Mendocino County - File #: 23-0443

• File #: 23-0443
• Version: 1
• Type: Approval
• Status: Agenda Ready
• File created: 4/4/2023
• In control: County Counsel
• On agenda: 4/14/2023
• Title: Discussion and Possible Action Including Recommendation to the Board of Supervisors to Enact an Ordinance Amending Chapter 10A.17 to Streamline Cannabis Permitting

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result
4/14/2023	1	General Government Committee

To:  General Government Standing Committee

From:   County Counsel

Meeting Date:  April 14, 2023

Department Contact:	Christian Curtis	Phone:	707-234-6886
CEO Contact:	Darcie Antle	Phone:	707-463-4441

Time Allocated:   2 Hours

Agenda Title:

title

Discussion and Possible Action Including Recommendation to the Board of Supervisors to Enact an Ordinance Amending Chapter 10A.17 to Streamline Cannabis Permitting

End

Recommended Action/Motion:

recommendation

Recommend the Board of Supervisors enact an Ordinance amending Chapter 10A.17 to streamline cannabis permitting.

End

Previous Board/Board Committee Actions:

At the March 14^th Board of Supervisors meeting, the Board directed County Counsel to prepare a draft ordinance and environmental document removing or streamlining local cannabis permit requirements while maintaining all of the same environmental protection measures.  At the March 27^th General Government Committee meeting, the Committee scheduled a special meeting for March 14^th to consider community input to draft documents.                      

Summary of Request/Referral: 

On March 14^th, the Board of Supervisors directed County Counsel to prepare a draft ordinance streamlining the current cannabis permitting process while maintaining existing environmental protection measures.  Because this proposal would remove the County’s ability to generate local documentation to satisfy DCC’s obligations to generate site-specific environmental reviews in connection with its discretionary review process (commonly called an “Appendix G” document), the Board directed County Counsel and the Executive office to meet with DCC to discuss alternative options to allow Mendocino County cultivators a clear and viable pathway to state licensure.

After meeting with DCC, the State has proposed to provide site-specific environmental reviews in connection with its issuance of discretionary cannabis permits in the form of an addendum to a programmatic EIR.  Mendocino and DCC will work together to utilize existing funding sources to generate a programmatic EIR specific to state cannabis licensing in Mendocino, with an eye towards generating suitable addenda for individual permits.  This approach, which has been utilized by Humboldt County, would allow DCC to generate the environmental documents it needs as part of its discretionary permitting process, while removing the burden on Mendocino County to generate additional paperwork and analysis not required by local regulation.

The proposed ordinance attached is written to streamline local cannabis permitting while maintaining all substantive restrictions on these activities, including environmental protection measures.  This approach will reduce the amount of work during the initial review stages while relying more heavily on local enforcement tools to assure compliance.  The draft has been updated to reflect input from the industry representatives, and staff is looking for additional committee and public comment at this time.

Supplemental Information Available Online At: N/A

Fiscal Details:

source of funding: N/A	budgeted in current f/y: N/A
current f/y cost: $0	if no, please describe:
annual recurring cost: $0	revenue agreement: No
budget clarification: N/A

CEO Liaison: Executive Office
CEO Review: Yes

CEO Comments:

FOR COB USE ONLY

Executed By: Atlas Pearson, Senior Deputy Clerk	Final Status: Approved with Modification
Date: April 17, 2023