Following the legalization of recreational cannabis in California in 2016 and the subsequent implementation of licensing regulations in 2018, the Carpinteria Valley witnessed a surge in cannabis cultivation operations. With this growth came an onslaught of resident complaints regarding the pungent odor emanating from these facilities. Since 2019, 3,900 complaints have been filed about the […]
On June 18, the Supervisors will decide whether our revenue-starved County will approve a ballot referendum that would increase our cannabis tax rates. Frankly, I’m not nearly as concerned about the tax itself, as I am about the fact that Supervisors Steve Lavagnino and Das Willams continue to dominate the cannabis conversation. Allow me to […]
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In 1936 they released the notorious Reefer Madness, a social horror movie lightly dressed up as a PSA. Reefer Madness lives up to its nominal hypothesis, portraying the effects of cannabis in a terrifying Jekyll-and-Hyde framework that sees gee-whiz youngsters turned into shifty-eyed, maniacally giggling creeps after a single puff. Marijuana was the sinister trojan […]
After nearly a year of working on cannabis tax alternatives, our Deputy CEO finally presented her findings to the Board of Supervisors who are considering a November election Cannabis tax ballot Referendum. More disappointing than the presentation’s lack of depth, analysis or erudition was its shockingly obvious cannabis-bias. Allow me to explain: There are only […]
At a SB County Board of Supervisors hearing this past Tuesday, the board was briefed on second-quarter revenues for Fiscal Year 2022-23 related to cannabis tax revenue, which continues to trend lower than budgeted with a projected $10.5M negative variance. With an adopted budget of $16.3M, cannabis cultivation and retail storefront tax is currently projecting […]
On Wednesday, September 7, in a 4-1 vote, Roots Carpinteria, a cannabis retail store, secured approval for a Coastal Development Permit to operate on Santa Claus Lane. The Santa Barbara County Planning Commission made the decision. Luis Castañeda, director of retail operations for Roots Carpinteria, was happy with the Commission’s decision. “We are very grateful […]
Earlier this week, the County Board of Supervisors took final action to amend the county ordinance to require all cannabis cultivation facilities to apply for and obtain a Conditional Use Permit (CUP), effective January 31, 2023. “The CUP requirement caps a year-long effort by the Coalition and the community to strengthen controls of cannabis cultivation […]
I am not a religiously observant Jew, but on Thursday, September 16, I have an appointment with God. Yom Kippur — the Day of Atonement — is a once-a-year thing, a standing appointment, and it is important to me. I have kept it on the steps of a temple in France, on a Greek Island, […]
On Monday, March 16, Santa Barbara Interim Police Chief Barney Melekian issued a statement responding to a March 12 Los Angeles Magazine article that raised allegations of corruption and undue influence involving Anthony Wagner, the department’s public information officer, who previously helped run the city’s cannabis dispensary licensing process. Melekian’s announcement stated that he was […]
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Decisive Opposition to New Dispensary Despite 70 percent of Summerland voters in the state election voting in favor of marijuana legalization, residents and business owners are overwhelmingly against the establishment of a cannabis dispensary in town. So says a recent survey with a sample that comprises 25 percent of residents and almost all business owners […]
Ever since the Santa Barbara Grand Jury issued its damning report last month on the explosion of cannabis cultivation in Santa Barbara County, a widening ripple of reaction has circled around Carpinteria, Goleta, and Buellton, where residents hope the controversy will aid their efforts to curtail the industry. As the Montecito Journal reported last week, […]
Das Williams, Santa Barbara’s First District Supervisor, suddenly found himself under a harsh, almost Perry Mason-style cross examination during a July 13 interview with Steve Chiotakis, host of KCRW’S Greater L.A. radio talk show. “Your campaign contributions come from pot lobbyists trying to grow weed,” Chiotakis scoffed at one point. “And look, it’s legal, yeah, […]
On June 30, Santa Barbara’s Grand Jury released an historic, scathing report detailing alleged official malfeasance by the Board of Supervisors as it sought to regulate cannabis over the past three years, particularly in Carpinteria but also in North County wine country. By law, the report mentioned no names and took no stand on the […]
You might recognize the Santa Barbara Coalition for Responsible Cannabis from various letters to the editor and reader-submitted editorials that have run in the Montecito Journal, Carpinteria’s Coastal View News, and other local newspapers in Santa Barbara county. Although the group claims not to oppose cannabis per se, its members have consistently decried what they […]