For the third time in as many months, San Bernardino leaders have reversed course on how many commercial cannabis retailers they will allow to seek a permit. Says a report in the San Bernardino Sun newspaper
Earlier this month, about six weeks after agreeing to bump the threshold for such businesses to 17, or one for every 12,500 residents, a majority of the City Council opted to allow only 11 storefronts until data showed there was a local market for recreational marijuana.
On Wednesday, Aug. 19, however, most council members supported scrapping that plan and capping permits at 17, as first proposed.
A final decision on the matter could be made in September.
Council members Theodore Sanchez, Sandra Ibarra, Juan Figueroa, Henry Nickel and Bessine Richard favored the latest move.
Councilmen Fred Shorett and Jim Mulvihill dissented.
“There’s going to be damages here from the applicants already approved” to open retail facilities, Shorett said ahead of the vote. “If we look at the way this council operates, we split vote on everything we do. That’s not stability in this community. We’re telling businesses (with this vote) that you can come through here, go through our process, do what we ask you to do and when we decide it’s not working or somebody’s feelings get hurt and they turn around and sue us, we acquiesce and unlevel the playing field.”
Full report at. https://www.sbsun.com/2020/08/20/san-bernardino-again-changes-how-many-marijuana-stores-it-will-allow/
