More local taxes threaten to undermine California’s fledgling legal pot industry and drive consumers underground to purchase their weed.

Voters should reject proposals on the Nov. 6 ballot for new marijuana business taxes in Union City (Measure DD), Emeryville (Measure S) and unincorporated Contra Costa (Measure R),

One key argument to California voters in 2016 for legalizing marijuana was that it would help wipe out the black market by allowing consumers to buy their pot at local dispensaries.

The marijuana would be safer, taxes could help cover related law enforcement expenses, and illegal cultivation and production, along with the associated crime, would be curtailed.

The problem is that it’s apparently not working, or at least not nearly as well as promoters and state officials had forecast. Legal marijuana sales have fallen far below expectations — state tax revenues were less than half what was forecast — while illegal sales continue to flourish.

One major concern is the high level of state and local taxes, which can add as much as 40 percent to the price of legal pot. State lawmakers this year even proposed lowering the state tax. While the bill didn’t pass, it should be a wake-up call: This is no time for more local governments to start jumping on the weed-tax bandwagon.

Voters wanted a legal marijuana market. Let’s give it a chance to take root.

ALAMEDA — Cannabis businesses have shown little interest in operating here in the wake of the city adopting regulations on their use.

Among the reasons? A lack of suitable space to purchase or rent, and the fact that state regulations regarding cannabis are still being hammered out, leading to uncertainty within the industry.

“They’re rolling them out slowly,” Lois Butler, Alameda’s economic development manager, told the City Council about state laws July 24, when it reviewed local regulations. “They’re very complex, and companies have to be capitalized to be nimble enough to implement changes.”

Adding to the uncertainty, Butler said, is that cannabis remains illegal under federal law and that enforcement actions may take place, despite local ordinances or state laws.

Alameda’s cannabis rules took effect Jan. 18, and were crafted after California voters approved recreational use of the substance in November 2016.

The city caps the number of dispensaries at two; nursing or cultivating places at one; testing labs at two; and the number of manufacturing facilities at four. Cannabis businesses also must be located at least 1,000 feet from schools and other places where young people gather, such as recreational centers.

Since the local rules kicked in, however, just one cannabis business appears on track to open in Alameda: Main Street Supply, a medical dispensary, is looking to operate on Webster Street in the city’s West End.

One individual expressed interest in opening a nursery in town, but could not find a suitable location beyond the 1,000-foot buffer zone, Butler said. Three inquires about opening a testing lab each fell through, and no one submitted a formal “letter of interest” for operating a manufacturing business, she said.

“We don’t have a logjam to break here,” Councilman Frank Matarrese said. “We have a lack of interest.”

Matarrese said he believed the possibility of a federal crackdown was a key reason why some are cautious about getting involved in the cannabis industry.

“That goes not only with the operator, but with the city’s liability,” he said.

Mayor Trish Spencer said the city’s regulations may be too restrictive.

“We have so many barriers, it’s actually unfriendly,” said Spencer, a strong supporter of medicinal marijuana whose position was showcased in a video produced by “Alameda For Safe Cannabis Access,” a local advocacy group.

The council took no formal action during its semi-annual review of the city’s cannabis rules.

But it asked city officials to come back with possible tweaks, including reducing the buffer zone to 600 feet in some places, removing the limit on the number of testing labs and possible zoning changes to make more areas available to cannabis businesses.

Serena Chen, a Bay Farm Island resident who said she has campaigned for 23 years against tobacco, questioned why the council was even looking at revising marijuana ordinances.

“The reason why you set up the provisions that you did is because you listened to the community that came six months ago to talk about protecting our youth,” Chen told the council. “So, what data has changed in terms of that rationale tonight, that you would want to reverse some of those protections?”

Spencer said she considered cannabis as different from tobacco.

“There is no benefit, I know of, from smoking cigarettes,” the mayor said. “Whereas, cannabis, many of us believe, has medicinal and/or healing properties.”

Other speakers called for the city to clear the way for the recreational sale of cannabis and for more community involvement as the city reviews businesses from the industry looking to open in town.

The council is expected to take up the issue again in October, when it will also gather more public input before approving any possible changes to the local ordinances.

Union City voters will be asked to decide this November whether the city should impose a cannabis business tax.

The measure was approved for the Nov. 6 general election ballot by the City Council Tuesday, and is intended to bring over a million dollars into the cash-strapped city’s coffers.

The vote for placing the cannabis business tax measure on the ballot was 4-1, with Councilman Gary Singh dissenting. Singh has voted against any actions that allow and permit marijuana businesses to operate in the city.

If approved, the cannabis tax measure could raise around $1.4 million annually for the city in unrestricted general fund money. Tax rates levied against marijuana business could vary widely, with the council having final authority to raise or lower them.

Those who cultivate the drug would be required to pay between two and eight dollars per square foot of growing space based on the type of lighting used and type of growing operation. Rates would increase beginning in 2021.

Those selling, testing, distributing, or manufacturing marijuana would have to pay between one and six percent of their gross receipts to the city.

No marijuana businesses operate in the city yet, but the city council earlier this year signaled it would permit two different operations. The city only sanctioned marijuana businesses within its borders late last year, after having banned them in 2005.

The city’s most recent budget included some spending reductions in the previous and current fiscal year. The city is anticipating an average annual deficit of $4.3 million through fiscal year 2021-22, according to city reports.

Mayor Carol Dutra-Vernaci said there are limited solutions for the city currently, comparing city efforts to balance the budget to “trying to right a sinking ship.”

The measure would require a simple majority of voters approval to go into effect, city reports said. A consultant hired by the city to survey residents found about 63 percent said they would definitely or probably vote yes for the cannabis business tax measure.

While city staff reports say the money from the measure would be aimed at maintaining or improving “essential services” such as police and fire, youth violence and gang prevention programs, senior services and the maintenance of city parks, the revenue would go into the general fund as unrestricted money.

Out of hundreds who took an online city survey online asking about local revenue-generating measures, dozens said they wouldn’t support them, according to anonymous responses in a city report.

One respondent said they would want to see specific plans for the money generated, and would want to “understand all the possibilities of how the money could be spent.”

Many others said the city should manage its current resources better, like any other household must.

“If we don’t have the money to cover our bills we must sacrifice something,” one response read. “I wish our city would do the same.”

OAKLAND — The U.S. Attorney’s office in Northern California has officially taken the death penalty off the table for two men charged in a multi-state marijuana trafficking ring that authorities say involved multiple murder conspiracies.

In a court document filed Tuesday, federal prosecutors gave notice they will not seek the death penalty against Marcus Etienne or Craig Marshall. Two other defendants in the case, Mario Robinson and Elizabeth Gobert, were not eligible for the death penalty.

The four were indicted last year on federal charges, including racketeering and murder to further ongoing criminal enterprise. Authorities say Etienne led a marijuana trafficking ring that shipped marijuana from California to Louisiana.

He is alleged to have ordered the killing of Trince Thibodeaux, in Oakland, over an unpaid debt. Marshall and Robinson are accused of helping carry out the hit. Etienne, after his arrest, then allegedly plotted with Gobert to kill Robinson.

Earlier this month, prosecutors indicated they would be seeking additional charges against Etienne and Marshall, and raised the possibility of initiating a rare federal death penalty case. Their deadline to bring new charges and/or make a decision to seek the death penalty was scheduled for Aug. 10.

HAYWARD — Three cannabis dispensaries were approved Tuesday by the City Council.

Aunty Honey’s still has not secured a location, while Hayward Station aims to open at 1004 B St. and Jiva Life at 1223 A St.

The businesses still must get city approval, however, before they can operate at the locations.

Each business has said it plans to hire Hayward residents and pay them a living wage, according to city officials.

On Tuesday, the City Council approved giving permits to the businesses. Councilman Mark Salinas cast the lone no vote.

The businesses, however, must still get land use approval to operate, which will require public hearings before the Planning Commission and council.

Earlier this year, the council adopted an ordinance that set a 6 percent tax on gross receipts for cannabis businesses.

Check back for updates.

Police said the collision occurred about 3:25 p.m. in eastbound lanes near Marina Village Parkway.

Yee, her husband and their driver — a California Highway Patrol officer with the Dignitary Protection Section — were stopped in the left lane when Aaron Ba Sean George crashed a Nissan sedan into them, according to police. The impact pushed the state vehicle into a Toyota Camry.

George suffered major injuries in the crash. Police described the injuries to Yee, her husband and the officer as non-life threatening. All four were taken to hospitals for treatment.

The sole occupant of the Camry was not injured in the collision, according to police.

Police said George is suspected of driving under the influence of marijuana and will be booked into jail once he is released from the hospital.

The Posey Tube was closed roughly 1½ hours as a result of the crash.

The investigation into the collision is continuing. Anyone with information can call police at 510-450-3821.

HAYWARD — Eleven commercial cannabis businesses have been given the OK to open in Hayward, including businesses specializing in cultivation, manufacturing, distribution, delivery or testing. None are dispensaries.

The majority of Hayward City Council members expressed excitement over the new businesses at their Tuesday meeting where they approved the businesses on a 6-1 vote, with Councilman Mark Salinas voting no. Salinas, who has expressed disdain for recreational cannabis in the past, voiced concern over how the decision would affect families and public safety in Hayward.

“Like any industry and like any company, there is a profit motive here. The profit motive is to sell cannabis, to sell weed,” he said. “It’s easier to get a pack of cigarettes and a [beer] than it is to get an apple in this city; now we’re going to add weed to the list.”

Each business is required to provide community benefits. While the council has not specified what these benefits must be, the businesses indicated they would donate a portion of their proceeds to local charities, hire Hayward residents and at-risk populations and provide education on safe cannabis consumption.

Hayward Mayor Barbara Halliday said she expects the ordinance to benefit the city in several ways, with economic prosperity at the top of her list, as the businesses will be taxed at 6 percent, and they all promised to hire local employees.

“Because of the structure that we created around this, we’re looking at community benefits and we’re looking at jobs,” she said in an interview. “Because the state legalized the substance and we see other cities around us jumping to have these businesses operate legally, I think there’s no reason for us not to be part of that and to reap some of those benefits.”

The approved businesses are: Hidden Farms and Empress Extracts for cultivation; Stoned Age Jerky and Mijosa for manufacturing; Green Haven for delivery; American Holdings, Sticky Thumb Delivery and Green Grizzly for micro-business, and Vista Development Enterprise, Manifest and CBRA for distribution.

A representative from Hidden Farms told the council it plans to open a Hayward chapter of its nonprofit Project Reckless, which works with at-risk youth to increase their skills and confidence by working on cars, according to the group’s website.

“I always saw that as an opportunity to open the doors to a new, blue-collar industry for a lot of the kids I work with,” the representative said.

John Stefanski, management analyst in the city manager’s office, echoed this idea, adding that these businesses could provide jobs to those who otherwise would have trouble finding employment.

“It’s a great opportunity to develop new jobs in our community, and jobs for individuals who may have had a difficult time finding jobs because maybe they have cannabis-related incidents on their record,” he said in an interview.

But Salinas was suspicious of the group’s promise to help at-risk youth, because he said he believes the problems of many at-risk youth are caused, in part, by marijuana.

“Some of these populations are at risk primarily because of the industry that we’re about to usher into the city,” he said at the council meeting.

Before the businesses can operate, they must obtain either a conditional or administrative permit within six months, with their building plans reviewed by the Planning Commission and the City Council.