© 2024 KZYX
redwood forest background
Mendocino County Public Broadcasting
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Local News

Cannabis cultivation ordinance refined

April 21, 2021 — At an inconclusive eleven and a half hour meeting this week, the Board of Supervisors agreed 4-1 to allow cannabis expansion on parcels meeting a narrowly defined set of requirements. And, with the drought expected to be in full swing by the time the season begins, growers under the new ordinance will not be getting plants in the ground this year.

The ordinance was not fully hammered out on Monday night. Supervisors heard more than six hours of public comment and ended the meeting after dinner by going over a ten-point memo submitted by Supervisor Glenn McGourty. Most of the recommendations by the Planning Commission were left for another meeting next week, when the board will also hold a hearing on cannabis facilities.

On Monday, supervisors tackled the issue that’s come to define the phase III debate in the final hour of the meeting. Prior to the meeting, local environmentalists and Supervisor John Haschak sponsored a poster that flew around the internet, urging residents to “say no to big grow” and stating that the proposed land use ordinance  “puts profits over people, wildlife, public safety and the environment.” Last week, scientists from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said that site-specific review does not begin to address the cumulative impacts of cannabis grows. But photos accompanying the scientific presentation showed egregious violations of any ordinance. Supervisors resolved to address growing frustration with the lack of enforcement by directing staff to write a new enforcement procedure in line with that of Humboldt County, which relies on real-time aerial surveillance, hefty fines, and property liens.

Still, a lack of confidence in the county’s ability to carry out a detailed policy characterized much of this week’s debate. Callers invoked the failure of Measure AF, the so-called heritage initiative of 2016, and some floated the possibility of another initiative to overturn the supervisors’ decision if it was unpopular. And employees of at least one legal cannabis company called in during working hours to urge the board to allow the 10% expansion, praising their employer for treating them fairly and paying them well.

Local News