Your endorsement describes Devon Wardlow as a “public affairs specialist by inclination, training, and profession.” As a District 4 voter, I wish it had also said for whom.
Wardlow heads public policy for Obvio, which uses AI cameras to flag traffic violations for police review. Obvio has promoted a model in which cities pay nothing upfront and the company can share in citation revenue where law allows. Before that, she spent seven years in public affairs for two cannabis retailers, Coastal and Embarc. In a 2020 Cannabis Magazine interview, she described leading Coastal’s expansion and working with officials on dispensary permits. In plain terms, that is lobbying. Her absence from California’s lobbyist registry proves little, since it covers only state officials, not cities.
Her campaign website mentions “a traffic safety company” and credits her with “developing responsible approaches to retail cannabis,” yet does not name these employers. Your endorsement recounts her Planning Commission work and even her teenage restaurant jobs, but never names her AI employer or the cannabis companies she represented. Why?
Traffic enforcement, surveillance policy, and cannabis permitting are all matters within the council’s authority. Will Wardlow keep her Obvio position if elected? How would she handle decisions involving her current or former employers if elected? Under what circumstances would she recuse herself?
Wardlow may have thoughtful answers, and I hope she will share them before November 3. Voters deserve full transparency alongside praise.
