Democrat Renteria brings in $335,000 for her race against Valadao

 Amanda Renteria’s campaign announced Monday, January 13, that it raised $335,000 in her campaign for the 21st Congressional District, which includes Kings County.

The impressive total for a first-time candidate, demonstrated that she may have the resources and support needed to unseat Valadao, after just one term in office.

The campaign said that most of the money came from grassroots supporters, over 1,800 of them who made low dollar donations of $100 or less.

While a newcomer to campaigning for elective office, Renteria is no stranger to the aging halls of Congress, having worked for senators Diane Feinstein and Debbie Stabenow. A native of Woodlake, she returned recently to the valley in anticipation of a run for Congress.

The impressive haul over the first quarter of fundraising is evidence that Valadao will have a fight on his hands come the fall. The 38-year-old Renteria is a Stanford and Harvard Business School grad and her entrance into the campaign could very well be one of the most closely watched races in the country in 2014. The Democrats need to switch a few seats, like the 21st, in order to take majority control of the House of Representatives.

Colorado dreaming

They’re waiting in long lines in the snow and cold of Colorado, and it’s not to see “Saving Mr. Banks.” They’re waiting to see a “budtender” and hoping to fork over some hard-earned cash for a small bag of Acapulco Gold or Alien Blues, a transaction which just a few short months ago, used to be illegal.

In 2012 the voters of Colorado sent a surprising message to the rest of the country that the use of recreational marijuana just might be okay, and thus voted to allow it in their state beginning January 1.

Indeed, in many places in Colorado there were many scenes reminiscent of Black Friday, thousands of “shoppers” braving the the Rocky Mountain High to weather to purchase a bag or two of, well, Rocky Mountain High. They waited waiting patiently and in good humor as the first of what may be hundreds of Marijuana dispensaries, opened for business.

In related news, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford announced yesterday that he is renouncing his Canadian citizenship and moving to Denver where he says he plans to run for mayor.

Colorado isn’t the only state that allows the sale of marijuana. Later this year Washington will begin selling recreational weed. Many states allows for the sale of medicinal marijuana, including California. But there are rules. You have to be 21. You can’t smoke in public. You can only buy an ounce at a time and finally, after partaking, you are required to devour a bag of Fritos.

Colorado has strict rules and taxes he sale at a rate of 25 percent, expected to raise about $70 million a year for the state’s tax coffers.

Shoppers will face a smorgasbord of such strains as Acapulco Gold, Afghan Push, Alien Blues, El Dorado or Chronic. Hmm.

It’s hard to tell if Colorado and Washington’s bold experiment will catch on, but my guess is it will. Already, polls in California are revealing that this state’s voters seem to agree with loosening the laws on recreational marijuana. If it was on the ballot tomorrow, Californians would probably approve the purchase of weed with similar restrictions as Colorado.

Is that a good thing?

Hard to say. The law’s detractors say it leads to harder drugs. Proponents say there is no evidence of that. Proponents also insist state, local and federal government expends way too many resources in restricting the use of substances like marijuana and say the nation’s decade’s long drug war has been a bust.