Category: News

From the field: The illegal grow next to us that the County allows to continue without permit

After living on our residential property for 30 years we now live next to a cannabis grow situated on 5 acres, 10 acres is required however the grower next to us was Grandfathered in allowing the 5 acre parcel to grow cannabis. We now live 300 FT from a cannabis operation that was awarded a…
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From the Field: What’s it Like to Live 100 feet from 15,000 Cannabis Plants? (Nbay Biz)

Buying a home in Sonoma County turned out to be our worst investment ever Buying a home in Sonoma County turned out to be our worst investment ever. Cannabis wasn’t legal, so a commercial-scale cannabis business in the area wasn’t part of our calculation when we purchased our dream home west of Sebastopol. After California…
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Four Masked Men Threaten to Kill Hopland Cannabis Farm Security Guard – But hey it’s just another crop dude

On 11-27-2020 at 7:05 AM Deputies from the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to an armed robbery at a reported permitted cannabis farm in the 12000 block of Pratt Ranch Road in Hopland, California. Upon arrival Deputies contacted an adult male who was working as an unarmed security guard at the cannabis farm owned…
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Wine country looking more like cannabis country in California

BY ANGELA HART ahart@sacbee.com May 11, 2017 12:01 AM Updated May 12, 2017 10:53 AM The grapevines that line rolling hillsides and sweeping valleys in Northern California’s wine country have become iconic – a symbol of the region’s rustic charm that helped California earn its reputation as a world-class wine and food destination. But winegrapes…
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How legalized cannabis changed Colorado in the past five years

Recreational marijuana turns five in Colorado The 5-year experiment that is Colorado’s pioneering legalization of recreational marijuana now has enough data for more than conjecture to debate its success. The state’s first dispensaries began legal recreational sales on January 1, 2014. In 2014, combined recreational and medical sales totaled $683.5 million, and are expected to…
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County Favors Growers

EDITOR: Much of Sonoma County’s poor implementation of its cannabis program stems from questionable legal decisions. The county counsel’s advice to staff is attorney-client privileged, but the results are obvious. The county allows growers to remain in the permit relief program despite multiple failures to meet its explicit requirements. County counsel essentially asserts that the…
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Board of Forestry reply to Sonoma County on Fire Safe Roads

BOARD OF FORESTRY AND FIRE PROTECTION KEITH GILLESS, CHAIRTHE NATURAL RESOURCES AGENCY Wade Crowfoot, SecretarySTATE OF CALIFORNIA Gavin Newsom, GovernorP.O. Box 944246SACRAMENTO, CA 94244-2460(916) 653-8007(916) 653-0989 FAXBOF Website (www.bof.fire.ca.gov)October 23, 2020 Linda SchiltgenDeputy County CounselCounty of SonomaLinda.Schiltgen@sonoma-county.org Re: BOF Certification Questions: Sonoma County Responses Dear Ms. Schiltgen: The Board is in receipt of your letter…
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Press Release November 11,2020

Contact: Deborah Eppstein 801 556-5004 (deppstein@gmail.com)Craig Harrison 707 573-9990 (craigspencerharrison@gmail.com)Marylee Guinon 925 260-4346 (maryleeguinon@gmail.com) Issue:Amid another extreme fire season, concerned residents wonder why their Board of Supervisors is fervently working to exempt new development on unsafe roads from Cal Fire safety standards. Wide-spread Opposition: Residents as well as the following advocacy groups submitted opposition letters:…
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From the Field: The County Has Failed us, West County

I live in West County and there are three illegal cannabis grows in close proximity to our family home, and additional illegal and legal grows within a mile. Residents have good reasons to not trust the County to enforce illegal grow operations or illegal building code violations because the county’s horrific track record speaks volumes and these residents live in fear of retribution. Two…
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Issues Impacting County Residents, Update

Neighborhood compatibility:  Neighborhood compatibility is not considered when Sonoma County reviews/approves an application for a ministerial cannabis grow.  Susan Gorin said; “…neighborhood compatibility was my very highest priority.”  There are often 20 or more homes that share the same narrow dead-end roads that access these cannabis grows.  The neighbors are subject to a degrading quality…
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