Political conservative John Davies says the cannabis ordinance ultimately led to First District Santa Barbara County Supervisor Das Williams not getting re-elected.
“Cannabis has taken down a lot of lives, a lot of really good lives because of the addictions,” Davies said. “I think the latest victim of cannabis is Das Williams.”
Davies appears on the latest episode of Santa Barbara Talks with Josh Molina to talk about Williams’ legacy, the election of Donald Trump, rent control, City Councilwoman Meagan Harmon’s political future, and much more.
Davies said Williams got blamed for the cannabis ordinance and the smell in the Carpinteria Valley.
“Drive through his district,” Davies said. “It’s not a pretty smell. If I am waking up every morning with that smell, I am thinking (sniffs) Das.”
Davies , however, said he will miss Williams’ intelligence and strategic thinking on the board.
He also explained Trump’s appeal.
“He’s made the working class, the hard working-class, the blue collar, Republicans,” Davies said.
Despite his wealth, Davies said Trump has always appealed to working-class individuals.
“When you look at Donald Trump’s life, he has always been a very wealthy man, he inherited a lot of money, but who related to the working class,” Davies said. “They were always his people.
Davies, the founder and CEO of Davies Public Affairs and Blaze PR, has longed worked for conservative candidates and energy companies.
Although he is a Republican, he is well-respected among longtime Democrats, including 37th District Assemblyman Gregg Hart, Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara and others.
He breaks down the state of the Santa Barbara City Council, and says gives a nod to councilwoman and California Coastal Commissioner Meagan Harmon.
“Meagan Harmon is one incredibly smart, good politician,’ Davies said. “She is absolutely amazing.”
Joshua Molina is journalist who currently writes for Noozhawk and teaches journalism at Santa Barbara City College. He formerly covered politics and land use for the San Jose Mercury News. Santa Barbara Talks is an independently owned podcast where Molina looks to bring together voices from all perspectives to discuss and provide solutions to the challenges related to housing, education, transportation and other community issues. Subscribe to his podcast here and consider a contribution here.
