DE
LA
FUENTE
Ignacio

• 1. Oakland City Council
• 1.1. Opposition to medical marijuana movement

Ignacio De La Fuente is a former Oakland City Councilmember. He was also the President of Oakland's City Council until January 2009, when he became vice mayor of Oakland. De La Fuente was an unsuccessful candidate for mayor of Oakland in 1998, 2006, and 2022.

Oakland City Council

First elected to the Oakland City Council in 1992, he served as the chair of the council's Economic and Community Development Committee until January 1999. When Oakland adopted the Strong-Mayor form of government, that removed the Mayor from the City Council and created the position of Council President. De La Fuente became the first Council member to be elected by his peers to serve as President of the Oakland City Council in 1999. He has been re-elected to this position every two years since then.

Opposition to medical marijuana movement

In 1998, when the Oakland City Council deputized the Oakland Cannabis Buyer's Cooperative to distribute medical marijuana, De La Fuente cast a negative vote, saying that he could not support such efforts in "good conscience," citing concerns over abuse as well as control, certification, and monitoring of caregivers. De La Fuente supported efforts in 2003 to shutter all of Oakland's dispensaries but one, contending that "at least half of the clubs (were) selling pot for recreational use."