that its people, not leaders, are what makes a City great and actively works to encourage citizen participation in the decision-making process.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OK. All those words sound nice for sure > the City also outlines the different ways for people and citizens to participate:
Whether it is through neighborhood meetings, advisory boards and committees, telephone calls and letters, or email 
PLEASE NOTE: 
For the time being there are few if any NO neighborhood meetings and other ways to communicate public needs and public input are limited.

City Council Meetings and Study Sessions Notice

To decrease COVID-19 exposure, the City Council Chambers is closed, but public participation and viewing will be available electronically. 

See the City Council Meetings page for full details about meeting participation 

Likewise - looking at the the graphic in the middle there is selected citizens participation with the following statement:

You may click on any of the City boards and committees listed below to learn more about the purpose and requirements for each board, and to see the current list of members and term end dates.

If you are interested in serving on a City board or committee, please visit the Advisory Board & Committees Application Center. There you will begin by creating a customer profile with a login and password once before applying.

APPOINTMENTS TO THE BOARDS (AND COMMITTEES) ARE RECOMMENDED BY THE MAYOR AND APPROVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL.

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THE REALIZATION THAT PUBLIC OFFICIALS WERE SO FAR OUT OF TOUCH WITH PUBLIC OPINION INSPIRED A SMALL GROUP OF POLITICALLY DIVERSE ACTIVISTS TO CHALLENGE THE CONSERVATIVES' STRANGLEHOLD ON PUBLIC POLICY...

That's the story of citizen initiatives in different states that voters approved by a majority

 

 

 
 
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29 November 2020

Joe Cocker - With A Little Help From My Friends (Live)

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"Recreational Marijuana" - The Cannabis Industry - Can Turn Some of The Reddest States Green

Arizona can be one of the next states in the new legal economy to see the benefits.
> Here's one reason in the case of voter approval of Proposition 207
THE REALIZATION THAT PUBLIC OFFICIALS WERE SO FAR OUT OF TOUCH WITH PUBLIC OPINION INSPIRED A SMALL GROUP OF POLITICALLY DIVERSE ACTIVISTS TO CHALLENGE THE CONSERVATIVES' STRANGLEHOLD ON PUBLIC POLICY
A post on this blog from 3 years ago 
 
> Here's a story with some on-the-ground details from growers in Oklahoma: 
What is happening in Oklahoma is almost unprecedented among the 35 states that have legalized marijuana in some form since California voters backed medical marijuana in 1996. Not only has the growth of its market outstripped other more established state programs but it is happening in a state that has long stood out for its opposition to drug use. Oklahoma imprisons more people on a per-capita basis than just about any other state in the country, many of them non-violent drug offenders sentenced to lengthy terms behind bars. But that state-sanctioned punitive streak has been overwhelmed by two other strands of American culture—a live-and-let-live attitude about drug use and an equally powerful preference for laissez-faire capitalism.

“Turns out rednecks love to smoke weed,” Baker laughs. “That’s the thing about cannabis: It really bridges socio-economic gaps. The only other thing that does it is handguns. All types of people are into firearms. All types of people are into cannabis.”

How One of the Reddest States Became the Nation’s Hottest Weed Market

Oklahoma entered the world of legal cannabis late, but its hands-off approach launched a boom and a new nickname: ‘Toke-lahoma.’

[Tokelahoma] lead image

Photographs for Politico Magazine by Misty Keasler/Redux

By PAUL DEMKO

Indeed, Oklahoma has established arguably the only free-market marijuana industry in the country. Unlike almost every other state, there are no limits on how many business licenses can be issued and cities can’t ban marijuana businesses from operating within their borders. In addition, the cost of entry is far lower than in most states: a license costs just $2,500. . .

“They’ve literally done what no other state has done: free-enterprise system, open market, wild wild west,” says Tom Spanier, who opened Tegridy Market (a dispensary that takes its name from South Park) with his wife in Oklahoma City last year. . .

But lax as it might seem, Oklahoma’s program has generated a hefty amount of tax revenue while avoiding some of the pitfalls of more intensely regulated programs.

>Through the first 10 months of this year, the industry generated more than $105 million in state and local taxes. That’s more than the $73 million expected to be produced by the state lottery this fiscal year, though still a pittance in comparison to the overall state budget of nearly $8 billion. In addition, Oklahoma has largely escaped the biggest problems that have plagued many other state markets: Illegal sales are relatively rare and the low cost to entry has made corruption all but unnecessary.

. . . All of which has made Oklahoma an unlikely case study for the rest of the country, which continues its incremental march toward universal legalization. Oklahoma is struggling with the sudden growing pains common to all booms.

 

 

 
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SEE THE B-1 LANCER CARRY A CRUISE MISSILE ON THE OUTSIDE FOR THE FIRST TIME

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Boeing's Apache Attack Helos (Made in Mesa)

Made in Mesa:

First AH-64E Apaches Arrive In UK, Will Serve As New Carriers’ Other Strike Capability

Part of Britain’s new-look attack helicopter force, the AH-64E gunships will also be able to team with drones.

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Apaches Take A Stand on Sacred Lands Against Claims by Resolution Copper

2 recent reports:
1 The Guardian on Nov 24 
This land is your land
Arizona

Revealed: Trump officials rush to mine desert haven native tribes consider holy

A view of Oak Flat, which is threatened by a proposed copper mine.

Administration seeks to transfer ownership of Arizona area to mining company with ties to the destruction of an Aboriginal site

Revealed: Trump officials rush to mine desert haven native tribes consider holy
Annette McGivney
the Guardian | Tue 24 Nov 2020 04.23 EST Last modified on Thu 26 Nov 2020 13.09 EST

Since January, San Carlos Apache tribal member Wendsler Nosie Sr has been sleeping in a teepee at a campground insouth-eastern Arizona’s Oak Flat, a sprawling high desert oasis filled with groves of ancient oaks and towering rock spires.

Wendsler Nosie Sr tends a fire at Oak Flat, west of Miami, Arizona, last week.

It is a protest in defense of “holy ground” where the Apache have prayed and performed ceremonies for centuries.

A dozen south-western Native American tribes have strong cultural ties to Oak Flat. But the Trump administration, in its waning days, has embarked on a rushed effort to transfer ownership of the area to a mining company with ties to the destruction of an Aboriginal site in Australia, the Guardian has learned.

“We were in the fourth quarter with two minutes left in the game. And then Trump cheated so now we only have one minute left,” said Nosie, who was a football quarterback in high school. “Everybody has to mobilize now to fight this.”

 
2 Vice News on

Trump Is About to Hand Over Sacred Apache Land to a Mining Company

Geoff Dembicki
vice.com
Trump officials are rushing to hand over Oak Flat in Arizona to Resolution Copper by next month, a full year ahead of schedule—while they still can.
The desertous and otherworldly Oak Flat in Arizona has been a highly contested area for more than two decades. Photo courtesy of Russ McSpadden/Center for Biological Diversity
Tipping Point covers environmental justice stories about and, where possible, written by people in the communities experiencing the stark reality of our changing planet.

President Donald Trump’s administration has sped up a process that will hand over the rights to a sacred Apache Indigenous area outside of Phoenix, Arizona, to a mining company by next month—a full year ahead of schedule.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to release its official environmental impact statement that will give the go-ahead to transfer Oak Flat in the Tonto National Forest to the mining company Resolution Copper, a joint venture by mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP, a year before its planned December 2021 date. 

The announcement came just days after the Trump administration issued an executive order that declared the U.S. dependence on China for “critical minerals” a national emergency and vowed to “cut down on unnecessary delays in permitting actions.” 

Some see the expedited process to mine the Oak Flat as part of a final push to weaken environmental regulations and fulfill Trump’s campaign promise to bring back mining jobs from abroad.

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More Phony Happy Talk All About A Dramatic Unique Shade Structure

Here's East Valley Tribune staff writer Jim Walsh at it again - and it only took him 9 days after the fact (what happened on one item at a Mesa City Council Study Session on November 16,2020) - to get this story out. . . He just does what he's told to to write

City Council approved spending $481,000 to build this unique shade structure over the Mesa City Plaza downtown.

Mesa City Plaza

Special to the Tribune

Mayor John Giles and Councilwoman Jen Duff said the artistic shade structure, which will cover a concrete area used for an ice-skating rink in the winter, is worth the money and will become a symbol for the new downtown Mesa.

“It’s a brilliant addition to this proposal,’’ Giles said. “This will become the postcard photograph of downtown Mesa.’’

Giles described how he was captivated when he watched a contractor demonstrate how a massive, 30x70 high-resolution video screen on the front of the ASU building will work.

"This park is going to be a loved asset by our community,’’ he said. “We have a cool downtown. This is going to really elevate that.’’

Duff said that shade will allow the concrete pad used for the annual Merry Main Street skating rink each winter to be converted into year-round recreational uses even during the summer

“I do love the design of the shade structure. I think really that it makes a wow statement,’’ Duff said. “The shade structure, creating an artistic element especially at night, is an attraction.’’

The “signature shade element’’ is a canopy draped over the skating rink with suspended wires, made out of tensile material – similar to what was used to cover a splash pad at Pioneer Park

Duff, a Mesa native, said downtown was the place to hang out when she was growing up and that the plaza will draw people back for the first time in decades.

“This park is truly a gathering space where we can all be together,’’ she said, without entering a building. “I think it will be well received.’’

Mesa officials are developing a series of new rules to address the homeless problem in parks and cameras have been installed to monitor the issue.

City Manager Chris Brady said a police officer is assigned to the Mesa City Plaza area and that security will be beefed up when the new plaza and ASU building open.

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