This election, Pomona is facing two ballot measures regarding commercial cannabis businesses: Measure PO, and Measure PM. Measure PO is built upon the guidelines that were determined by the City Council, and was carefully crafted to fit the needs of our city. Measure PM has been put forward by outsiders, without any thought to the community.

Measure PO was formed around input from the people of Pomona. It was developed over the course of a two year process, during which many public City Council meetings were held in order the give Pomona residents the chance to have their voices heard. Because of this community involvement, Measure PO addresses the issues that are important to our residents. These include:

• Establishing a merit-based system for commercial cannabis permits
• Limiting how many licenses for the legal sale of cannabis may be issued and where those businesses may operate
• Implementing a buffer of 1,000 feet around schools

Measure PO was created by the people of Pomona. Measure PM, on the other hand, was not. It is not based on input from the community, and it does not take into account the priorities of the people who live here, because it does not set the same standards for commercial cannabis businesses. It is representative only of outside people with outside interests, and it is not what is best for the City of Pomona. Measure PO is the far better answer for our city.