SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The push to legalize marijuana in California received a boost Thursday as the state's Democratic lieutenant governor announced that he was leading a blue ribbon panel that plans to study the issue with the goal of producing a legalization initiative for the November 2016 ballot. In announcing the formation of the 16-member panel of medical, legal, political and law enforcement experts, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom made plain that he fully endorses the idea of making adult sales and recreational use of marijuana legal and challenged other elected officials to do the same.