Survey thoughts on a convention center, cannabis

The fifth survey of the year is out at pulseofconcord.com with questions on aspects of the community such as:
Is Concord undergoing gentrification? Is it good or bad?

Do campaign contribution influence a change in City Council votes?

I am also continuing the thread on crime from the last few surveys, this time asking about the effectiveness and costs of police services.

Please participate; it only takes four minutes.

Meanwhile, from the fourth survey, there is a divide over the question of a convention center to host up to 5,000 people:

13 percent, strongly agree – and even more than 5,000 people.
9, strongly agree.
16, agree.
16, neither agree nor disagree.
19, disagree.
18, strongly disagree.
9, very strongly disagree – and do not like having 5,000 people at the Todos Santos Thursday concerts.

So 38 percent are in favor, 46 percent opposed and 16 percent in the middle.

Who are these people that are opposed to the Thursday night concerts? Looking at the origin, they are scattered in the zip codes and the only profile I can see is that there is an overlap in being opposed to everything. I wonder if they are the same ones who are opposed to the 15,000-18,000 people who go to the July 4th events?

Cannabis Dispensaries

The City Council has had a significant shift in attitudes towards cannabis dispensaries, with a 3-2 majority now in favor of the establishment of dispensaries. In the survey, people responded somewhat stronger when asked if an adult use dispensary is acceptable in Concord:

38 percent, strongly agree.
21, agree.
8, neither agree nor disagree.
4, do not care.
11, disagree.
18, disagree strongly.

That’s 59 percent to 29 percent, or a little more than 2-1 in favor.

I have an ongoing fascination with what it takes to change someone’s position on an issue. There were several questions on this, and it revealed that on major issues like cannabis and crime, a solid 25-30 percent of people say that absolutely nothing that is known or believed will change their minds on the subject. Facts and testimonials by experts will have no effect. We see this reflected on national and even global issues, be it politics or perceptions of science.

I wonder if this is a constant thread. Or maybe 3,000 years ago, the percent was higher, which would at least give us some hope for rationality (which in this case means the ability to change views based on facts). However, the scary view is that in the past it was lower and that means we as a species are becoming more emotionally irrational.

Let us look at our lifetime experiences and ask ourselves if people are becoming entrenched in positions that are not impacted by rational factors, and whether this benefits society. Are we headed in the direction of reinforcing a trait that will reduce the survivability of humanity? When I look at national politics, I am very worried.

The statements, questions, information and opinions herein are those of Edi E. Birsan personally and do not purport to reflect any policies or opinions of the City of Concord, including without limitation the Concord City Council, city of Concord staff, or any other people, institutions or organizations associated with the city of Concord.

Send comments to EdiBirsan@gmail.com or 510-812-8180.