February 27, 2019 — The Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed to adopt two
urgency ordinances establishing 45-day moratoriums on certain cultivation activities.
The new laws prohibit the cultivation of industrial hemp and genetically modified organisms within the unincorporated areas of the county, pending the study and consideration of land use and other regulations pertaining to such cultivation. The board directed county staff to write up the ordinances at their last meeting, and there will be hearings on both at the meeting on April 9th, when the board expects to take up the topic of longer-lasting resolutions.
While most of the public comments were in strong support of the moratorium on GMOs, there was one note of ambivalence about what the future could bring in terms of agricultural technology.