R-31 Correspondence – Mae Bereal
From: Mae Bereal [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Tuesday, April 18, 2023 3:38 PM
To: CityClerk <[email protected]>
Subject: eComment
-EXTERNAL-
Great afternoon,
I have comments on two Non-Agenda Items, and two Agenda Items.
Thank you,
M. Bereal
Non-Agenda Public Comment:
Great afternoon Everyone with giving all glory and honor to THE MOST HIGH GOD; my name is Miriel "Mae" Bereal. I am a verified Applicant and have been a part of the Social Equity Cannabis Program within the City of Long Beach, since 2019. I am Applicant #7 within your System, with pending licenses for Medical Manufacturing, Cultivation, Distribution and I’m currently in the running for a Dispensary. I have also co-founded a social equity alliance called the LBSEE, which stands for Long Beach Social Equity Entrepreneurs. Today I am asking that you all reduce the buffers between non-equity and equity dispensaries. The inventory for Retail spaces within The City is VERY limited so reducing the buffer by at least HALF would help us greatly to participate within the retail cannabis market in The City. Equity is good… though INCLUSION is the goal! My current space is located within Suely's District of District 6 and is in need of a reduction in buffer; if not, more help from The City.
Agenda item #30 Comment:
Please ensure that The City Manager works very closely with Valencia and those in the Cannabis Office to use those tax dollars to aide Social Equity. Helping those that are in the Program with licensing pending to make it through to the finish line. Also, take the cannabis tax from the current retailers, & give it to the Equity Dispensaries that will be opening soon, so that they may have a chance to ‘catch up’ within the legal market. We have had to wait numerous years for our opportunity to open a retail shop, and we would like all of the help we can get in doing so. Plus, use those cannabis tax dollars to help the various communities around Long Beach. The streets are dirty, potholes need to be filled, and homeless need to be housed. The City makes MILLIONS, every year from cannabis tax dollars alone, so please use it to clean up The City. Lastly, I do ask that all Social Equity Taxes be waived… we have been ’taxed’ all of our life, it would be a good time to give us a break.
Agenda Item #31 Comment:
Reducing Equity Taxes by half, for not only retail and cultivation, but including testing, manufacturing and distribution. All Equity should have minimal, to no taxes, due to the harm that the 'War on Drugs' has caused us. Understandable you all want to make some sort of money from the business that we would be conducting within The City, though also take into account how much we have paid already. Please use the cannabis tax dollars that have already been collected to be poured into Social Equity businesses. Within the various 'rules' that have been drafted up, they state that non-equity must assist Equity. This would 'recognize and address the long-term negative social impact associated with the disproportionate enforcement of cannabis policies on Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) and
low-income communities in the City', as stated on The Cities website regarding Equity and your 'long- term' goals. I do believe it is time that we accomplish some of these goals. Now.
Non-Agenda Public Comment found here on Agenda:
https://longbeach.granicusideas.com/meetings/3975-city- council/agenda_items/6434ad21f2b670616d0646d6-public-comment
The overall narrative for the comments that I have made, is that Equity needs help, NOW. Not years from now, not months from now... now. This Office of Cannabis has been open for quite some time and to only have about 2 Equity Applicants with licensing is a clear sign that there is a link broken in the chain. Please fix it. The more Applicants that are in the System, the more money the State gives you, & the more money the City makes from tax dollars. It also benefits from us cleaning up the community, as we would NOT have the areas surrounding our business be run down; we would feed, help, build and uplift our communities, so that we could once again walk as GOD intended for us to walk. We've been oppressed long enough, even The State is talking about 'Reparations' for Slavery.. they recognize something is owed to what we've endured, please recognize the same for the 'War on People'. Families were changed for generations, it is time we turn things around, and got back on track.