A Los Angeles County supervisor Tuesday proposed a ban on all medical marijuana outlets in unincorporated areas.
Supervisor Michael Antonovich said that without such a ban, unincorporated communities next to cities with bans would become the "locale of choice" for dispensary operators forced to move by municipal regulations.
"It is entirely unfair for our county unincorporated residents to shoulder the burdens and impacts of (medical marijuana dispensaries) when surrounding cities have taken steps to ban the use within their borders," Antonovich said.
A 2006 Los Angeles County ordinance prohibits dispensaries within 1,000 feet of churches, daycare centers, libraries, playgrounds and schools.
Antonovich said several pot shops opened without the operators getting licenses, including one two doors from a county library. That prompted county attorneys to go to court to close the place.
The supervisor's planning deputy told the Pasadena Star-News that fatal shootings at two dispensaries on Thursday persuaded Antonovich to call for an all-out ban.
"The supervisor has had a concern about these for years," Paul Novak told the Star-News. "The recent events ... only heighten that concern."
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Antonovich's proposal, which will not come up for a public vote until next Tuesday, would direct county counsel to draft a ban.
After years of dragging its feet, the city of Los Angeles this spring codified regulations for medical marijuana dispensaries, ordering more than 400 shops out of step with city laws to close by June 7. The city is working toward capping the number of shops citywide at 70, but will allow scores of others that registered with the city during a 2007 moratorium to remain open temporarily.
