The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors is set to meet Tuesday at 9 a.m., with two agenda items expected to generate significant public discussion: the regulation of public comment during meetings and a debate over cannabis cultivation limits.
Board Chairman John Haschak said the board will consider adjustments to the rules governing public expression during meetings. Currently, the board’s rules limit public comment on non-agenda items to 10 minutes, though enforcement has varied. As the new board chairman Haschak initially said he wanted to consistently apply the rule to prevent meetings from being delayed by lengthy public testimony, but the approach has sparked debate.
“I tried to start off the year enforcing the 10-minute rule for a single topic,” Haschak said. His goal was to prevent meetings from starting two hours late and staff waiting around for their items to come up.
To balance efficiency with public input, Haschak will propose some alternative options for discussion, including moving public expression to 1:30 p.m. after lunch or making it the final agenda item of the day.
The board will discuss these options — and possibly others — and determine a path forward.
The board will also revisit a contentious issue regarding cannabis cultivation limits. A previous interpretation of the county’s ordinance by legal counsel suggested that allowable cultivation areas could be doubled from 10,000 to 20,000 square feet. The issue resulted in a deadlocked 2-2 vote in October, but with a new board in place, Haschak wants a definitive decision.
“There wasn’t a decision made at that time,” he said. “Now we have a new board, and I think this should be a board decision.”
Haschak also recognizes a need for dicussion around cannabis-related taxation, business expansion, and regulations affecting microbusinesses. Haschak would like these issues will be addressed by the General Government Committee before returning to the board with recommendations.
Additionally, supervisors will consider a request from the planning department for guidance on drafting an ordinance to regulate low-intensity camping in inland areas. The department seeks clarity on key provisions, including minimum parcel sizes, caps on campsites per parcel, requirements for on-site hosts, and setback standards from neighboring properties.
The meeting will be held in person and accessible via Zoom for remote participants.
