It was a better meeting than several similar ones I’ve been at. Mostly because they gave us time to speak without a timer or interruptions. We sure made good use of that to hammer down a lot of different points.
That said the meeting was just a formality and I don’t think they cared much for what we had to say. Vice Mayor Gold is clearly anti tobacco of all kinds. Even urged chew should be added and “every other form of tobacco regardless of how it’s ingested”. He also claimed vapor is just as bad as smoking. I think a few tens of thousands of his medical peers would disagree.
The Mayor was courteous and all but we can tell she has her mind made up as well. She urged the health Dept. to prioritize this and get something back ASAP but also told them to have as many public meetings as they feel they need. Add one more vote and it’s clear they have their 3 vote majority already.
The ACS and ALA folks were typical liars as usual. ACS guy claimed kids get these products from the black market. What black market? The one that ACS in Oakland claimed doesn’t exist and won’t exist? Not very consistent these fellas.
So Beverly Hills will be moving forward and the best shot we may have is to argue for an exemption like we got in several areas in NorCal. More on that when the timing is right. Thanks to Mark Avetissian, John JJ Jenkins, Garrett Mann & Co, Kalani Green & Co. You all did great and made all the excellent points that were needed.
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