HILARY BRICKEN ARTICLE
California Cannabis Investing: Understanding ‘Ownership’ And ‘Financial Interests’
CARPINTERIA
Title: California flower town wrestles with odor amid shift to pot
Author: Daily Journal
Date: 10 May 2018
Extract:
This picturesque coastal town cradled by mountains and sandy shores is a scene out of a Southern California postcard. Residents of Carpinteria say they feel lucky to live in what they consider a slice of paradise.
But change is in the air. And sometimes, they say, it stinks.
That’s because marijuana has become a new crop of choice in the farmlands surrounding this tight-knit community of 14,000, which has long helped fuel the U.S. cut flower industry.
Residents say a thick, skunk-like odor from the marijuana plants settles over the valley in the evenings and before dawn. To keep out the stench, they have tried stuffing pillows under doors, lighting incense and shutting windows, a reluctant choice since it also keeps out the cool ocean breezes that are part of the town’s allure.
“We don’t want a marijuana smell,” said Xave Saragosa, a 73-year-old retired sheriff’s deputy who was born and raised in the town and lives near a greenhouse that grows marijuana. “We want fresh air.”
Saragosa said the odor pervades his hillside home at night and keeps his wife up coughing.
Carpinteria, about 85 miles (137 kilometers) from Los Angeles, is in the southeast corner of Santa Barbara County, a tourist area famous for its beaches, wine and temperate climate. It’s also becoming known as a haven for cannabis growers.
The county amassed the largest number of marijuana cultivation licenses in California since broad legalization arrived on Jan. 1 — about 800, according to state data compiled by The Associated Press. Two-thirds of them are in Carpinteria and Lompoc, a larger agricultural city about an hour’s drive to the northwest.
PACIFIC BEACH
Title: Narcotics officers raid marijuana delivery service in Pacific Beach
Author: Kusi.com
Date: 9 May 2018
URL: http://www.kusi.com/narcotics-officers-raid-marijuana-delivery-service-in-pacific-beach/
Extract:
SAN DIEGO (KUSI) — Narcotics officers raided a marijuana delivery service run out of a Pacific Beach apartment, seizing cannabis and cash and arresting the alleged operator in a continuing crackdown on unlicensed marijuana businesses, police said Wednesday.
REDWOOD
Title: Cannabis businesses are encouraged by new laws Redwood City approve delivery operations, nurseries
Author: The Daily Jnl
Date: 9 May 2018
Extract:
Small business owners who have been legally delivering cannabis in Redwood City for years have been hoping to also headquarter their operations in town for about as long.
That recently became possible after the City Council approved the city’s first commercial cannabis regulations, which passed a second reading at a meeting Monday. The regulations apply to marijuana delivery operations without walk-in retail and nurseries that grow and sell immature starter plants in the city’s industrial zones.
“We’re excited for these ordinances so we can actually put down roots here and make sure the city we’re operating out of is getting the correct amount of tax revenue and benefiting as much as us,” said Alec Gillis, co-founder of medical marijuana delivery service Harvest Bloom.
Brendan Kelly, founder and owner of CEAS Collective, and Mike McGillis, owner of Patio Wellness, are also eager to “put down roots” in Redwood City, and have been intently following the evolving regulations. McGillis and Gillis specifically have been working closely with city staff throughout the process, lending insight into their industry, state law and the various obstacles they face.
And while these cannabis entrepreneurs are encouraged by the city’s direction, there remain many obstacles to opening shop in Redwood City, chief among them being a scarcity of vacant land in the permitted industrial zones and even fewer landlords willing to rent to cannabis businesses. The cost of various fees and other requirements, including security personnel, also add up.
In an effort to limit barriers to cannabis businesses, city staff this month will recommend the Planning Commission also allow these businesses in the Conditional Office (CO) zoning district, which would require final approval by the City Council, according to a staff report.
At the hearing April 9, the City Council also lowered the required buffer zone between the property lines — not front doors — of cannabis businesses and “sensitive receptor” sites, which includes parks, schools and children’s centers. Staff had initially recommended a 1,000-foot requirement, but the council voted for the state-mandated 600-foot option.
TEMECULA
Title: Temecula intends to keep ban on marijuana businesses
Author: Press Enterprise
Date: 8 May 2018
URL: https://www.pe.com/2018/05/08/temecula-intends-to-keep-ban-on-marijuana-businesses/
Extract: Paywall
