Earlier this week we at the Courage Campaign (where I work as Public Policy Director) organized a petition to the California Democratic Party Executive Board meeting this weekend, calling on the party to endorse Prop 19.

The response has been very strong. As of 6PM on Friday, just over 20,000 people have signed their name to the petition, which reads as follows:

We, the undersigned, urge the California Democratic Party Executive Board to reform our prisons, help fix the budget mess, and make our communities safer by endorsing Proposition 19.

We reject the arguments of Senator Dianne Feinstein and others who oppose Prop 19. Prop 19 will provide for more effective regulation of cannabis, including prohibitions on its sale to people under age 21. It will help reduce drug crime by legalizing the growth, sale, and possession of small, reasonable amounts of cannabis. And it allows local governments to generate badly needed revenue by taxing cannabis.

We urge the Executive Board to follow the lead of the majority of California Democrats who support Prop 19 by endorsing it at this weekend’s meeting in San Jose. It is time to bring sensible, rational reform of cannabis laws to California.

I’m here at the E-Board meeting (I’m a member) to support Prop 19. There’s a lot of support here for Prop 19, as well as some people who are more skittish about the proposition. Over at FDL Michael Whitney did a good job debunking this, and several E-Board members I’ve talked to agree that Prop 19 is likely to help Democrats, not hurt them.

After all, rank and file California Democrats support Prop 19 – clear majorities of Dems back it, according to recent polling such as the Field Poll. With 20,000 signatures on the Courage Campaign petition, which I’ll be bringing to the Resolutions Committee tomorrow afternoon and the floor session on Sunday, we should be able to win this fight.