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Harris backs federal rescheduling of marijuana by Matthew S. Bajko
S
hould she be elected to the U.S. Senate this November, California Attorney General Kamala Harris would advocate for the federal government to change how it classifies marijuana as Rick Gerharter a controlled substance. State Attorney In an editorial board General interview with the Bay Kamala Harris Area Reporter, Harris said she does not believe marijuana should be designated as a Schedule I drug, along with such illicit substances as heroin, LSD, the party drug ecstasy, and peyote. Such substances are considered “the most dangerous” and have “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse,” according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. Having marijuana classified in such a way hinders federally funded research into its medicinal uses. It also allows federal authorities to crack down on dispensaries and growers in states that have legalized marijuana for either medical purposes or recreational use. “As a U.S. senator, an area of focus for me would be to remove marijuana from Schedule I and put it in Schedule II,” said Harris. Schedule II drugs include cocaine, methamphetamine, methadone, Ritalin, Adderall, and oxycodone. The DEA considers such drugs “dangerous” and having “a high potential for abuse, with use potentially leading to severe psychological or physical dependence.” Harris’ position on the federal reclassification of marijuana is a continuation of her softening stance on the legalization of the drug. In late November 2014, shortly after being re-elected as AG, she told BuzzFeed News that she is “not opposed to the legalization of marijuana.” It was a stark turnaround from her position in 2010, during her first campaign to be elected AG, when Harris told the B.A.R., “While I support the legal use of medical marijuana, and personally know people who have benefited from its use, I do not support the legalization of marijuana beyond that.” At last year’s California Democratic Convention, Harris said, “Now is the time to end the federal ban on medical marijuana.” Her comment came three months after she told the San Francisco Chronicle that legalizing recreational marijuana use was “an inevitability” in California. With Golden State voters likely to be asked this November to pass a ballot measure that would do just that, Harris reiterated that comment during her April 13 interview with the B.A.R. “Generally, I am supportive of it,” said Harris, formerly San Francisco’s district atSee page 13 >>
Vol. 46 • No. 16 • April 21-27, 2016
Gay SF gardener surviving TV fame by Matthew S. Bajko
A
s his team of co-workers from the Port of San Francisco competed one recent weekday afternoon in the Ferry Bocce League, Tai Trang took a time out from the action at Justin Herman Plaza to pose for a photo with a fan. Walking by with his lunch, Danny Tran had spotted Trang, one of the cast members from this season of the hit CBS show Survivor. The 26-year-old Tran, like Trang, is gay and their families both came to the U.S. from Vietnam. He and his roommate have been rooting for Trang to win the televised competition, which this go-around took place in Cambodia and will award the winner a $1 million prize later this spring. “He is a favorite to win,” said Tran, who has See page 13 >>
Tai Trang, a contestant on Survivor, plays bocce ball at the courts on the Embarcadero.
Leader of SF Parks Alliance marks 5 years Rick Gerharter
by Matthew S. Bajko
C
ole Valley resident Matthew O’Grady, an avid cyclist, often biked through the triangular open space bounded by Lincoln Way and Kezar Drive on his way from his home to Golden Gate Park. For years the area, dubbed Kezar Triangle, was a “real dead zone,” said O’Grady, “with more gopher holes than pieces of grass.” That changed two years ago, after a $670,000 renovation of the 2.8 acre plot of land funded by the Friends of Kezar Triangle, which was created in 2010 by Carla Crane, with the Carla and David Crane Foundation. It now features flowering beds, a bench carved out of a single log, and an art garden tended to by artists who use the plant materials in their works. “The result is now it is a destination in its own right,” said O’Grady. “You see people here picnicking and playing with their dogs.” O’Grady, who is gay, had selected the site to meet with the Bay Area Reporter for an interview about his marking his fifth year as chief executive officer of the San Francisco Parks Alliance. The nonprofit agency is a leading advocate at City Hall for funding of the city’s numerous parks and recreation facilities. It also partners with scores of community groups that have adopted various city parks to serve as stewards of the sites. More than 200 groups, such as the Friends of Kezar Triangle, are fiscally sponsored by the parks alliance. “We use philanthropy and civic engagement
Rick Gerharter
Matthew O’Grady, CEO of the San Francisco Parks Alliance, stands at the entrance to one of its projects, the Kezar Triangle on the edge of Golden Gate Park.
to protect, sustain, and enrich San Francisco’s parks, recreation, and open green spaces,” said O’Grady. He had chosen the Kezar Triangle site as a meeting place in order to show off what the Parks Alliance and community groups, in partnership with the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, can achieve. The site is
a model for how overlooked green spaces in the city can be re-imagined into inviting public realms. “The traditional way is philanthropists raise the money and give it to the recreation and park department. Here we did the contrary,” said See page 14 >>
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