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Supervisors’ Proposed Marijuana Ordinance is a Disaster.
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The Planning Commission will hold a hearing on this at 1:00 PM on Thursday, March 18. We will send call-in information when it is available. Whether or not you attend the Planning Commission hearing, please send your written comments by noon, March 18, to cannabis@sonoma-county.org and copy your Supervisor
The supervisors have released their proposed cannabis ordinance and “supplemental mitigated negative declaration” that fails to adequately analyze the environmental impacts of the proposal as required by the California Environmental Quality Act. The ordinance seems to have been written by the marijuana industry.
The supervisors’ proposed ordinance would change Sonoma County forever. It would
- allow over 65,733 acres of outdoor cultivation permits on agricultural and RRD parcels 10 acres or more–enough to satisfy worldwide demand. This increases the acreage currently cultivated (50 acres) by a factor of 1,300.
- issue permits in an over-the-counter, backroom “ministerial” process without public knowledge or participation.
- increase the size of outdoor cultivation on each parcel from 1 acre to either 10 acres or 10% of the size of the parcel.
- allow up to 1 acre of greenhouse cultivation in new structures (over 8,000 acres), with no limit on indoor cultivation in existing structures.
- allow individual large greenhouse operations with 100-200 employees year-round, adding 400-800 daily trips.
- allow greenhouses that resemble self-storage units and white hoop houses to blight our scenic vistas.
- force many residents to smell marijuana terpenes (a skunk smell) 4-6 months each year.
- remove health, safety, and nuisance protections so neighbors have no recourse when subjected to noise and stench.
- retain inadequate setback requirements.
- not analyze the cumulative effects of odor, noise, scenic blight, traffic on narrow rural roads, water demands, and other issues. The county’s attitude seems to be “How could adding 65,733 acres of outdoor cultivation and over 8,000 acres of greenhouses possibly affect our environment?”
Additional information can be found in this article Sonoma West Times & News.
The Planning Commission will hold a hearing on this at 1:00 PM on Thursday, March 18. We will send call-in information when it is available. Whether or not you attend the Planning Commission hearing, please send your written comments by noon, March 18, to cannabis@sonoma-county.org and copy your Supervisor
The Board of Supervisors may consider adopting this ordinance on Tuesday, April 13.
County staff are holding town hall “listening sessions” next week:
- Friday, March 12, 9:00 – 10:30 AM
- Friday, March 12, 12:00 – 1:30 PM
You can Register to attend a meeting to make your opinions known. However, staff may rephrase the written questions that you submit, and it may be a propaganda session.
We don’t want Sonoma County to resemble Santa Barbara County where ugly hoop houses proliferate and winery tasting rooms are closing because the stench of marijuana interferes with tasting.