Wading In

October 27, 2011 | Posted by Kelvin Wade Can we talk about legalization? Fairfield Daily Republic Protestors had a message for President Obama when he arrived in San Francisco this week for a fundraiser: “Hands off our medical marijuana!” Earlier this month, U.S. Attorneys in California announced they would be prosecuting targeted marijuana dispensaries and seizing properties rented to them. Ironically, it’s the federal government that caused the extraordinary growth in California’s medical marijuana trade by putting out a memo in 2009 saying they wouldn’t be going after dispensaries that complied with state law. The feds were going to look the other way on medical marijuana. What did they think was going to happen? Unfortunately, the uncertainty of proceeding with a state law that violates a federal law has left many communities vacillating over what to do about medical marijuana. We’ve seen it play out locally. In 2007, Fairfield banned marijuana dispensaries. Vacaville followed suit...

Fairfield Daily Republic October 20, 2011 Lessons from a reformed graffiti artist by Kelvin Wade This week, the City Council debated what to do about the problem of graffiti in Fairfield. First, prohibiting minors from possessing graffiti implements on public property would be a good start. When I was a kid, the only time I used a can of spray paint was in my garage painting my bike. There’s no reason for a minor to have a can of paint in public. Councilwoman Catherine Moy is reluctant to extend the ban to markers, but it should be done. Police will be able to tell if someone is carrying art supplies to school. Look, kids aren’t walking around with markers altruistically, just in case a homeless person needs to borrow one to write “Will work for food” on a piece of cardboard. If a kid has markers in public, most likely the point is to use them to deface property. I know this because I did it. The city put in a park near my house in what was a vacant field. There were nice off-white pic...

Fairfield Daily Republic October 13, 2011 Does citizenship matter anymore? By Kelvin Wade This past weekend, Gov. Jerry Brown signed AB130 and AB131, the co-called California DREAM Act. The most controversial aspect is that it allows undocumented students to obtain financial aid, including community college fee waivers and Cal Grants, to go to college. A Republican legislator promises to bring a referendum before the public to repeal the act. Who on Earth thought it would be a good time to enact an entitlement program for illegal immigrants in the middle of economic hard times? If we have to hike tuition, cut education and cut services all the while bringing in less revenue, where do we find the money to give to illegal immigrants? Proponents were well-intentioned. Illegal minors are already here and federal courts have ruled that we have to provide a K-12 education for them. This makes sense in that we don’t want to build a permanent underclass or have these minors resort to crime. ...

Fairfield Daily Republic, October 06, 2011 Protect your kids from bullies by Kelvin Wade Last week I drove past a guy who looked like a dude I knew in the eighth grade at Grange Middle School. I didn’t stop the car or turn around to go see because what I remembered about him was that he was a part of a group of guys that bullied kids. In fact, I met some good friends in eighth grade by protecting them from his bullying group. While these bullies didn’t threaten me physically like they did to other kids, they did start and perpetuate a false rumor that my best friend, Dan, and I were gay. The rumor flew around the school and for about a week, we were whispered about and taunted. Dan couldn’t take it and stayed home the rest of the week. That left me to deal with it by myself. I mention this because of the parent protest this week at Rodriguez High. Some parents are upset with athletics, academics and an assistant principal they allege to be harassing students. But what caught my attenti...