Pre-Abatement Letters Spark Fears of Code Enforcement Crackdown on Non-Commercial Cannabis Properties

Field of grass in Southern Humboldt

Field of grass on one of the properties in Southern Humboldt that received pre-abatement letters. [Photo by Kym Kemp]

Some residents in Humboldt County say they’re losing control of their property as well as losing their side income after the county sent pre-abatement letters to an estimated 470 landowners it suspects of cultivating cannabis without a permit. Even several non-cannabis gardeners say they feel pressured because they have also received the warning letters. They fear the county will step beyond regulating cannabis to pushing code enforcement onto rural vegetable gardens and homes.

One woman in the Mattole watershed who along with her partner had stopped cultivation to avoid the abatement program received one of the pre-abatement warning letters earlier this month. According to the woman, when they called the county to find out why they’d received the letter, they were told that a 40-year-old greenhouse put them under suspicion of cultivation. To avoid further suspicion, the structure needed to come down. They were also told, they said, that they will face the cannabis violation fees of $10,000 a day if the County pursues abatement with them in the future rather than the more nominal rates of around the state average of $100 a day that non-cannabis code enforcement would normally entail.

“They have everyone living in fear that they will come for our homes next,” the woman told us. “We’ll all be homeless if that happens.”

Elderly family members of Kym Kemp, publisher of Redheaded Blackbelt, received a pre-abatement letter for suspected cannabis cultivation. Kemp reports they are growing for their own use.

She expressed she didn’t find the letters in themselves problematic. In fact, she finds them to be good government. “These letters are the government beginning a conversation,” she said. ‘Are you cultivating [unpermitted] cannabis?” Then giving the landowner a chance to respond before coming in with fines or worse, with guns.

She said the problem arose later. According to Kemp, a staffperson at Code Enforcement told her that, after reviewing satellite photos, he didn’t believe there was a reason for her family members to have gotten a letter. The person said they would make a note in the file, but would not send the landowner an email or a letter recording the finding. “That’s not a conversation,” she said. “That’s them having all the control, and that’s not okay.”

Another woman, after receipt of a warning letter, wrote to Redheaded Blackbelt expressing her concern for very small elderly growers who need the side income of cultivating a few plants in their backyards.

Many people who have not received letters also have fears they will lose their income and their autonomy.

On Friday, we spoke with Supervisor Estelle Fennell in her Redway office about the letters. Fennell said she does not support the regulation of rural gardening.

She had met with Planning Director John Ford two days prior to clarify the Code Enforcement program being implemented. She said the Planning Department has a host of laws and pressures they must weave between including Prop 64, the Department of Fish and Wildlife concerns, and legal settlements with environmental groups where cannabis is concerned, but she wanted to confirm with him that Code Enforcement is not attempting to move beyond cannabis.

Fennell read out a quote from Ford that he had made to her during their meeting. “We are not after vegetable gardens or their associated structures. We are not interested in regulating vegetable gardens.”

When asked why she thinks that once the Code Enforcement is staffed up to deal with cannabis, it wouldn’t turn to homes and other violations when cannabis ordinance violations have been cleared up, Fennell said that the unit is only staffed temporarily, that the staffing is designed to taper off as the need to enforce on cannabis declines over time.

Fennell said, “I do not support the County in a hugely aggressive push to get every house permitted.” She also reminded residents of the Safe Homes Program where fines are forgiven for permitted structures if they are brought into compliance by the end of 2022.

When it comes to the smallest growers, however, Fennell expresses she has worked hard to make the path to permitting as easy as possible, but the reality is the Board has directed the Planning Departments Code Enforcement unit to enforce the commercial cultivation ordinance on all grow sites over the allowance, for personal or medical use, of 100 square feet on parcels smaller than 5 acres and 200 square feet on larger parcels.

Fennell remarked on the history of cultivation in Humboldt starting with ‘Back to the Land’ people with a philosophy of care for nature, a desire to live healthy, organic lives who found they could live independently and pay their taxes with income from sensimilla. However, by the time the Greenrush hit the region and testing of medical marijuana began, those tests revealed mold, insecticides, and mineral residue from fertilizers. From there, the momentum to regulate cannabis cultivation built statewide, she said.

Locally, she knows people use cultivation for economic subsidy and that the changes are really scary for people. Fennell said, “I’ve worked hard so that small growers can have it as easy as possible to get a permit.” She also said under Prop 64, “Counties can prohibit cultivation altogether, but it made no sense for Humboldt to do that. Our challenge is to make it as positive as possible to get permitted.”

When asked what she thinks makes a good, strong county in relationship to this topic, she said, “My vision, which I believe I share with the majority of the Board, is that a regulated legal cannabis program will develop into a sustainable part of a diversified economy in Humboldt County.”

She added, “The other side of that equation is that those with experience and knowledge of how to produce the best product will be able to thrive and sustain their families in a safe and secure way…..The Greenrush came very close to destroying our community. Hard as it may be, difficult as it may be, the legalization of cannabis affords us the opportunity to turn that around, get our community back and move forward together.”

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10 toes
Guest
10 toes
4 years ago

Prop 215 /420 we miss you 🙏🏻

Seamus
Guest
Seamus
4 years ago
Reply to  10 toes

So is 215 gone? Is there still a legal avenue to grow 215 regulated pot for personal medical use?

do nut
Guest
do nut
4 years ago
Reply to  Seamus

A legal avenue for 215 scenes? It never was legal, simply tolerated.

Fuktard Ford
Guest
Fuktard Ford
4 years ago
Reply to  do nut

That looks like a clear reason for abatement the above photo whole field of grass must be right around Harvest Time next year you better keep that mowed down Kym Kemp

County code enforcement officer [edit] Ford

WTF
Guest
WTF
4 years ago
Reply to  Seamus

It is not gone read above

Fuktard Ford
Guest
Fuktard Ford
4 years ago
Reply to  WTF

Let this be a warning to everybody if haven’t got a letter we well send out Mass letters come the Spring. Nobody will be safe and are abatement campaign will be mobilized with $10,000 a day fines are more for each infraction. Our ability to prosecute will be on your backs whether you have marijuana growing or not. Leave now are we will put you in Ruins

Sincerely John Ford

Em
Guest
Em
4 years ago
Reply to  10 toes

Wouldn’t that make John ford the master-bater?

Motherbud
Guest
Motherbud
4 years ago
Reply to  10 toes

California Cannabis Hemp Act 2020

For sure
Guest
For sure
4 years ago

PAY ATTN: Start thinking& talking about this SAFE HOMES Program. You have until 2022 to get unpermitted structures permitted. (Paragraph 13 in Estelle’s letter above.) Then we will be under siege again for our homes, cabins and cottages. Meanwhile, how many things in Eureka itself, do you think are not up to code? Including some of the gov’t buildings that are not ADA compliant & more.
Go pick up the packet of info at the new Code Enforcement Office in Redway- open Monday & Wednesday, 9-3. Estelle is there on Friday, 9-12.

Guest
Guest
Guest
4 years ago
Reply to  For sure

We played that code enforcement game back in the 90’s, I am afraid this time we won’t have the societal glue to come up with a way to stop it

Farce
Guest
Farce
4 years ago
Reply to  Guest

True. Because they divided us. Because many selfishly sold out and bought permits with money gained from mega-grows blown up during the historic 5 year drought. Those people are now “the community” and the rest of everybody is under attack and is being told they are not “the community”.

Guest
Guest
Guest
4 years ago
Reply to  Farce

“selfishly sold out and bought permits with money gained from mega-grows blown up during the historic 5 year drought?” That’s pretty divisive right there. Are you saying that others unselfishly refused to take water during the drought and are now paying for their selflessness? There might be a few who respected the down stream users but they were never even close to most. Not many would be more accurate. Or damned few.

Legallettuce
Guest
Legallettuce
4 years ago
Reply to  Guest

I am gonna start calling them the cannabis social security participants (CSSP).

Local farmer
Guest
Local farmer
4 years ago
Reply to  Guest

We need to vote out these supervisors. They are on a seriously dangerous mission and have already caused more harm for people in humboldt than any other government we’ve had.

Ca gov bad
Humboldt gov worse

Government Cheese
Guest
Government Cheese
4 years ago
Reply to  Local farmer

There not supervisors, there extortionists.

Willie Caos-mayham
Guest
4 years ago

🕯🌳But there your neighbors?

Local farmer
Guest
Local farmer
4 years ago

Get some sleep willy. And lay off the meth a little. Not guaranteeing brain function will come back….. but its worth a shot.

yo
Guest
yo
4 years ago
Reply to  Local farmer

i second that

Joe dirt
Guest
Joe dirt
4 years ago
Reply to  yo

In a way Willie is right. Estelle is our neighbor and even though she made some wrong decisions and put a hurting on the very people that she should protecting. I have noticed she has been shying away from making herself visible she knows she has done us wrong The Mamas & Papas and most of community.

Hopefully someday she help bring us together again.

Sometimes Willie comes up with the greatest comments anybody that’s been on here for a while can testify

Farce
Guest
Farce
4 years ago
Reply to  Guest

Well…my neighborhood all scaled down or stayed small during that very stressful and extreme drought. That’s 8 places been there since CAMP days. The 9th guy came in around ’99- greenrush days- and blew it up. Then expanded very bigly during the drought, despite our conversations with him. Now he has a permit and a very large mansion and expensive cars etc etc. He is a real “community” player okay, always talking about his “community”- meaning his fellow permit-holding industry connivers at their “community” industry soirees. So yeah- it has happened for real. And no I’m not jealous- never wanted that crap, not what I’m here for. I used to love our community- the real community that included everybody.

Local farmer
Guest
Local farmer
4 years ago
Reply to  Farce

I feel you man. Traditionally people didn’t “blow it up” because to do so meant sucking to much of the salmons water. Many greenrushers never even tried to understand and thought they’d show us how it’s done. Blew it up and got rewarded bigly for doing so by Estelle and the other douchebag decision makers. I’m under ten thousand sq feet while having a grenrussian neighbor with an acre. His attorney/ Gallegos helped write the ordinance and then went private with his practice after being the district attorney and told said neighbor to plant an acre in 2015 knowing it would lock him in with an acre on his permit. The whole way they’ve done it in this county, as far as the permit process, is a fucking joke that nobody is laughing at. Except for the Gallegos/ Bohn mafia with their insider information rigged the game bigly. They’re laughing all the way to the bank. True story.

Rod Gass
Guest
Rod Gass
4 years ago
Reply to  Local farmer

Amnesty – hold on tight – better is coming.

Fuc the Gubment
Guest
Fuc the Gubment
4 years ago
Reply to  For sure

Do as we say…., not as we do

Guest
Guest
Guest
4 years ago

For decades people dismissed government regulation because they interfered with business. Legal or not legal, exactly the same. I wonder how many ranting conversations the permit people have had.

guest
Guest
guest
4 years ago

About time they cleaned up this decades long shit show. Illegal weed has never been more illegal than now.

Legallettuce
Guest
Legallettuce
4 years ago
Reply to  guest

Strong like bull, 😆

Guest
Guest
Guest
4 years ago
Reply to  guest

Bull. Used to be the cry was”Just give a way for it to be done legally!” Well that’s what happened. Not going to jail any more. Hitting the purse instead. Now people who never had a thought to others struggling with government reaching into their pockets and mandating how they did their business, have had the same wonderful experience. Surprise, surprise.

Legallettuce
Guest
Legallettuce
4 years ago
Reply to  Guest

Well outside of California I consider it duty free. I fight to repeal not to regulate.

Willie Caos-mayham
Guest
4 years ago
Reply to  Legallettuce

🕯🌳Common sence strikes again. 👍🏽

Cmon 2020 elections cmon justice
Guest
Cmon 2020 elections cmon justice
4 years ago

Yep this batch of politicians has declared war on the people!!!! First our livelihoods, our PRIVACY, our constitutional rights, and next our homes.truly despicable and against everything good this country is supposed to stand for. Slaves we are and freedom is gone !!!!!

Guest
Guest
Guest
4 years ago

Maybe if people opposed government spending on social programs or government spending in general, the government might believe that such complaints were really meant. As it is, silence, demands the government do something and support for most government redistributions might have fueled the drive to expand government and its funding. But oh horrors when it hits home.

Frankly a good share of everyone’s labor (for those who actually labor) goes either to pay government or try not to pay them. Many corporations have whole departments devoted to it. I wonder how many of those seniors reported their pot income to the government when they knew it would cause a deduction in benefits? Old does not convey sainthood. Nor does immigrant, poor, young, disabled or anything much else. People can be old crooks, disabled crooks or any other adjective crook. I see people old people working at regular jobs despite obvious physical problems. Although it is distressing when it is assumed they rather not, there is also honor for doing it legally. While it is distressing to think of old people losing their under the table pot income, it is harder to have that much sympathy for those who flipped off the public probably for decades.

Legallettuce
Guest
Legallettuce
4 years ago
Reply to  Guest

What is your taxpaying benchmark cause a lot of companies pay no taxes. All good in your eyes, right, who is cheating whom. An individual though who gets no legal protection or banking and lives in a stigma of federal lies. No social security, no health care and no future of sucking on the government teet. Those are the bad people.

Guedt
Guest
Guedt
4 years ago
Reply to  Legallettuce

There is no benchmark outside of the one that causes companies to say “That will be too expensive.” No you make the same foolish assumptions about what I think based on not really understanding what others go through. You assume that these “companies” are all evil, greedy bastards while all individuals are honest people just trying to make a living. You just know who to blame, don’t you.

What creates illegal growers, companies headquartering in no tax countries, the housing market prices and a bazillion other choices is exactly the same. Greed starts it (individual or corporate)but government law makers making arbitrary, unfriendly, hugely complicated rules has raised the stakes to levels where it worth doing unfunctional things to save on taxes, court action or burdensome regulation. The government has become the tail wagging the dog and the level of wagging disrupted the dog. Those companies have won in the game of playing the government. So blame the government for being played-THEY MADE THOSE STUPID RULES. They make ever more rules because they decide who gets the breaks and who doesn’t. That is their power and that is what you support. You just don’t know it so you point at those who are successful, not those who are responsible.

Apparently you simply want government to spend but not when they ask you to pay for it.

Legallettuce
Guest
Legallettuce
4 years ago
Reply to  Guedt

For you then it’s about winning. Making employees pay taxes and avoiding tax via loopholes and bailouts. Interesting, I can say I am just following my constitutional rights as a citizen. My right to challenge government when it is wrong and oppressing a minority group of citizens. A serious encroachment to my civil liberties, lol, definitely fucking with my pursuit of happiness.

Guest
Guest
Guest
4 years ago
Reply to  Legallettuce

No again. The point is succinctly put by saying more laws makes more criminals. The law is a poor tool for controlling people in small ways and heaven knows the courts take a poorly conceived law and diddle with it until it’s not functional at all. The worst are those laws people demand achieve “fairness.” For example, it’s not fair that a profitable company pays no taxes but the very regulations used to get this result are an attempt to be fair. Fair is a stupid word. If a company spends its profits building more warehouses, they take that deduction as a perfectly legal deduction even if you object. You would certainly object if the law says you couldn’t do it on an individual level. Unfortunately for your view of the world, objecting to a deduction because you think they are rich and should pay is the epitome of what law is not.

For example, Trump capped certain personal income tax deductions based on income levels. That had the effect of the richest paying more taxes. Lots of various deductions were limited by income. Infamously the deduction for state and local taxes. But did the rich go along? No, they moved to a lower tax State. Not fair you cry but that was what people asked for. They just didn’t foresee the inevitable result. Everyone loves “fair” but they define it as good for themselves and bad for people they don’t like. The law is very bad at fair.

Legallettuce
Guest
Legallettuce
4 years ago
Reply to  Guest

Good, glad you and I got that cleared up. So, I am not avoiding paying all taxes, I am just being “fair” as an individual like a corporation.

Poor Farmer
Guest
Poor Farmer
4 years ago
Reply to  Legallettuce

Hello LL—–I have always liked that word “HAPPINESS”; What does it mean in LAW? Well Article 1 Sec. 1 STATES: All people are by nature free and independent and have inalienable rights, among these are enjoying and defending life and liberty, acquiring, possessing and protecting property, pursuing and obtaining safety, happiness, and privacy. Happiness is a concept. You really can’t define it and put it into some kind of code or ordinance, it’s different for everyone. I looked for court cases on “HAPPINESS” and there were none BUT the search led me to some cases about “HAPPINESS” that turned out to be a persons “FREE WILL” as a definition. Free will to me is that I can contract or NOT with the Planning and Building agencies; that will make me happy!!!!. What I like about Article 1 Sec. 1 is that it almost orders us to acquire and obtain safety, and privacy. “OBTAIN” that’s also a good word. What if you,me,us say your 470 letters do not make me HAPPY , and send it back to them read by mistake.

Legallettuce
Guest
Legallettuce
4 years ago
Reply to  Poor Farmer

I like, personaly I think our fore fathers were smoking the herb = Happiness. I cannot believe growing all that hemp that Georgie didn’t have a little more potent product in a pouch somewhere especially with all those French trimmigrants running around.

Jeffersonian
Guest
Jeffersonian
4 years ago

Then don’t vote for liberals. They have lots of rules for you.

Guest
Guest
Guest
4 years ago
Reply to  Jeffersonian

Unfortunately so do conservatives. Any lawmaker will play that game.

Willie Caos-mayham
Guest
4 years ago
Reply to  Jeffersonian

🕯🌳But it’s the Republicans that won’t let you have it at all.👁

Mike
Guest
Mike
4 years ago

I got a abatement last when I didn’t have a pot plant on the parcel, I had to pay them a 700 $ “filing fee”. Then this year They sent me another letter when I had 5 plants inside a 10×10 area. Anybody want to join a class action lawsuit for harassment? I think the dollar amount should be the exact same amount as the revenue they’ve generated from pot.

Guest
Guest
Guest
4 years ago
Reply to  Mike

What are the regulations involved? I thought that all that was required to prove you were not growing pot was a picture of the other crops and a letter. Why did you have to file and pay a fee?

Mike
Guest
Mike
4 years ago
Reply to  Guest

The 700 $ “filing fee” was basically for their time. When I inquired about why I should pay anything since there was nothing to be abated, the Code Enforcement individual i talked to said I should consider myself lucky for getting of cheap as his current picture showed Unpermitted buildings. Which is true, I have unpermitted buildings, but look up the legal definition of extortion and please feel free to tell me how this is any different.

Guest
Guest
Guest
4 years ago
Reply to  Mike

What were the filing fees for? Bringing in permitted buildings up to code? If they are just a random fee without an expectation of some action on their part, then extortion it is. A sort of pay or suffer the consequences.

I remember a complaint about property taxes. An old barn had been assessed in a property tax bill. It collapsed so the property owner tried to get the assessment off his bill. But the catch was that doing that would mean a new assessment and his property was now worth much more than the initial assessment. So the barn did not come off the property tax after all. Fair or not fair?

Jonny b good
Guest
Jonny b good
4 years ago
Reply to  Guest

I was going to cover my Costco shed with opaque White plastic but now I’m afraid that I will get me abated and cost me all kind of misery they say that it is a civil issue until you don’t pay the fine are don’t obey their Authority can cost you over $10,000 a day in penalties

SmallFry
Guest
SmallFry
4 years ago
Reply to  Jonny b good

Umm yeah. This coded legal extortion isn’t just bad for us growers! It really is setting bad presidence for many issues and essentially allowing the Gov to have WAY to much power over civil matters. What’s next, they take your home for mismatched blinds, oh wait. That has happened!

Willow Creeker
Guest
Willow Creeker
4 years ago
Reply to  Mike

I think some sort of law action is a great idea. I also think we should challenge the use of satellite imagery being free on the internet, or being used by these keystone cops at the planning department.
I suggest a letter to the editor through Kym’s website, with an email or number we can call to tell our stories.

SmallFry
Guest
SmallFry
4 years ago
Reply to  Willow Creeker

Also, I actually wonder if Google can be encouraged to create an “opt out” option or something if we write them enough letters? It truely is a matter of life and death. I mean, I think that your personal image, is basically owned by you, and you have a right to demand images back or removed from public, I wonder if that could apply to private property… The owner essentially also owns the images of that property..

Write Google earth. Demand black out privacy options on private properties… There isn’t a public need for someone to peer into your back yard or property. It’s worth a try!

Legallettuce
Guest
Legallettuce
4 years ago

Estelle, this is not what is developing in the legal market.

She added, “The other side of that equation is that those with experience and knowledge of how to produce the best product will be able to thrive and sustain their families in a safe and secure way.”

Money cannot teach you how to grow in Humboldt no matter how much you gots, lol.
We with experience and knowledge are on the Traditional Market side proving it, again.

Help these people Estelle, quit threatening them and assist with tax dollars if necessary to get them compliant. Quit tryin to kick us out of our hill and fix our damn roads not just the ones you drive along. Do your damn job!

We do not have to comply it’s our plant and your hands are tied. Plenty of other states love our product and they pay a shitload more of tax free money than the legal California cannabis market.

https://marketrealist.com/2019/10/medmen-stock-falls-over-20-after-q4-2019-earnings/

Dan F
Guest
Dan F
4 years ago
Reply to  Legallettuce

Estelle “GETTY” is interested in One Thing ONLY, lining her pockets at the expense of ALL Others!!! Remember in November, ANYONE but Estelle (GETTY)!!!!

Jesus, Chris
Guest
Jesus, Chris
4 years ago
Reply to  Dan F

Estelle not only lined her own pockets from her fat salary and her various committees, but the supervisors are clearly taking payoffs from “wind-farm” companies, international narco-gang-criminals, and god knows who else… There is so much cash floating around the back rooms of government and public agencies in Humboldt, that absolutely nobody knows for sure who has gotten what, or just who is paying for stuff to exist, from the District Hospital in Garberville, to the Supervisor’s Chambers!

Your government, in Humboldt, is not only incompetent and corrupt, but it has sold you out! Period. And now Estelle Fennell is being presented as Griselda, the good witch, the magic fairy princess who will smooth out your wrinkles and frowns with her magic wand! And the letter today about Rx Bohn, the hand-holder that “made me feel better”, what hogwash, what total garbage!

If you think you can go forward, with the current batch of supervisors, please think again. The incompetence of your leaders, however, is only matched by the lack of preparation and the level of disorganization on the part of the growers and taxpayers, who should have seen this coming!

Use Donald Trump’s tactic, gather the funds and file class-action suits, cease and desist actions, and, keep on doing what you are doing… Civil disobedience worked for 50 years, and, they don’t have the mechanism to enforce those letters or the permit process… Make it cost the county, and they will back off! Whatever they fine, don’t pay it! Make them prove everything, in court, and, IMO, those satellite images are dated, and will make poor evidence, even if the county has a taste for litigation, which it doesn’t.

Yeah,sure
Guest
Yeah,sure
4 years ago

What a f*cking joke. This is going on while a lot of people inching along in the permitting process are putting greenhouses where they don’t belong, being slobs, selling on the black market and messing up neighborhoods.
But by all means, make someone tear down their 40 year old greenhouse.
The BOS chambers needs to be stormed.

Dogbiter
Guest
Dogbiter
4 years ago

Where are the “very small, elderly growers” selling their product for extra income? Black market? Paying taxes on that extra income?

gunther
Guest
gunther
4 years ago
Reply to  Dogbiter

And are they hurting the legal grower?

Legallettuce
Guest
Legallettuce
4 years ago
Reply to  Dogbiter

It’s a duty free product once it leaves California.

Cannabis Is Legal
Guest
Cannabis Is Legal
4 years ago

Cannabis is Legal.

Farce
Guest
Farce
4 years ago

I love your comment more every day! Ironic, black humor…

Jonny b good
Guest
Jonny b good
4 years ago
Reply to  Farce

Freedom is not

Willie Caos-mayham
Guest
4 years ago

🕯🌳I’ll second that. 👍🏽🇺🇸

Dot
Guest
Dot
4 years ago

We received one of those letters based on 2 greenhouses we have which contain cucumbers, melons, peppers, basil & eggplant, and greens and cole in the winter. To not receive these letters we would have to tear down our greenhouses and/or rebuild them as 120 sq ft structures! (They are about 14’x20’ each now). We cannot afford to do that!
So, after some discussion they said if we take a photo of the interior of the greenhouses with a current publication (Times Standard, NCJ…) every few weeks to have to send them when we get the next letter – repeat annually, I imagine, as long as this goes on – we could be exempted. Rather a PITA, but a solution for now.
He said if we were to grow, it would be a limit of 6 plants on our 50 acres within an area of 200sq ft, no matter how many people lived here. What a can of worms this whole transition is.

guest
Guest
guest
4 years ago
Reply to  Dot

I got your picture right here (self edit). Dammmmn, sound like someone has been watching too many Columbo reruns.

Ever heard of a little computer program called photoshop? Take a pic of a clean greenhouse and photoshop it behind the current newspaper, and email it, daily, to the county gestapo.

gunther
Guest
gunther
4 years ago
Reply to  guest

Nailed it!

Government Cheese
Guest
Government Cheese
4 years ago
Reply to  gunther

Just do like the Legions of Eastern Europeans and get a high priced lawyer and say “prove it”. Prove I’m growing marijuana in my greenhouses. Oh you can’t? Case closed. ( also must have brass balls and not give a rats ass about your community or country. Exploit and export)

Dot
Guest
Dot
4 years ago
Reply to  guest

Ah, yes, base it on dishonesty. Then they will double down, don’t you think? Not an option for me, anyway. I have to live with myself.
But I am sure there are those who won’t bat an eyelash at deception.

The misadventures of bunjee
Guest
The misadventures of bunjee
4 years ago
Reply to  guest

If you’re going to be dishonest about it, i know of a couple PS pros that work in government here. They can spot fakes. So can I. Always be aware of your background and get the lighting right.

Guest
Guest
Guest
4 years ago
Reply to  guest

Always crooks think they are smarter. If caught, there will then be criminal penalties for fraud, not just fines.

Dan F
Guest
Dan F
4 years ago
Reply to  Dot

Disgusting behavior from our Board of STUPIDvisors, especially Estelle (SELLOUT GETTY)!!!! Remember in November, ANYONE BUT ESTELLE!!!!

Jonny b good
Guest
Jonny b good
4 years ago
Reply to  Dan F

Committee to re-elect Estelle Fennell for County supervisor she will stand on her platform protecting the mom and pops and doing what’s best for our community

Local farmer
Guest
Local farmer
4 years ago
Reply to  Jonny b good

You’re joking right?!? “Stand on her platform and protect the mom and pops” bwahaha! Not

Anon
Guest
Anon
4 years ago
Reply to  Dot

Ford and honsel both said it’s 6plants PER RESIDENCE. If multiple cabins ea get 6. On Kmud this spring.

Poor Farmer
Guest
Poor Farmer
4 years ago
Reply to  Dot

Hello Dottie—–When did any of us concede our rights under Article 1 Sec. 1 of the Calif State Constitution to the County—–Wouldn’t that be a power of attorney type of thing???. Wouldn’t that be a “CONTRACT” of sorts that both parties have input to have what they want from said CONTRACT???. Here’s what County Govt. does: The Gov’t makes something that was LAWFUL to do, illegal. Then they charge you a fee (which is a bribe) to turn their backs and give you a permit that allows you to break the LAW that they just said was illegal to do. I can call that extortion too!!!—–Contract of adhesion is a contract between two disparate, unequal parties. A flawed
“CONTRACT”. You, me, us, have no say in the CONTRACTS they force you to sign. It’s 99.99% to .001% . That is not AMERICA that I use to know. This is how we have become enslaved, by these dangerous and unrevealed adhesion contracts.

For sure
Guest
For sure
4 years ago

Estelles comment on “staffing up” Code Enforcement just until the cannabis thing is under control….uh huh, When will that be? 50 years from now? 215 was in 1996 & they never got control in over 20 years. Also, the county will be able to justify any money they want for continued Code Enforcement . Abatements will continue for one thing or another- gov’t is always on a land, mineral, cannabis or water grab.
Again, PAY ATTENTION! Vote!

Dan F
Guest
Dan F
4 years ago
Reply to  For sure

WELL said!!!

By by now,dont let the door hit ya !!!!
Guest
By by now,dont let the door hit ya !!!!
4 years ago

We can still recall this filth !!!! Paul encimer and shakti let’s get this thing rolling again!!!!!!

Guest
Guest
Guest
4 years ago

Details, details. That ragged, allegedly small grower might be pretty rich. The natty dresser with the $50,000 truck might be scraping by with debt up the wahzoo. The problems with non growers seems to be unpermitted structures. With the county’s resistance to helping people who want to be legal but can’t afford to fix their problem, I can see where this happens. It sort of creeps up on people. But then there are plenty of people who deliberately push way into bad practices with the cry of privacy and lack of cooperation too.

What the county needs is an amnesty for small issues that are not up to code. Not a forgiveness of the fines but a grandfathering in of the structures themselves with maybe an agreement for occasional spot checks to ensure continued non commercial status. An ombudsmen would certainly be good as dang if I can get the permit people to tell me What the regulations are before I spend money to get a permit. After I spend on that and submit plans, they sure are willing to tell me what’s wrong with them. But I rather not spend first then keep trying to make them happy because I now have so much invested.i

Marcia Mendels
Guest
Marcia Mendels
4 years ago

Kym, John Ford was also quoted as saying that, if a resident has a green house larger than 10 x 12 that is not being used for cannabis, all the resident has to do is file for an ag-exempt permit. I hope that helps someone. I have heard earlier complaints that residents were told they had to tear down their greenhouses or tear out their raised beds, even if they are being use for vegetables, so it sounds as if Director Ford is responding in a positive way. Keep the conversation going, everyone.

Guest
Guest
Guest
4 years ago
Reply to  Marcia Mendels

Sometimes people stop listening at the words “you can’t do that.” They don’t hear what is said anymore nor to they ask questions. They think inside their own head. They think they were told something but they weren’t. Of course sometimes the officials think they have said something clearly but they haven’t. Routine is a communication killed as is hostility.

Dot
Guest
Dot
4 years ago
Reply to  Marcia Mendels

That was not an option mentioned to me. I will have to look into it.

NoLongerHumboldt
Guest
NoLongerHumboldt
4 years ago

This is really bad for the county which has survived on black market cannabis for decades. This isn’t a “transition” but rather the destruction of the way of life in Humboldt. They keep lying and say that they made it easy to become permitted but just compare their permit process to ones in states like Oregon. They have huge backlogs and even if you pay all the huge fees its not guarenteed you will get a permit. They will not stop at just cannabis abatements. When they are finished and every small grower is gone then they will set their sites on rural homesteads and un permitted structures. They will bankrupt the entire county and what few legal farms remain will be bought up by big corporations and consolidated. There will be nothing left for this county. Garberville will be a gas station/truck stop. HSU is one of the cheapest schools in the state you really think it is going to prop up the economy? Give it a few more years most shops on the square will be closed. 40% of all reastruants will close in the next 5 years, I bet. The co-op will deff not last. Humboldt county would normally see a massive amount if tourists in the late summer fall due to the ibflux of scissor drifters and trimmers coming the the region to trim black market cannabis. You could literally watch as they would get picked up @ safeway in arcata all dirty and hungry then they would get dropped off weeks later and literally youd see that same person in all new clothes and gear. In fact that was me in 2014 when I first came to the region I made 11k trimming in 5 weeks. After being on the hill for that long the first thing I did was blow 2500 on new gear and things I needed. Its amazing how ppl think the economy will really be okay in the long run. What industry will left besides some small ranches and farms? HSU? CR? Logging? Fishing? What the hell is left that will fill the gap???

Guest
Guest
Guest
4 years ago

Government is the dominant industry already. Salaries, purchases, contracts, grants, courts. Has been for almost the last 20 years. What government ignores flourishes. Where government eye falls, it fails.

NoLongerHumboldt
Guest
NoLongerHumboldt
4 years ago
Reply to  Guest

Humboldt is the only county I know of using the HD satellite system to find code violations. Do you know if this has/is happening in other places? Anyone?

local observer
Guest
local observer
4 years ago

it has been previously deemed illegal. for example no other permitting agency in California can use it for enforcement. but this is Humboldt where the county offices haven’t even complied with ADA requirements and code enforcement already has had some serious legal issues when Hendry was in charge. and Hendry fled to Florida for legal reasons, which is the safe state for civil law.

JB
Guest
JB
4 years ago
Reply to  local observer

// “it has been previously deemed illegal.//

Until you can provide the case that overrules California v. Ciraolo, I’m gonna call BS

// ” for example no other permitting agency in California can use it for enforcement”//

That’s nonsense for sure — building departments and assessors use satellite imagery across the state for building permit violations and tax assessments.

http://www.boe.ca.gov/proptaxes/newconstructionproperty.htm

local observer
Guest
local observer
4 years ago
Reply to  JB

not for enforcement. agency enforcement of any kind requires a person of that agency to actually walk to property and confirm the violation. that is not what we are seeing here, is it.

Matthew Meyer
Guest
Matthew Meyer
4 years ago
Reply to  JB

I’m not a lawyer and I don’t know the current status of case law on 4A issues in detail.

But I note that Chief Justice Berger wrote for the majority in Ciraolo: “The Fourth Amendment simply does not require the police traveling in the public airways at this altitude to obtain a warrant in order to observe what is visible to the naked eye.”

The references to altitude and the naked eye are both relevant. A cop in an aircraft looking at a weed garden is a different beast to an employee looking at satellite photos.

It may also be relevant that the SCOTUS decided (w/ Scalia leading, iirc) that heat-detection devices, used w/out warrants, were not constitutional.

There’s a pretty good argument that satellite photos resemble heat detection more than naked eyes of cops traveling through public space.

NoLongerHumboldt
Guest
NoLongerHumboldt
4 years ago
Reply to  Matthew Meyer

Thank you Mathew, I agree it’s not the same. This is invasion of privacy and it’s unconstitutional. What’s the motive and privilege of land ownership other then having an asset, when you can be fined and your land taken for something you may or may not be doing? If your property rights and water rights and basic civil rights are breached and you can be fined and extorted by county officials @ the building department, why own a homestead in Humboldt county. This abatement program is unconstitutional I wish I didnt grow up with a computer and the tech boom, things must of been so much simpler before the explosion of silicon valley and the Orwellian police state we now live in. This is an example of technology being used in the wrong fashion. Humboldt skated threw the 2008 recession because of cannabis, imagine what it would of looked like if that werent the case. That isnt the last recession another one is looming and will be present day reality. I bet you when hard times hit legal taxed weed sales will plummet and the black market will explode as people wont have the $ to pay 40% tax at the retail level.

Legallettuce
Guest
Legallettuce
4 years ago

😁 I concur. Looking forward to the looming recession. I think Trump wins re-election so at least 18 months more of this shit but it is coming!!

Farce
Guest
Farce
4 years ago

It has been discussed and is being explored as an option in Mendocino County. Since Mendo is a major center of FlowKana activity I can’t help but think it is an agenda promoted by them. Best place to follow developments there is the Mendocino County Observer out of Laytonville.

Legallettuce
Guest
Legallettuce
4 years ago
Reply to  Farce

We are good with Kym’s site thank ya much.

Whowhatwherewhenhowwhy?
Guest

Your totally right there was so many people in your shoes I used to employ dozens of them who did same thing. I also saw all the big companies before they were companies all arrogant get rich party dudes. They are all getting fat and weak. The sold out. Got all there friends to move here. Bought multiple spots and so did all there old buddies from back home. Bragging about killing it. This is typical human tendacies I wasn’t surprised.

NoLongerHumboldt
Guest
NoLongerHumboldt
4 years ago

Yeah typical SoCal party bros. All about the ego and their image. Narcissists.

Anon Forrest
Guest
4 years ago

Here’s what I find mind-blowing about the “Safe Homes” ruse: People are required to conform to whatever codes are concocted by the building code enforcement industry in 2022! Who knows what the “code” will require then???

The building (etc.) codes are written and perpetually amended OUTSIDE of public participation by the code enforcement “industry” itself, the bureaucrats. There is no meaningful public participation, period. The codes are then adopted by County and (a few) State governments “by reference” because they have become too complex to examine issue by issue……and there are VOLUMES of building, plumbing and electrical codes included in that enforcement …to say nothing of the labyrinth of “Planning” codes.

How on earth can anyone agree to abide by whatever the code Inspection Industry dreams up by 2022? Talk about a Fool’s Errand! The writers, the “experts,” are those making their paychecks and profits from the codes themselves; and I include sanitation and planning “standards” in this charge as well.

These government regulations exist to SOCIALLY and economically control local populations, particularly in rural areas such as ours. (They have some justifiable purpose in populated areas such as the “Ghost Ship” tragedy, for example.)

Here and now, these quasi-laws are enacted for the benefit of the tax base, the real estate industry, and the general affirmation of governmental power. How convenient it is to include selected agricultural endeavors among them! Today it’s pot, but tomorrow…who knows?

lauracooskey
Guest
lauracooskey
4 years ago
Reply to  Anon Forrest

I agree. I can’t imagine how we allowed such a bizarre and irrelevant bunch of rules to become law. You mentioned the Ghost Ship… sure, that sort of thing, or some stadium collapsing in India, make me think, “That’s what codes are for. To make sure buildings, especially public structures, are safe and healthy.” In some areas, where tourism is a big deal (Santa Fe or Germany, e.g.), making sure buildings conform visually with the image being sold makes some sense–and you go in knowing that’s the deal.
But building and residing in a remote, rural home that’s exactly how you want it–or finding one someone else built, for that matter, and saying “I accept any possible risks inherent in living here, and gladly will rent it, or buy it, and adapt it to my needs”– seems to me to be one of the quintessential personal freedoms.
I live in a Tiny House that no-how, nowhere (around here at least) could be considered legal. Yet it’s perfect for me; i’m proud of it, I understand every function and know every inch of it, and i feel much safer in it than anywhere else. Yet the rules both countywide, involving required square footage per room, ceiling heights, etc., and in the cities, which are possibly even more ridiculous, would rather see me homeless. (I lived in a garage conversion in Arcata, and when we tried to bring it up to code, the listed necessary changes were proof of bureaucracy run amok, changes that had not one thing to do with safety or health. Absolutely arbitrary standards of what i guess some people call “requirements” for life, which were actually just comfort and prestige preferences for spoiled people, and moneymakers for building contractors and realtors.)
These problems of fed-up owner-builders, too many homeless people, and rents too high for many to afford, could together spur a movement to make major changes in the Codes.
(Ironically, or perversely, just when we all most need to come together to take back some control of our economic and personal destinies, everyone’s so busy scrambling to get it together to make a living and assure a future that it’s hard to get many people out to volunteer. However, i would be happy to pitch in– in a small way– on any sort of push to reform the County’s building codes.)

Another Guest in the Wall
Guest
Another Guest in the Wall
4 years ago
Reply to  lauracooskey

Thank you Laura

I think you are the silent minority that fails to have a seat at the table.

I like hearing stories of people speaking truth to power and your story makes sense. We definitely need to reassess our priorities and our commitment to providing a safe and affordable living options for those who don’t work for the government or their contractors, or who can’t find gainful employment that covers the ever increasing costs of doing this business of life.

I believe this is a healthy discussion to have, and realize that in a downturn economy there will be more and more people spending more money just to cover the basics.

Those who chosen to downsize, and minimize, shouldn’t be punished for reducing their footprint and lifestyle.

We should encourage smarter building solutions and living options for those who don’t want to sacrifice everything to be a debt slave to the system.

Gratitude.

Another Guest in the wall.

100-P
Guest
100-P
4 years ago

Welcome to Humboldt county the most un American county in America .Freedom is not defined by living under suspicion and satellite surveillance.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/freedom

“Definition of freedom
1 : the quality or state of being free: such as
a : the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action
b : liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another : INDEPENDENCE
c : the quality or state of being exempt or released usually from something onerous
freedom from care
d : unrestricted use
gave him the freedom of their home
e : EASE, FACILITY
spoke the language with freedom
f : the quality of being frank, open, or outspoken
answered with freedom
g : improper familiarity
h : boldness of conception or execution
2a : a political right

Government Cheese
Guest
Government Cheese
4 years ago
Reply to  100-P

We the people voted this crap in! We the people will continue to vote more crap like this in. We the people don’t want to be free anymore. We the people want free stuff and to be taken care of by the government. This is the act of “free thinkers “, this is the acts of liberals. This is California. We the people have voted are self into slavery . They have officially pulled the wool over the sheep’s eyes. Next. Please turn in all your weapons before you realize that you have been duped. “Free thinkers” my ass. Your followers. We are not free any longer. We the people gave that up in the name of fear tactics. Want freedom? You have to fight for it! People in Hong Kong are fighting for democracy and freedom as we speak while we are fighting for socialism and government handouts.

Rod Gass
Guest
Rod Gass
4 years ago

I agree until – $64 was voted in by the population centers. Voted against by rural sparsely populated areas.

Just a clarity. Your logic is sound.

Government Cheese
Guest
Government Cheese
4 years ago
Reply to  Rod Gass

Ahhh yes rod. I guess I’m ranting at the wrong bunch. Us humboldt folk are a little wiser than that. II was meaning Californians as a whole.

Old School
Guest
Old School
4 years ago

Time for a change. Vote out the sheriff. Vote out the Suporvisors. ESTELLE has to go. We need a suporvisor that is for the community.

NoLongerHumboldt
Guest
NoLongerHumboldt
4 years ago
Reply to  Old School

Since they are flunking the economy their salaries should atleast be slashed by 50%.

local observer
Guest
local observer
4 years ago

in and around 2005 the Humboldt County Code Enforcement Unit which is a division of the Sheriffs department entered numerous properties in the county under the excuse of searching for illegal cannabis knowing there was none but knowing there were numerous code violations to get. it was a revenue thing. they were using word of mouth and google earth. I fully researched 2 of them and there was no way anyone could ever come up with the conclusion that there was even a tiny grow on the property. regardless, they were able to get warrants from the Court on all of these locations and entered in full force with all departments ready to roll. hopefully we don’t repeat this improper action. I hear Florida sucks and I know it has a weird smell but the bass fishing is good.

Festus Haggins
Guest
Festus Haggins
4 years ago

Everyone’s troubles would go away immediately if only they would pull up stakes and head to southern Oregon. It’s the land of golden waves of dope and they don’t care how much you grow!

guest
Guest
guest
4 years ago
Reply to  Festus Haggins

Yep. Wanna buy some as is property in SoHum? Chose your vehicle route out of Oregon carefully.

Government Cheese
Guest
Government Cheese
4 years ago
Reply to  guest

Lol guest.

Raised Right
Guest
Raised Right
4 years ago

“TOC” The Planning Department is “Totally Out of Control”. Heavy handed, intimidation and extortion. Our neighbor got a letter and had 6 plants. Our other neighbor with a 30′ x 50′ unpermitted commercial greenhouse did not get a letter. Another neighbor was served a warrant based on a 2018 satellite image. Only had 6 plants that were eradicated. Where is the ACLU, the community? A class action lawsuit is likely the only thing that will put the County in check.

Section 105.2.10 of the California Building Code exempts “Shade cloth structures constructed for nursery and agricultural purposes, not including service systems (e.g. electrical, plumbing & mechanical). One does not need an Ag Exemption for something that’s already exempted. Barns and other agricultural structures that are not exempt qualify for an Ag Exempt process. In regards to raised garden beds, they do not require a permit. See Section 331-11(a)(4) of the County Building Regulations.

It’s a Code Enforcement program based on lies, fear, intimidation and extortion. The County and the State need to revisit the entire permitting process. Estelle, even those small farmers are responsible for legacy remediation, which could cost tens of thousands of dollars. To have to replace plastic culverts that were approved as part of a THP with steel culverts costs thousands of dollars. Estelle is so out of touch! Madrone seems to get it. Can Madrone represent the Second District and the Fifth District?

Faro
Guest
Faro
4 years ago

The days of full-sun outdoor are obviously over but if they start going after unpermitted structures this place is really screwed.

People need to stand up for their rights before the 2022 housing abatements start. And we need to make sure only honest supervisors get elected who support private property rights.

lauracooskey
Guest
lauracooskey
4 years ago

An older lady i know who lives in the Bay Area but has a family cabin in the Mattole told me there had been some trouble for them here. She and her family are very upright, mainstream people with no need or interest in growing weed, and i believe what she says. I asked her what the trouble was about, and here’s what she emailed me:
“Hi Laura, I received a certified letter telling me I was being cited for growing pot and several other things, since I’d been up there recently knew there was nothing growing. But there was a huge grow, on [… ] the place below us. Finally thought we had it straightened out and the Sheriff and various other agencies went in and kicked in doors, ran over the gate and tore up everything they could.
Wish I could find someone up there to do some repairs.”
I think she ought to sue the County for this. Don’t people do that? I’m sure that, living so far away, being older, etc., it probably seems like more trouble than it’s worth to her. But that’s just unconscionable.

Compliance for who
Guest
Compliance for who
4 years ago

I find it Interesting that the agency that refuses to comply with ada rules and has multiple violations.(planning and building)
Is on charge of compliance.
They are the most out of compliant county building in Humboldt and they refuse to come into compliance.
Kym Kemp should do write up about this.

Anon
Guest
Anon
4 years ago

Perhaps the point has been already raised but fennel has it way wrong when she says this;…”100 square feet on parcels smaller than 5 acres and 200 square feet on larger parcels.”

It is, according to the humb outdoor cannabis ordinance actually:
100 sqft for parcels less than an acre
& 200 sqft for parcels up to 5 acres.

And Humboldt county makes no regulation on square footage for medical pr personal on parcels over 5 acres .

Per ford and honzel on kmud any greeny below 120 sqft needs no ag permit medical gets 12 plants no sqfootage restriction which was verified by at least one person at planning.

No one dictate what your medical need is.

SmallFry
Guest
SmallFry
4 years ago
Reply to  Anon

Exactly Anon, THX!

Bud Rogers
Guest
4 years ago

Anecdotal evidence from a local health care facility, that a spike in the apparent need for psychological counseling in the first wake of “abatement notices”, lends weight to the theory that these kinds of actions by the County lead to stress on a county-wide scale, in people who are, in many if not most cases, growing a small amount of medicinal herb for their own consumption, if they can afford it. Recently a music dj on KMUD repeatedly expressed how stressed out he was upon receiving a pre-abatement letter. Studies have shown that stress leads to dis-ease, both physical and mental. For instance, how many people are experiencing high blood pressure? Stressed immune system? Anxiety? Fear? The fear of having your home pushed down because of code non-compliance is more than 35 years and counting. We, who went through the heli-wars, have PTSD (Pre-traumatic stress digestion). Also, we suffer from CEIA (Code Enforcement Inevitability Anxiety). The County has thrown us seniors under the CANNABUS.

Local farmer
Guest
Local farmer
4 years ago
Reply to  Bud Rogers

I’d love to see you run against fennel, Mr. Rogers. This time around you would have a lot more grassroots support! Fennel has exposed herself as completely out of touch with what is needed for health and prosperity in our district. Please consider!

anonymous
Guest
anonymous
4 years ago

Did you really think it was going to last forever?

Pot
Guest
Pot
4 years ago

Pot makes me sick,pot,pot,pot fuck pot

Jonny b good
Guest
Jonny b good
4 years ago
Reply to  Pot

You made it down this far in the comment section you must like reading about yourself take it easy and self-medicate you’ll be okay

Sick and tired of people believing government is here to help us.
Guest
Sick and tired of people believing government is here to help us.
4 years ago

You know what. Everyone needs to stand up against all the illegal grower who are now legal because Humboldt said if your property was used to grow weed illegally for years you get a fucking prize. If you have a new clean grow site all set up ready to go you are an idiot and we will not let you grow because Humboldt county is filled with a bunch of pussies that won’t stand up for what’s right. Straight up giving a trophy to environmental criminals who now get to call the shots. This county has been plagued with extortion and illegal activities from the code enforcement ,law enforcement and from the higher ups. Code is not law it’s kinda guidelines. County corruption and greed is the law. So fuck them. Vote them out stand up against komifornia who doesn’t give a shit about their birth right citizens . Business is not done the way Humboldt believes it is to be done. Phucking up all the people who built families on the life style. Totally screwed all medical patients who used cannabis . All for the small amount of haters of weed. If weed isn’t your bag don’t knock it because it saves lives unlike Humboldt county.

Cmon 2020 elections cmon justice
Guest
Cmon 2020 elections cmon justice
4 years ago

Let’s fire up this recall again!!!! Let’s not wait for the elections!!!! Shakti and encimer were on the rite path!!!!!

Local farmer
Guest
Local farmer
4 years ago

I couldn’t agree more! Recall the whole lot of them. Every one who helped craft the county ordinance is responsible for this shitshow. Planning department is infested with blood sucking leaches.

Faro
Guest
Faro
4 years ago

Kym, could you do an article about the 2022 housing abatement? I think at this point we know the county isn’t messing around this could potentially be way more devastating than the cannabis abatements.

Kym Kemp
Admin
4 years ago
Reply to  Faro

I am not sure what you mean by “housing abatement?”

Legallettuce
Guest
Legallettuce
4 years ago
Reply to  Kym Kemp

I think Faro is referring to the often offer given of two years to meet whatever your infraction is with the planning department when trying to achieve your temporary cannabis permit. Like a friend of mine who has to replace the bridge because he applied for a permit to grow cannabis. Bridge was just fine with the commercial trucks running accross for decades supported by the county issuing a business license for neighbors commercial activity. No EPA, no DFW, no need to meet CEQA requirement and no overbearing county agency as long as its not weed. Total oppression of a minority group that has no representation.

Kym Kemp
Admin
4 years ago
Reply to  Legallettuce

We’re lining up stories that need to be done. I’ll try to get this one in there.

Faro
Guest
Faro
4 years ago
Reply to  Kym Kemp

So you know how the humboldt county planning department has the “amnesty program” where you can get permits for your unpermitted structures without any extra fines. And that program runs till the end of 2022.
Maybe I’m crazy but I swear that I’ve heard John Ford say that they are going to crack down on properties with unpermitted structures once the amnesty program expires. Which would be devastating for the majority of people who don’t have tons of extra cash.

The Chad
Guest
The Chad
4 years ago

They aren’t just targeting cannabis in Sonoma county. They are harassing and threatening to red tag 1000s of Homes over septic issues in the Russian river, and also going after unpermitted work that is sometimes decades old. We are being targeted for a remodel done 20 years ago. Also have been targeted for 6 plants as they have setback limits that make it impossible to grow at all on small parcels.

Faro
Guest
Faro
4 years ago
Reply to  The Chad

Thanks for letting us know that Chad, I had a feeling it wasn’t just Humboldt. The people who really control things (at the world level, not the county stupid-visors) want people out of the hills. And unfortunately to keep a piece of of paradise in the hills people are probably going to have to jump through all the hoops and bring everything up to code.

Farce
Guest
Farce
4 years ago
Reply to  Faro

Or keep everything below mandated subject-to-regulation sizes (120 sq. ft, then build a 2nd or 3rd story) and build in spaces hidden from satellite view. Build extra bedrooms as stand-alone units but do not attach them together. Not kidding or being sensational. These pencil-pushers need to be lied to and resisted at every chance- they are taxing us out of homes and increasing an already terrible houseless crisis. For their own benefit and their crummy jobs. And yes- I believe the cannabis over-regulation is just the first step for them. we should have stood together and resisted them from the beginning instead of agreeing to submit to permits and registering our very own water sources on our very own land!

Anon
Guest
Anon
4 years ago
Reply to  Farce

Registration of water source has been on the books for decades. But was largely ignored. It was in 2017 that the waterboard- seeing huge dollar signs and giddy with their newly delegated power over cannabis cultivation -changed penalties from $100/day to $1000 day. Abuse of authority. Plain and simple. I like your plan.. to include multiple 120 sqft greenys? (I see no regs as to how many are legal) …. new motto’ Go small or go home lol

Legallettuce
Guest
Legallettuce
4 years ago
Reply to  Anon

lol, GO SMALL OR GO HOME, love it!!

another guest in the wall
Guest
another guest in the wall
4 years ago
Reply to  Legallettuce

Go small

or

lose home?

SmallFry
Guest
SmallFry
4 years ago
Reply to  Legallettuce

Yep, did exactly that! I went home and went Smaller! Lol

Poor Farmer
Guest
Poor Farmer
4 years ago

If at the next SUPE meeting someone would just ask a couple of simple questions such as Estelle, what is the counties authority to tell me I can’t construct a greenhouse on my property to grow tree seedlings in. They (SUPES) would probably give you an ordinance or code #. Then ask if your code over-rules my rights under Article 1 Sec 1 of the California State Constitution, which seems to me to give me all kinds of power and authority over my own life and property. Lets get our SUPES on record what they believe in, what their words mean in the context of LAW. I would like to ask the SUPES what does CONSENT of the people mean to them in the context of the LAW. Do I ask uou for consent or does the SUPES ask for my consent to do anything with my life. I would ask what does their “Oath of Office” mean to them in the course of making rules and regulations and concerning our rights under the Constitutions of U.S.A. and California. Article 20 Sec. 3 is the oath they take, and it’s for Country and State. I would ask them who are they representing with the Gold fringed flag they sit in front of, as does the judges chambers. Are they representing Admiralty, Maritime, Administrative injustice or the Common Law of which is our/my LAW. US Code 4.1? states very clearly otherwise. I would ask them the SUPES about the heavy fines ($10,000)/day for sticking up a greenhouse without kissing your ring and giving you money and probably being forced to allow you onto my property.
Both Constitutions forbid excessive fines and the Supreme Court has concurred. I would like to ask them the SUPES in their own words what they think/believe a Public Servant is??? I think Humboldts future might be to put initiatives or whatever on the ballot in 2020. Peoples approval of anything gov’t out weighs anything the SUPES could then do to us. And I `have 3-4 items I would mention.

SmallFry
Guest
SmallFry
4 years ago
Reply to  Poor Farmer

Good thoughts PF!

Guest
Guest
Guest
4 years ago
Reply to  Poor Farmer

This is exactly the point that needs to reiterated. Is there a higher law than the zoning, ordinances, codes, and regulations that will make us all criminals.

It seems as though the fog of this war on (cannabis), has warranted an unhealthy tip toe of outlaw mentality back into the control grid, and people who aren’t used to asking permission.

asking permission to act like free men and women, and the collateral damage will be the full scale war on a way of life.

A question:

Will the further crackdown put more people into the red and place more people at the mercy of the government officials?

This economic downturn could have graver consequences for the future of this community. I’ve seen the plight of desperate people, and the things they do when pushed to far.

What’s civilized about the feeding of the government on its own people.

Learn from history about when good people stay silent.

Good counsel isn’t cheap and it might be time for a class action lawsuit to cease and desist. The only message they understand is the threat of punitive damages.

https://www.times-standard.com/2019/05/09/cannabis-code-enforcement-up-700-in-2018-brought-in-2-million-for-humboldt-county/

Is this the easiest way the government generates money to offset it’s spending liabilities?

Keep “asking” for more money.

How about the gubment have to cut back spending as well?

Poor Farmer
Guest
Poor Farmer
4 years ago
Reply to  Guest

Good morning Guest: You got it Guest; why do we have to ask for permission to do what we already have the right to do? My conclusion is MONEY and POWER!!!. If our public servants get their power from us “WE THE PEOPLE” then we already have that power in the first place to give them. THEY/THEM cannot exert more authority over me than what I gave them and as far as I’m concerned I have never gave them that authority. Yes that means they need my permission first to have authority over me and not a democracy where 51% can tell the other 49% what to do. THEY/THEM presume they have that authority thru our ALL CAPITAL NAME which is a fiction and therefore a fraud. “WE THE PEOPLE” have never challenged that presumption. And if you do the county superior court judges usually side with the administrative state that has no power. And then the bills (Lawyers) pile high and not many can challenge these administrative rules, regulations of the INCORPORATE COUNTY. The county gets their way.!!! Not all counties are created equal!

Vandal
Guest
Vandal
4 years ago

P farmer I really hope you come to the meeting next month. We all need to support each other in this desperate time. Rex is strict about his 3 minute time limit and the supervisors offer no answers or rebuttles to people’s questions or concerns. They just sit at their chairs quietly like useless lumps of shit. But you can say whatever you feel and it’s nice to stare your enemy in their dark eyes so they can see and feel the hatred that awaits them in the streets should they ever venture out from behind their desks into our community.

Poor Farmer
Guest
Poor Farmer
4 years ago
Reply to  Vandal

I live 90 minutes driving time from Eureka. To go there to the Supes meeting and be allowed ( how gracious) 3 whole minutes and then have them not give an answer back is very rude to say the least!!! SO I checked up on how I can join in on these meetings by E-mail or snail mail and maybe give us Hill people a chance to participate in County matters. Here’s what I found—-FYI—-Persons wishing to file documentation on any agenda item for the official record must submit an original and 7 copies of each document on 8.5″X11″ sized paper to the clerk of the board during the meeting or in the clerk of the Boards office at 825 5th st. room 111.Failure to submit the required number of copies will result in the documents not being placed in the official record. (per Board of Supes policy adopted on March 21, 1995. What I want to bring out is the DATE. 1995. This is almost 2020 with high speed internet, why can’t we be able to submit our concerns, opinions to the Board thru E-mail and have it on the official record. That would open up the process of us talking to our servants. Article 1 Sec 3a- – -The people have the RIGHT to INSTRUCT their representatives, petition Gov’t for redress of grievances. Well since the Supes POLICY is just that, a policy I, that would be me want to instruct Estelle to change this policy to allow E-mail input on ALL gov’t matters.

SmallFry
Guest
SmallFry
4 years ago

What happened to Central? Did she get booted? No more constitutional quotes?

Poor Farmer
Guest
Poor Farmer
4 years ago
Reply to  SmallFry

Yeah, I kinda miss her on these types of discussions. Hope Cen Hum is OK.

Poor Farmer
Guest
Poor Farmer
4 years ago
Reply to  Kym Kemp

I hope not forever!

Kym Kemp
Admin
4 years ago
Reply to  Poor Farmer

Yes, she repeatedly broke rules against insulting other commenters. I tried to work with her and kept giving her more chances but, since I’ve banned her, my workload of sorting through the comments to determine which are going to cause problems (I have pretty low standards as anyone can see who reads the comment section regularly but I do have a few) has decreased immensely.

I should have banned her a year ago and I knew it. But I worried that she was lonely and needed a community. Finally, I realized that I couldn’t help and I was worn out.

Rod Gass
Guest
Rod Gass
4 years ago
Reply to  Kym Kemp

Thanks for the explanation Kym Kemp. I’m disappointed that HuMCo earned the boot, I benefitted from her perspective more than once.

I’m missing you HuMCo.

Bud Rogers
Guest
4 years ago
Reply to  Rod Gass

As far as a discussion of the kinds of stress that our County of Humboldt puts on us and the associated dis-ease, my radio show, Edge of the Herd, covered that including the stress, for veterans, of not having a Veterans Hall. Doug Battles, Jeff Hedin and Bonnie Blackberry, were guests. It’s worth going to the KMUD archives, November 17th, 1:30 pm. Also, the previous Edge of the Herd, 10-20-19, was pre-synchronistic.

Poor Farmer
Guest
Poor Farmer
4 years ago
Reply to  Rod Gass

Hello Rod: I too am missing “central” After reading KYM’S explanations on why, it is understandable why KYM made her decision. RHBB is more important than any one person. The patience of RHBB!!. I’m a little mad at you central for getting booted—all you had to do is follow a few simple rules. RHBB is not the ADMINISTRATIVE GOVERNMENT. I’m going to miss your imput: I see also that the TRB has not been posting. Did he get the boot too?

Kym Kemp
Admin
4 years ago
Reply to  Poor Farmer

The Real Brian did not get banned.

I’d like to remind everyone that if someone posts comments in a similar manner to one of the banned commenters, I’m likely to assume they are one of the banned commenters and delete them.

SmallFry
Guest
SmallFry
4 years ago
Reply to  Kym Kemp

I can understand that Central took a lot of your time often Kym, and you have a good deal to do..

Its just that also, I feel like she got the brute end of things on this when you also allowed TRB to dish out many long accusatory and blantent personal attacks, and then banned her when she responded..

Maybe she had other comments that upset you. IDK.. I think sometimes the implementations on your “personal attacks” policy can be slightly biased.

But she did threaten to sue you Kym, and that was not really cool either..

I see that.. And I see that you have displayed a lot of patience with her comments in other regards. Reckonized…I just feel like TRB bullied her to a breaking point and I think that is also fairly Lame.

JFYI rarely if ever did Central mention Adgenda 21.. soo… TRB’s Idea that she was Rosa Koire is fairly far fetched!

Another Guest in the Wall
Guest
Another Guest in the Wall
4 years ago
Reply to  SmallFry

It’s a fine line between love and hate. What some people do to wake up the general public can be a thankless task, that causes a bit of a break in the matrix. I noticed it got personal and the beatdown was uncalled for, yet we live in a society that will ostracize you in a heartbeat if you don’t follow the group think.

Live by the keyboard, die by the Keyboard.

We face an uphill battle on many fronts, and good people are taken out everyday, and silenced from a sincere belief that their cause is greater than others. We are being divided, Mr Small Fry, and money is the root of evil.
Hard to play with fire, and not get byrned.

Another Guest in the Wall.

Kym Kemp
Admin
4 years ago

I think perhaps you might benefit from this reminder…If someone posts comments in a similar manner to one of the banned commenters, I’m likely to assume they are one of the banned commenters and delete them.

Sam Bennett
Guest
Sam Bennett
4 years ago
Reply to  SmallFry

“These data suggest that there may be an increased incidence of certain cancers among the 98 million persons exposed to contaminated polio vaccine in the U.S.; further investigations are clearly justified”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10472327

Haven’t we killed the messengers, before?

https://time.com/3482909/this-is-the-real-story-behind-kill-the-messenger/

Kym Kemp
Admin
4 years ago
Reply to  SmallFry

It is hard to see our own biases. But, Central HumCo has 6 pages of deleted comments (some she deleted herself) and 177 pages of comments that I let through—many (if not most of them) rambling and unrelated to the post she was commenting on.

I have a bias towards staying sane and not having my website overrun by someone who freely admitted she didn’t read the rules, obviously didn’t listen when I told her the rules, and then broke the rules. I only have so much time in the day.

Joe dirt
Guest
Joe dirt
4 years ago
Reply to  Kym Kemp

The Flat Earth just got a little flatter I ride the edge of any rule book sometimes falling off the side. My heart goes out to all the commenters and readers on Kym site Central HumCo will be missed dearly. I am wondering if there is a time limit to this exile from the comment section. I have decided to take a break from this website for however long that is.

My freedom of speech has also been challenged

(Natural law is
and well be enacted upon from within and with out)
Quoted:
Old MacDonald

Kym Kemp
Admin
4 years ago
Reply to  Joe dirt

I understand that the rules of my privately owned business (no matter how very gentle) may not work for everyone. But if refraining from insulting fellow commenters, using ethnic and other slurs, and encouraging violence are important to you, then Redheaded Blackbelt is probably the wrong place for you to comment and we reserve the right to refuse to allow commenting that breaks the rules.

Central HumCo found even reading the rules too difficult. (Here they are for anyone interested: https://kymkemp.com/2018/05/20/commenting-rules-on-redheaded-blackbelt/ There are 10 simple ones.)

Smallfry
Guest
Smallfry
4 years ago
Reply to  Kym Kemp

I realize Central must of had a number of deleted comments. Why not ban her exclusively for that then? I actually saw she had put effort into trying not to break the rules. And post less..

I also see you allowed TRB to bullie her, essentially into breaking, and I think that’s off..

Regardless, I see you work hard for the community, and appreciate your efforts Kym in other regards.

Kym Kemp
Admin
4 years ago
Reply to  Smallfry

In the end, I banned her because she was too much effort. Every business owner must make decisions on what load they can take on, she just wore me out emotionally. If you ever have had a person in your life that you tried to deal with but finally realized that you didn’t have the capacity, I hope you have some empathy. If not, then, I can only say that I spent more than a year attempting to work with her. She was degrading my site to the
point that other commenters (yes, besides Brian) have told me more than once that she was making my site difficult for them.

I finally reached that point when she blamed me for her not knowing the rules I had repeatedly offered to her and others.

You can decide I’m wrong but if you could just feel the quiet that I am experiencing without her, you would understand.

Joe dirt
Guest
Joe dirt
4 years ago
Reply to  Kym Kemp

So how long are we exiled for so I know how long stay off your website even though I’ve read your rules many times they do not register in my mind and I’m sure you have reasons for them I have a hard being regulated in my book there is only one rule be true to yourself

Kym Kemp
Admin
4 years ago
Reply to  Joe dirt

“We” are not exiled. CHC is banned forever.

Joe dirt
Guest
Joe dirt
4 years ago
Reply to  Joe dirt

Bye Bye

Guest
Guest
Guest
4 years ago
Reply to  Kym Kemp

That’s too bad. I understand but she seemed pretty informed about the law. Particularly about search warrants and who signed them. I didn’t see her bad side I guess but her comments were usually interesting and I always wondered who she was.

JB
Guest
JB
4 years ago
Reply to  Guest

// ” she seemed pretty informed about the law.”//

Do not confuse someone who can cut and paste with someone who is actually informed.

It’s hard for me to imagine someone more clueless as to how the law *actually* works than her. If she were your lawyer, you would be totally screwed.

another guest in the wall
Guest
another guest in the wall
4 years ago
Reply to  SmallFry
another guest in the wall
Guest
another guest in the wall
4 years ago
Reply to  SmallFry
Fennell Dazed and Confused
Guest
Fennell Dazed and Confused
4 years ago

Fennell..So out of touch, so uninformed!

She also said under Prop 64, “Counties can prohibit cultivation altogether, but it made no sense for Humboldt to do that. Our challenge is to make it as positive as possible to get permitted.”

That’s not the case. Section 11362.2 of the Health and Safety Code…(3) Not more than six living plants may be planted, cultivated, harvested, dried, or processed within a single private residence, or upon the grounds of that private residence, at one time. (b)(l) A city, county, or city and county may enact and enforce reasonable regulations to reasonably regulate the actions and conduct in paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) of Section 11362.1.

Counties cannot “…prohibit cultivation altogether…”