NO INITIATIVES ON CITY BALLOT

posted by Andrea Kelly

The only attempt to get an initiative on this fall's Tucson ballot has apparently failed.

City Clerk Roger Randolph said he turned away the group "Sensible Tucson" this morning when they attempted to file the signatures needed to get an initiative on the ballot. The group's initiative aimed to reduce penalties for marijuana possession and drug paraphernalia charges.

When representatives of the group showed up at the clerk's office with boxes of petitions, Randolph said he refused to accept them, because the initiative sought to change penalties defined in state law, instead of the city code. Only statewide initiatives can attempt to change state law. City initiatives must apply to city code. The penalties for marijuana possession in Tucson are the penalties set in state law, Randolph said.

When the group showed up to turn in the petitions, Randolph handed them a letter explaining why he turned them away.

"The measure set forth in the Petition seeks to amend the Arizona Revised Statutes, which cannot be accomplished through a municipal initiative petition," Randolph said in the letter. "I will not accept or take custody of City of Tucson Initiative Petition 2011-I003, because it does not address legislation that is subject to the local initiative process."