Measure S Cannabis Taxes Debated Without SoHum’s Supervisor, Juvenile Hall Treatment Plan, Auditor Controller Gives Payroll Presentation & More From Yesterday’s Supes Meeting
Humboldt County’s Board of Supervisors took on the coal train, Measure S cannabis taxes, Project Trellis, and heard about new juvenile treatment plans this week, to name a few of the heavy topics on the Board’s agenda this week.
This meeting saw all five Supervisors present, although Supervisor Bushnell did recuse herself for the Cannabis Taxation discussion. During another day-long meeting beginning at 9 o’clock in the morning and lasting until 8 o’clock p.m. later that evening, the Supervisors had a relatively short agenda, with a deep dive into a few select issues that dominated the meeting.
The BOS website provides information on how to submit information or agenda item inquiries in writing.
CANNABIS TAX SUSPENSION/WAIVER PROGRAM FOR TAX YEARS 2021 & 2022
The staff report on this agenda item was accompanied by several attached documents providing a record of public comment, and proposed actions outlined by staff. “This report seeks Board direction and possible action to create a Cannabis Excise Tax Suspension/Waiver program for Tax Year 2021 and 2022, billed and collected a year in arrears for calendar year 2022 and 2023,” begins the staff recommendation to the Supervisors. Supervisor Michelle Bushnell, representing Southern Humboldt’s many generations of cannabis farmers in the Second District, recused herself before the topic was discussed. This, although being advised by legal counsel, was not well-received by the public, particularly those constituents of the vast Second District which Bushnell represents.
With the price of cannabis having suffered in recent years due to many factors including abundance of product from outside the area saturating the legal market as well as the illicit market, local mom and pop growers have lamented the inability to both pay bills and continue to farm their crop.
The staff report advises that this recommendation “is a continued response to the current state of the cannabis industry which is experiencing unsustainably low market pricing and an inability to sell existing cannabis inventory. Many cultivators have voiced concern that they will not survive current conditions. The Cannabis Ad Hoc Committee is concerned about the long-term viability of the Humboldt County cannabis industry, particularly those smaller farms who may have fewer financial resources. The county has provided significant resources and accommodations to support the cannabis industry.”
Beyond discussing the possible adjustment to currently imposed taxes, a portion of the lengthy debate addressed the funds from those taxes and where they are being disbursed to within the county.
Screenshot from the attached Alternative Resolutions presented to the Supervisors, showing the first of several option for consideration, with the introduction explaining that “the Board can choose to give direction to act on the Ad Hoc Committee’s Proposal, the CAO’s recommendation or consider the following alternative measures, which are not necessarily exclusive.”
While the Supervisors attempted to pick their way through the weeds to more closely examine the various economic branches of the matter, they considered the implications of altering taxation of the “unstable revenue source,” as the cannabis tax funds were described by Hayes.
Measure S was approved by Humboldt County voters in November of 2016, with 65.8% in favor and 34.2% opposed to a cannabis cultivation tax of $1-3 per square foot. Only 10% of the tax revenue is dedicated to Project Trellis, which provides micro-grants and a financial equity program to cannabis farmers and related businesses in the county. Without voter approval, the Board does have the ability to modify the tax, “and is limited to amending or repealing the tax in a way that does not increase the tax or broaden its scope.”
The staff report explains how the Measure S funds are dealt with, explaining that the funds are added to the general fund, and so are not tied to a particular activity, and so “the source of revenue is tracked but the activities are not tied to the revenue source.” The report further explains that “this is opposite of Special Revenue sources that are legally restricted to expenditure for a specific purpose.” The staff report adds that although detailed tracking is not done, “over the years staff has, for information and budgetary purposes, identified certain funds that have been budgeted and available because of the additional revenue including Measure S.”
Part of the staff report offered a scenario for the Supervisors to consider, offering a hypothetical budget situation. “If 60% of cultivators participate in the suspension/waiver program, at best this means a delay of nearly $12 million (60% of $19 million) per year or a total of $24 million until calendar year 2024, when the funds would either be waived, waived in part, or if legally viable paid over some period going forward.” According to calculations and analysis by county staff, a “$12 million annual reduction in the Measure S funds will have a significant impact on the county’s General Fund, particularly with the recent salary adjustments to make staff salaries more competitive and commensurate with market value. The preliminary estimate for county General Fund payroll for FY 2022-23, excluding overtime, is $107 million. This includes 135 vacant positions, which equates to an estimated 17% vacancy rate.”
Due to the extensive number of public comment callers in the digital zoom line-up, comment time was cut down by one third in the interest of expediency, allowing 2 mins for each commenter to express their thoughts. These calls came from every corner of the county, hailing from the southern county border with Mendocino to the inland mountains of eastern Humboldt, and many places in between. This was on top of the 29 pages of written public comment submitted for the meeting, which are included in the staff report agenda materials. These letters and emails came from a variety of community sources, including business owners, other than cannabis farmers.
Many callers requested complete suspension of Measure S, in the face of possibly extinguishing the local industry entirely due to what callers described as punitive taxation. One caller noted, “farms of all sizes are suffering right now” explaining that regulations and taxation plans have failed across the board. Another caller called the County’s actions on par with “cultural and economic genocide,” seeing that the overtaxation is actually “extortion” of the cannabis industry that has long been the backbone of the county’s economy.
Several comments expressed dismay at Supervisor Bushnell’s decision to recuse herself at the start of the discussion on this agenda item, saying “I don’t understand how you can be a supervisor if you can recuse yourself for such issues, which will continue in the future.” Another caller was also upset by Bushnell’s absence, and said, “So now we have taxation without representation,” noting that Southern Humboldt constituents hold a significant portion of the cannabis farming acreage in question.
Callers also expressed concern regarding the disbursement of cannabis tax monies back into the areas they were extracted from, in line with the intent of the taxation discussed in meetings prior – specifically asking why the Southern Humboldt area has not seen a larger injection of funds from their collective payments into the general fund by way of Measure S. These particular comments addressing concerns related to the south county farms and funds were often emotionally charged in the context of Supervisor Bushnell not participating in this pivotal discussion on a topic critical to the economy and well-being of her Southern Humboldt constituents.
Over 61 comments were offered from the public, and following that marathon of vocal support for local cannabis farmers and their request for a reprieve, the Supervisors took a short break before returning to address the issues just before 5pm.
Supervisor Steve Madrone stated that the four largest permitted farms have not paid the tax as of today’s meeting, while roughly 80% of the smaller permitted farms have already paid the tax. Tax Collector John Bartholomew confirmed that the four largest farms have not yet paid the 2020 tax due, which would be responsible for a large portion of the tax funds anticipated into the general fund.
Bass kept the meeting on track, while the debate continued to consider nuances of outside market influences and local economics. Wilson was openly opposed to a full forgiveness of any tax, noting that it would be “hard to come back from.” Madrone indicated he would support a 50% reduction, as well as a “better ordinance for the future,” while Bohn suggested that current dues get paid up and then all 2022 taxes in the coming year would be 100% forgiven across the board.
Madrone made a motion to table the issue and revisit the debate asap, in order to complete the discussion with clear minds, on a new day. Tentatively, the Supervisors and CAO Hayes considered meeting in the near future, noting that the coming Monday was a possible option.
All four supervisors present agreed to table the discussion for further debate on refined options, and were ready to press onward through the remaining agenda items.
At that point, Supervisor Bushnell rejoined the Supervisor. Bushnell asked to take a moment to address her recusal from the Cannabis tax issue that had just occupied several hours of the day’s much-anticipated meeting. Offering an explanation for her recusal, she explained, “I have had conversations with my attorney and with County Council and my CIO. I have a cannabis farm, Bootleg Farms LLC, that I have not yet received excise tax for, but will. I got my state license January 3 of this year. Have not cultivated that form as of yet, I don’t know if I intend to. However, I have also written FPPC (Fair Political Practices Commission) to try to get written documentation.”
Bushnell added that she would be expected to pay the cannabis tax, but stopped short of using the phrase ‘conflict of interest’ in describing her involvement in the cannabis industry directly. Bushnell continued, “I don’t singly profit or not from this motion, however I am part of the motion. and with the guidance that I have received from my counsel and in long discussions with my counsel, I thought it best that I recuse myself, so that the cannabis community with this discussion, that I don’t jeopardize the discussion that happened today. I did not want to do that. I listened to the public comments through, you know, the online thing, and I understand people are disappointed. I am as well. I have slept very little. I really love my community, and I’m very supportive of it. Especially the cannabis community – I am part of the cannabis community. So, I realized earlier I could’ve done better. It was very hard for me to do that.”
Following this statement and the conclusion of the meeting, Facebook reflected the socio-political fallout of Bushnell’s choice to step aside for ethical reasons. The North Coast Grower’s Alliance posted a message publicly calling out the Southern Humboldt Supervisor following the meeting. Bushnell responded this morning by reposting the message, adding her feedback as to her involvement in the discussion and in the cannabis community.
Screengrab from Facebook showing Supervisor Bushnell’s response to a pointed statement by HCGA Feb 2, 2022.
Executive Director of the Humboldt County Grower’s Alliance, Natalynne DeLapp responded to Bushnell’s re-post in the comment thread with this response:
Dear Michelle Smith Bushnell, it is because you are a farmer, because you’ve been doing great work for the 2nd District, and because the farmers throughout the county go to you for representation, that not having you as part of the discussion–as their representative was such a loss (and frankly came as a surprise to all of us). We all “get it” that the Supervisors represent everyone and not just their districts, but Mike (District 3) and Virginia (District 4) typically defer to you (District 2), Rex (District 1), and Steve (District 5).
We appreciate the heartfelt message and explanation from you that came after the end of the six-hour hearing (7:15pm). Thank you for your service, we do hope that you will be able to participate, vote, and represent the farmers who are in your district moving forward. – Natalynne DeLapp February 2, 2022
Supervisor Bushnell, having recused herself for the Measure S agenda item discussion, rejoined the Supervisors following the debate, February 1st, 2022.
HUMBOLDT’S PROJECT TRELLIS UPDATE
Staff report on this subject recommends in part that the Supervisors “confirm the conclusions and analysis of the Fair Political Practices Commission’s formal advice letter to exclude Humboldt Community Business Development Center’s proposal in response to the Request for proposals.”
The county’s cannabis micro-grant program does several things, and is collectively referred to as Project Trellis. The Micro-grant program uses Measure S funding to offer cannabis businesses funding. The Local Equity program utilizes state funding, and provides resources to locals and who have been impacted by the War on Drugs. The Marketing part of the program also uses Measure S funding, and is “designed to promote and maintain Humboldt-grown cannabis as a national and industry brand.”
Updates provided in the report include 30 projects that have been funded, for a total of approximately $800,000 via the Trellis Micro-grant Program between fiscal years (FY) 2019-20 and 2020-21, as well as the “emergency micro-grant” applications for the $1 million allocation in September 2021 which are in the final review stages, “with funding expected to go before the Project Trellis Committee in February 2022.”
The 2021-22 Micro-grant is scheduled to open for applications soon, this February. The report also states, “the initial Cannabis Equity Grant from the Bureau of Cannabis Control for $1.33 million was expended for 81 grantees. The second award from the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development for $2.4 million is in the process of being expended for 89 grantees, and potentially another 48 pending contracts.” An additional award of $1.05 million will be expended in the coming months, according to the staff report. Additionally, the county has applied for more funding going into the 2022-23 fiscal calendar.
According to the staff report, “[S]ince inception of Project Trellis, in 2019, the program has funded over 200 projects for the cannabis community, totaling approximately $4.1 million in awards for grants.” Although, according to the attached project funding outline for a total of $5,665,000 has so far been allocated to various programs, businesses and projects since Project Trellis was initiated in 2019.
AUDITOR CONTROLLER OFFICE PAYROLL ANALYSIS
This agenda item was discussed at length, and offered several attached documents for review by the Supervisors, as well as a presentation from the county Auditor-Controller Paz-Dominguez.
Indicating that she was spending a “full 40 hours” on payroll, in addition to performing basic duties around the AC office, which leaves the Auditor-Controller with minimal to no time as she explained it, to be the administrative leader that she is expected to be. The conversation regarding efficiency of government functions continued, and many aspects of payroll processing were discussed in detail. Paz-Dominguez was prepared with an elaborate powerpoint presentation for the Supervisors, which was well-received.
JUVENILE HALL PROJECT & JUSTICE REALIGNMENT PLAN
The staff report for this item gives a great deal of background on the project and the elements to be incorporated for youth treatment plans. Senate Bill 823 was approved by the Governor of California in September of 2020, and transferred responsibility for managing all youthful offenders from the State to local jurisdictions.
“Commencing with the 2021-2022 fiscal year, California instituted the Juvenile Justice Block Grant which provides counties annual funding to create and operate a program for youth which previously would have been committed to a state facility. Counties are obligated under SB 823 to prepare and submit a plan for this funding,” pursuant to Section 1991 (a) of the California Welfare and Institutions Code
This population is described as “youth who would have previously been ordered to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Division of Juvenile Justice,” and Humboldt County will be housing these youth in the Juvenile Hall locally. The county will also be “sharing funding between the Probation Department and the Department of Health & Human Services – Behavioral Health in order to provide necessary mental health services to these youth.”
According to the staff report, “The Probation Department will be contracting with the Niroga Institute to provide staff training as well as coaching and mentoring centered around dynamic mindfulness. The latest research in development of neuroscience suggests that chronic stress, trauma, and PTSD impact brain function and disrupt the ability to regulate emotions or make healthy life choices.”
The financial impact of this plan is detailed in the staff report, reading, “The contract with Niroga Institute has a maximum payable amount of $18,150,” and adds, that “funding for the contract is available through the Juvenile Justice Realignment Block Grant and will be reflected in the Small Grants line item (514060).”
According to the 18-page long treatment program plan attached to this agenda item for the Supervisors to review, in the span of ten years from 2010 to 2020, Humboldt County committed 13 youth to the state program. The report states, “This is an extremely small number of youth and caution should be used in extrapolating patterns or conclusions from it.”
Still, the report elaborates on the 13 young people detained in juvenile hall in Humboldt COunty, explaining that each of these young people were all male, and ranged from 15 to 19 years of age at the time of their incarceration. “The ethnicity of the committed youth were White 54%, American Indian 38%, and Hispanic 8%. For context, the general community distribution in Humboldt County for these ethnicities is White 83%, Hispanic 12.1%, and American Indian 6.4%.,” detailed the report, and added, “The disproportionate representation of indigenous youth in the DJJ data set is consistent with similar disparities in the general juvenile justice, dependency, and adult criminal justice populations. All the youth ordered to DJJ were committed for serious offenses. These included manslaughter, robbery, sexual assault, assault with great bodily injury, and burglary with a firearm.”
The report gives some context as to the troubled background of these particular young people. “Most had extensive delinquency referral histories indicating ongoing involvement with the juvenile justice system prior to their commitment. All the youth had prior contact with the Child Welfare System (CWS). Most had multiple child welfare referrals. Of the DJJ youth from Humboldt County, 92% had at least 1 substantiated referral, and 31% were removed from the custody of their parents at some point prior to entering the juvenile justice system.”
Services that are listed as part of the treatment program include cognitive behavioral treatments, therapy of different types, enrichment activities and support activities bolstered by community input such as from contracts with the Ink People “to provide professional artist mentor services to youth in the Juvenile Hall,” for example. The Juvenile Hall is also planning to add a youth-maintained garden in the open recreation area of the facility. According to the report, this aspect of the project is on hold while construction is still underway at the location in Eureka.
The motion passed along with the consent agenda in full.
COAL TRAIN ORDINANCE IN MOTION
Mirroring City of Eureka’s Ordinance, the Supervisors unanimously adopted the staff recommendation, which specifically opposed the coal train through Humboldt for transport.
Staff report on this item explains that on October 5, 2021, the Supervisors “discussed and received input regarding a potential ordinance to regulate the use of coal in Humboldt County.” At that meeting, the Supervisors adopted a resolution opposing the impacts “from potential coal export through Humboldt County and Bay.”
The new ordinance, when formally adopted at a future meeting, would read in part:
“WHEREAS the County of Humboldt finds and declares:
- There is substantial evidence that storing or handling coal on and over County-owned property poses a danger to the health and safety of people living, working, visiting, and recreating on that and adjacent properties;
- Coal dust consists of fine particles that include PM2.5, for which there is no safe level of exposure, and which has been associated by the State of California and the World Health Organization with cancer and birth defects;
- These fine particles include crystalline silica (quartz), lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, and nickel;
- Burning of fossil fuels emits mercury, a powerful neurotoxin, into the upper atmosphere where it can travel long distances before being deposited into watersheds as well as inland and coastal waterways where it accumulates in fish threating human health and Humboldt County’s recreational, Tribal, and subsistence fisheries.
- Coal is subject to spontaneous combustion and requires specialized firefighting techniques;
- Storing and handling coal on County owned lands would be inconsistent with the County’s vision for the community as set forth in the County of Humboldt’s 2017 General Plan Update, including but not limited to these goals and principles:
- Preserve the long term economically viable and environmentally sustainable, utilization and enjoyment of natural resources.
The Supervisors passed this motion unanimously, with a 5 – 0 vote to approve the motion.
CONTINUATION OF THE LOCAL EMERGENCY DUE TO DROUGHT
The staff report again recommends that the Supervisors should declare that the continued local emergency remains in effect, “per Resolution 21-77, until March 1, 2022 enabling the County of Humboldt and other local government entities to adequately plan, prepare and implement policy to be able to effectively respond to the threat posed by the drought.”
The impact to the budget is unknown at this time.
“Because conditions of severe risk to the safety of persons and property and the integrity of natural and cultural resources still exists within the county caused by drought, it has been determined that the local emergency should remain in effect until March 1, 2022.”
This was passed along with the consent calendar in full.
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Well hell! get the dang infernal revenewers after those tax dodgers…
Here’s what you need in Humboldt:
https://www.sfgate.com/california-politics/article/Shasta-County-Republican-recall-warzone-16810959.php
Oh yes, so good for progress, lol
https://amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/03/california-county-controlled-by-militia-group
Dang thats nuts! One more reason to avoid redding.
This tax should be repealed. This was predicated on the estimated profits of a black market not a legal market. The whole thing is like a godfather strongman demanding his cut even when there is no cash to “cut.” Someone will say “pay your taxes like everyone else,” but no other crop has to do this. Any business pays income, property taxes and employee taxes and that is right. this is not.
Seems like it’s past time to take the no tax paying farms to auction!
Sure just like all the farms in the valley and the Midwest everywhere really that don’t pay taxes and receive Huge Cash Subsidies that all us little guys pay for those big assholes to profit from.
Sure. Let’s sell them too. And all the corporations that pay no fucking taxes at all. Or that asshole BEZOS who pays no taxes? Sure Let’s sell his company too right?
I get it you are only against your neighbors that You Don’t Like who Grow Pot! Thanks for being clear!
Apparently the only thing you paid for was pay raises for county workers. Lol
People not in the industry are confused about whats happening.
Many farmers did not sell any or much of 2020’s crop. Most farms were lucky to of sold 20% of the crop, the rest was all sold at such low prices you lost money if you sold any of it. Many farmers couldn’t take those low prices and are now stuck with product that cannot be sold at ALL PERIOD. Meaning they just took huge losses, company crippling, business ending losses. The bigger the farm the more they lost. This tax was an upfront tax based on your SQFT not on the price that the weed sold for and not based on if you were even able to sell it. Its not that we do not pay taxes, Legal cannabis PAYS TAXES. Many times they pay taxes at a higher rate than normal businesses. The issue here is the tax needs to be a % of your profits, not some upfront tax even if you completely fail and loose your entire crop or because of market conditions cannot even sell it. You figure the “hemp” growers in Oregon secretly growing 30 acres of weed might of ruined the market for everyone. This means the “legal” taxes how they stand are going to bankrupt the legal farms, big and small. This means black market is overproducing and putting the legal market out of business. The government needs to step in to help the legal farmers right now or there will be no more legal industry, the black market will take over 100%.
Yes, but, anyone in the industry should have known this was going to happen just based on logistics. If you failed to heed the warning signs, you had no business doubling down every year. There are people that paid 20 million for 40 acres of hillside with a 10k Sq ft license that would ultimately fail to qualify. There are winners and losers in a 0 sum game. Good luck to all the homies
LOL. Tax them on self reported profits? Or they could do it like Trinity County and tax them on their self reported white market sales. I think we all are going to have a good laugh when we see Trinity counties cultivation tax revenue… Many Trinity County licensed farms will literally report 0$ in sales.
Yes, zero after the fires and smoke ruined many crops. Most people have a bill for the first half of 2021. That is past due now. The second half of 2021 is due now. However, the CAO and supe Groves said the tax was suspended two BOS meetings ago. County council backed them up saying her staff was writing a position paper on how the tiering of the tax should work based on the initiative language. There is debate about the invoices being correct. I talked to the tax collector two days ago and they seem to think everything is still due. Maybe I missed a correction from CAO or county council as there is no official word on the suspension of the tax.
As for Trinity’s tax, well I’ll say it isn’t the giant FUCK YOU that Humboldt’s is. I’m sorry you guys have to deal with this. I and my friends saw what happened to you and then faced what the trinity haters proposed (unfair over burdensome tax) Measure A. We lobbied hard and got it shot down at the election. The next year we had to bring a tax and did so. We wrote it to favor us and thankfully it isn’t the problem that Humboldt farmers have.
All cannabis farms have issues, but Measure S is BS. My question is where was the cannabis leadership for the past 6 years of this unfair tax??? DeLapp should be fired. (I’m sure someone will be all pissy I said someone should be held accountable.) I still think this (addressing the tax) should have been pushed years ago. Bit late now.
Those who couldn’t sell their weed two years ago but still decided to grow more last year have no one but themselves to blame.
Yes, that is a harsh statement, but it’s true.
If you can’t turn a profit, you should probably explore other ways to earn a living. There is nothing anyone can do that will shield you from the competition that is crushing you.
corporations often do not profit from subsidiary businesses for periods of time but they can write off whole annual losses of companys they own under their massive umbrella structure compared to one small business owned by family
Yes normal corporations operating in a market that is not growing a Schedule One narcotic your above statement applies. This cannabis market requires liquidity cause Uncle Sammy don’t take security notes as tender only the greenback. So these Corps strategy was to float SPAC money every two years cause that’s when the term is due. However, they all based their strategy on mass input of investor dollars and low interest. Well here we are two years later and those investor dollars amount to less than 1 million and the new terms for SPACs is 9.5% interest, lol. Come May 1st the only lesson they gonna learn is Don’t Fuck with Us! It’s our plant, always has been and always will be!!!!!
All I can say is they are hurting (Three deals like this just today). This company in the article borrowed 300+ million in September of 2020 similar debt offer. This is not a good thing they definately didn’t plan and usually is a part of the final process before a corporation is about to be dissolved.
https://mjbizdaily.com/marijuana-mso-columbia-care-closes-185-million-notes-offering/
You can clearly see they are hoping for a tax break and only trying to make it til May. Definately shows the slime though of wasting investor money at some point the ponzi scheme will fail. It will fail faster if they don’t get any tax relief. That is a great thing for small craft farmers.
I love the black market- all my friends are there! That said I do agree that something should be done about Oregon’s mega-farms. I believe this tax repeal request is near-sighted and will be ineffective. What the growers should do is instead of protesting in Eureka they should all go make a Big Stink at the DEA office in Medford. That protest could be huge and draw lots of national media. Demand that the feds mobilize to shut down Oregon’s vast fields of weed! Bring focus to THAT problem. That is the problem and that is what is destroying Humboldt small farmers. And it is all illegal, black market cartel and organized crime grows (yes, any grow at that level I consider organized crime even if it’s being run by old Humboldt growers). Many could get behind a protest like that…Embarrass the feds and the DEA for allowing such blatant criminal enterprises to thrive! But as it is they still (Feb 3rd) have no budget allocated to do anything about those massive grows again this year…and so not much will happen…again. Measure S tax or not- with Oregon producing so so much the grows here are facing extinction.
Oh Farce, you can’t have your cake and eat it too. You are in full support of the black market only when it supports you and your friends. Now you advocate for the DEA to step in when other, more efficient, operators are eating your lunch. Once again you are contradicting yourself. You should be happy that Oregon is adding value to to consumer. Providing affordable cannabis should be the goal. Maybe it is time to start thinking about retirement.
Only way a Triangle grower retires is when we die. The other thing about us Triangle growers is we don’t gotta be “legal” to grow weed and if we can’t be “legal” well then we………..lol. Each grower not being able to be legal is why the Traditional Market dominates above 75% of the California weed industry. Reminds me of the old saying “mess with the bull and you’ll get the horn, lol.
I started off in Humboldt back in 96′. I remember going to American Hydro in Arcata back then, the only hydro store in Humboldt (Redway Feed had some lights). There was only one nutrient on the shelf, GH. Everybody used 430 watt lamps with 18% blue blue spectrum. 1000 watt lamps did not really exist at the time. The front desk guy, John with the mullet haircut, was a pretentious asshole. I have been in the trenches in Humboldt for many years. I did two County Years in the Humboldt County Correctional Facility for large outdoor scenes. 555, 385, ect. Officer Wiggam was such a dick. And then there was Dugout.
Haha , miss those days . GH was the bomb and there were like five different strains of cannabis , not five hundred LOL !
Salmon Creek Big Bud, Snow Bud, Train Wreck, Northern Lights, and Super Skunk.
Nah, there is only 1058 dispenceraries. If they really wanna do a protest they should hand out ounce zips to anyone going into purchase legal. Three days in front of each legal retail site will wipe em out!! Plus, imagine the new customer base they will gain tax free!
weed is free in dumboldt. Free the weed they did indeed. If you kept gambling on it being an endless gravy train, guess what in a Free Market “legal” business …. shit happens. Grow up. You made a bad business decision if you aren’t a millionaire off it and cashed out already. Its not the plant its the damn trash surrounding it.
I thought the legal market is the black market just with more brazen criminals.
So the plant is tracked and traced but not the money, lol…..classic!!!!
It’s capitalism. Everything is tracked EXCEPT the money. Easier to steal from the rubes that way. Unless you work for wages. Then you are tracked your money is tracked your kids are tracked ad nauseum because capitalism requires slavery to succeed. Wage slaves anyone? Anyone who thought that kissing ass to the taxman to get the YES to be a pot farmer was Not ever a farmer before! Ps I started my working life in Iowa yup on a farm! Cows pigs corn beans alfalfa plus a whole separate bird operation. This farm was and still is a jamming big-time corporate model “modern ” farm.
Almost everything was old and had been repaired many many times from shovels and picks to trucks trailers tractors implements you name it. The biggest news on the farm when I was there (early 70’s) was they bought a brand new Hough. It’s like a 966 cat with a bucket. Neighbors came to check it out! They went into debt for it and have remained in debt to this day. But they receive hundreds of thousands every year in crop subsidies and insurance land banking grants lots of ways to get federal ag money.
With pot?? Fuck no it’s pay to play every step of the way! No other business in the world pays a tax on production before the product exists. Seriously.
Yeah so it looks like regular old status quo christian puritanical moralistic punitive and oppressive taxes and regulations because they lost at the popular vote.
But don’t worry we’ll all be leaving soon if it doesn’t rain again til next winter. Which is what every climate model shows as the new normal here in the new broken climate Era!
Pay to play every step of the way haha except for the last 20 years you didn’t pay any taxes payback’s a bitch
Ummm, you are aware the legals input into metrc. Meaning they determine the tax rate. It’s the stuff legals don’t control that is making them whine about avoiding paying taxes. I am with you though they need to pay their taxes only because it hurts the large growers more. They should only allow a tax break to 10k sq ft and below but as you can see that ain’t even on the table, so FUCK LEGAL!!
Sell your farm Ms Bushnell, or resign. The conflict of interest is quite clear. You cannot regulate a business you are in. One or the other has to go.
What about Rex? He co-owns a large farm in Honeydew. He should have recused himself as well. At least Michelle is being honest.
So no lumbermen/woman or cattle ranchers have ever served on the Board of Supes, get out of here. It’s not called the Board of Regulators, it the board of Supervisors, supervising the best interests of their constituents. In the case it is far more than the farms the will be affected, ancillary business’s from tire shops, restaraunts, hardware stores, all will feel the brunt of a total collapse.
Bushnell has had many months to get that FPPC letter! What is going on here? Am I missing something??? In Trinity Supe Brown had his at the start of his term. He regularly votes on general cannabis issues that don’t specifically influence his farm. He voted in the PEIR and this week he heard an agenda item to refund/credit back license fees. What was bushnell thinking was gonna happen? Makes no sense!
If Bushnell can’t vote on cannabis issues, who is representing SoHum?
Is that true that the four largest growers have not paid their 2020 taxes, or should that say 2021?
It’s not a new thing that the richest growers are the ones that cry poverty.
That’s what they all say.
Always have.
If the small farmers can pay their taxes, the big ones can pony up, too.
If they want to give relief for cannabis taxes, they might as well let everyone else off the hook for their property taxes as well.
The “greediest growers”, want the tax relief?
I don’t think so.
They said, “Eff everyone else, I’m going big”.
Shouldn’t ta stuck it in.
Now quit effing whining and effing pay up!
You rolled the dice, you lost.
Don’t even try to weasel your way out of losing some cash, after cashing in for so long, in win after win.
Tough shit!
Eff, that!
Pay up! You lost! Stop whining!
That’s a damn good question. If 2020, then why are they still allowed to operate?
First audit all the farms and give the breaks to the ones that haven’t diverted product to the black market. Can’t play both sides AND cry for help. Pick a side.
Every single level farm sells everything they can on the black market.
yeah when they aren’t robbing tax payers because they aren’t selling any product…
It’s not even a secret anymore. The only people that believe track and Trace is working are people that have no idea what’s going on.
The system was setup to fail. Only naive or overly honest people fully enter METRC. What is a person supposed to do when the cards are stacked against them?
Haha if you think an audit will show that you really don’t understand METRC.
Oh geez. They’ve all got their finger in the pot pie. What a bunch of crooks. But that fits right in with Humboldt. Land of criminals where normal folks with honest jobs are outnumbered by tweakers , crazy, bleeding hearts ( but not giving ) hearts hippies,greedy growers and corrupt government workers.
Bleeding hearts that will rob you blind, steal your car, jack all your firewood, and do it with a kind, warm smile.
Hello and to dearest Kym, supervisors Rex Bohn, Mike Wilson, Michelle Bushnell, Virginia Bass, Steve Madrone, Sheriff Honsal, legal blogger John Chiv and all the residents of Humboldt county.
Please read and review the statement and ideas listed below.
Additional please note the statement is an honest appraisal and any comments will not be read by the author…thank you and best regards.
The SIMPLE MISTAKES made by California and Humboldt county:
1) NO CAP on the number & size of cannabis farms by county (1000 in Humboldt)
2) 100 percent of funds went to General funds of the county and State
3) 80% of Cannabis grows are illegal and untaxed (source HCSO)
4) Penalty for more than six cannabis plants: six months in jail or $500
Answer to a simple problem of California Cannabis taxes and overproduction (ex.$300 lb wholesale)
1) Limited the number of farms to 80 percent of current level
2) 90 percent of cannabis fees to law enforcement (plus substantial federal funding) to stop illegal cannabis grows and incarceration.
3) Graduated penalties based upon size and type of illegal cannabis farms/processing. Examples: seven to ten plants gets you six months in jail. Ten to fifty plants gets you two years in prison. Fifty one to ninety nine plants gets you five years in prison. Cannabis workers on an illegal farm get minimum one year in prison. Processing cannabis into oil, wax or any distillation get you minimum five years in prison. (SEE FEDERAL SENTENCING GUIDELINES FOR ILLEGAL ALCOHOL PRODUCTION)
4) Lower tax rate for cannabis farms that conform to the rules (no back door sales) thirty percent reduction in current taxes.
5) Create a WE-TIP 1-800 hotline with $5000 reward for turning in illegal grows.
The REAL problem is simple over production due to the illegal market producing more than the legal market. Once “traditional” (cheat growers) go to prison and lose their property and freedom the market will stabilize to appropriate pricing levels.
You can not tax growers but that does nothing to change the wholesale price. With the wholesale price being $300 per pound no one survives. When the illegal market stops out producing the legal market Humboldt county will survive and prosper.
The days of illegal grows are over and the overwhelming sense of entitlement of illegal grows are the root cause of the whole price problem.
Lolololz Hahaha Lolololz Hahaha
Yup the moralistic puritanical self righteous let’s just fucking hurt everybody who’s not succeeding already? Buddy that’s the old broken system of domination and conquest and control.
The whole county is in survival mode and hurting economically this is the new reality that is here now.
Just cancel this stupid punitive dollar drain and tax all veggie and produce and plant farms the same. That includes pot farmers.
You’re joking right? 6 months in jail for 7-10 plants. 2 years in jail for 50 plants! That’s insane and far worse than before legalization. I take it you just started in the industry.
Wow- that’s the stupidest thing I’ve heard in a long time… The oversupply is coming from Oregon. What you’re suggesting is expensive cruel and completely ineffective
yes ^^ lets re-criminalize weed and jail our neighbors so legal corporate farms can prosper.
You and what army are going to enforce the interventionist policies you suggested?
Dude are you paying attention? None of this matters with Oregon and Oklahoma going off.
If 80% of farms cannot pay this and fold this year, you have to forever take that out of the General Fund and plan accordingly. This also affects probably 10,000 workers directly and indirectly related to thecannabis industry. ARCATA and Eurekas thriving industrial zones will have not supply, bye bye, that was fun. Small and medium business’s from tire shops, restaurants, hardware stores, etc will also be forced to close. It’s not just this tax money that will stop, all other business’s operating costs in the county will dry up. Engineers, lawyers, trucking companies, etc. I believe this will effectively chop the head off of the ‘Golden Goose’. Outside money from Cal poly and new immigrants due to climate change will be the new economy,, except their is little room for locals in that new economy.
No room in the new economy here for locals. They’re all coming from the tech zones of sf and Boston and India for the windfarm and tech boom and cal poly and Norway for the fish engineers. Maybe a couple of certified local welders might get hired and maybe a few logging truck companies will get hauling work for the fish farm and wind farm mfg that’s gonna be starting up soon. Some janitors.. That’s about it. Face it Humboldt County is backwards AF and always has been. Bunch of loggers and millworkers who had a hard time reading to a bunch of crazy vet survivalist and the lighthouse ranch cult and stoned hippies we’ve always been District 12
“They’re all coming from the tech zones of sf and Boston and India for the windfarm and tech boom”
There isn’t likely to be a tech boom cuz Cal Poly Humboldt is never going to be a 1st rate university. Tech centers like the Bay area, Boston, Austin have excellent local universities to provide workers and entrepreneurs.
There should be a building boom to house the employees and students of the enlarged school and that will create jobs for locals.
I also doubt that far offshore deepwater windmills are going to have a big impact on our local economy since maintenance will mostly be done elsewhere, operating far offshore deepwater windmills is really a bleeding edge challenge (can you imagine PG&E in charge of that??), the windmills will deteriorate rapidly in that terrible environment.
Greens may also challenge offshore windmills for damage to sea life and cuz of disposal after 20 years life of huge windmills in beautiful Humboldt County.
Already happening. What you said. This tax relief won’t change anything. We are already heading into the scenario you described and nothing is going to change that now. Maybe the locals can get jobs washing the cars of their new neighbors-the shiny new tech face of Humboldt County! Only thing you failed to mention was huge trans-pacific fiber optic cable coming into Eureka. Oh and the climate Island this area offers in a time of heavy climate change concerns. And the water supply here-very solid. Any locals who did not prepare for this are welcome to camp behind the mall along the rail road tracks or down by the river near giuntoli. That right there is your lower income local housing! Those fucking yuppies are rolling up here from San Francisco and you know they have no problem stepping over hundreds of homeless sleeping on concrete as they head to their expensive sushi joints toast cocktails with their yuppie friends. Yes they are coming here and they don’t care. Enjoy! Just remember the mantra-legalization made us safe and free legalization made us safe and free
What Farce said
I doubt the “climate change island” angle will be an important part of many business plans.
Hey Steve you’re correct on that angle ?your average Businesses aren’t thinking and planning about a livable climate region and won’t be arriving here in podunk Humboldt
However Smart Business is already on it’s way. Only an idiot thinks our housing costs are driven by locals. It’s Business owners that are already moving here and fucking commuting to SF LA NY etc like my brand new neighbors from the bay area. They fucking fly 2wice a week to the bay area. It’s already a significant change. Like Farce said if you didn’t get ready you can join the crowd already living in the palco marsh
Capitalism is fucking harsh
Now if Rex Bohn would show he has even a shred of integrity he would also recuse himself. He’s a conflict of interest just being on the board in the first place.
Lmao …it’s like some of you guys just moved here ? Green Rushers. Cannabis was illegal for decades and people kept growing. You will never shutdown the Humboldt black market. That’s just reality. The corporate cannabis scene is full of out of towners & people who just moved here. Thinking the local economy will collapse if the legal market collapses is ridiculous. The traditional market is thriving. Many of those growers are locals and actually spend their money locally unlike a lot of these corporate grows. Let’s face it. People moved to Humboldt after legalization thinking they were going to take over and blow it up and now reality has set in. It’s not so easy. We live in a rural community. Everything is harder here. Our economy will be fine, but if you’re growing a bunch of legal market b grade outdoor that no one wants you may not be. We need corporate cannabis out of Humboldt County. Remember US Out Of Humboldt County. We need a new bumper sticker and slogan. Corporate Cannabis Out Of Humboldt County. Let’s support Craft Growers who are invested in our community and tax this shit of the corporate grows who moved here just to profit off our name & legacy. Fuck Corporate Grows & Growers!!!!
The traditional market is in no way thriving.
Yea it is, maybe not for the post ’96ers but for us pre ’96ers prices are higher than last year and I keep expanding and picked up a few new states. So if your a post 96er learn how to grow better is my advice, lol, cause you competing with us and we grow some dank ass weed!
This nails it. Support tax paying craft growers. Corporate Cannabis Out Of Humboldt County!
Supervisor Steve Madrone stated that the four largest permitted farms have not paid the tax as of today’s meeting, while roughly 80% of the smaller permitted farms have already paid the tax. Tax Collector John Bartholomew confirmed that the four largest farms have not yet paid the 2020 tax due, which would be responsible for a large portion of the tax funds anticipated into the general fund.
I’m not quite sure you what you want her to do I’ve served on commissions myself You’re always to recruit yourself If you’re involved in what’s being discussed whether financially or personally I think she’s trying to be fair would you seem to want to condemn her no matter what she does That’s just wrong and please leave Rex out of these discussions Why is it the people have to bring him in to everything
Totally agree with you. If Bushnell votes on any of this it will be overturned in court. What’s really interesting in the numbers the county shares is the total square footage. That number translates to 326 acres of cultivation in just Humboldt. That alone is enough to saturate the legal market let alone all the legal farms in Mendo, lake county and Santa Barbara
I’m not so sure it gets overturned. Here in Trinity we had a PC and BOS member both receive broad FPPC letters allowing them to vote on matters not specifically focused on their cannabis interests. When the industry is a major factor in the economy they can vote on those broad topics.
He wouldn’t be brought in to the discussion if he didn’t have a dog in the fight !
You reap what you grow. I bet tomato farmers wish they had the yield that pot farmers get.
And get this, Measure S was a ballot issue. Only the voters can overturn it or amend it. BOS hands are tied… while they’re stuck in the cookie jar! ?
Hmmmm, do tomato farmers pay any taxes on the square footage they grow? And the BOS actually does have the authority to defer Measure Sc.
No, they don’t. Tomato farmers have better lobbyists and supply a product that is beneficial to society. At a relatively low cost. A weed that grows all over the Great Plains and that any simpleton can grow in their own backyard isn’t going to be worth much without prohibition propping up its bottom line.
How’s that working for you? Do you really think the BOS or any other California government is going to LOWER taxes?! Lol!
The gravy train is over. Deal with it.
they should all recuse-all their beaks are wet
Legal cannabis: selling for 275 $ per lb today ! Run far from this legal nightmare my friends, run !
Umm…yeah. that’s what they do. Could have seen this coming from a mile away… It’s sad that some people got confused into thinking these people were their friends. Lol! No they are not your friends! They never liked you not one bit. They put up with you for decades waiting for this moment. And yes they will milk it till it’s gone. That’s what they do!
Umm, with just 10,000,000 sq ft outdoor that is only like 100 tons (maybe 150 tons at best) of what legals call flower. That equates to 150 AP U-Haul runs, lol. That is less than 300 ounces per month each of the legal dispensaries would have to sell not even counting delivery. Oversupplied?
20 million, nice haul, Al Capone would be proud.
Haha lol
So the county gave everyone working for the county a rise with the money from measure S
That sounds about right
And…they wasted a bunch too! Don’t forget that
Of course growers can’t believe how Bushnell would possibly recuse herself. Their entire operating memorandum is built on self serving interest and corruption.
The voters approved the tax. The supervisors have the power to reduce it. They should. Suspending it means it wont ever get paid. But until the number of growers is reduced, the price will stay low. The problem is legalization and government regulation, which is here to stay. Face it, the emerald triangle is not the only place that grows pot now. The boom is over. That’s a good thing. The rural countryside looks like hell, the environment is damaged, pot related crime is high. In the long run, this is better because it will weed out the misfits, lessen crime and lower the price of inflated land The black market will remain a problem. Government taxation and regulation creates that in all business.
Just like measure o being sold to us for the roads and the fire departments and now 75% goes to law enforcement
The Trinity County growers got it right when they voted to tax themselves based on self-reported white market sales only. Suck an egg Lewiston…
You know it!! I will take some credit for it. Def helped bring down measure A. And truth is I saw what happened with measure S and I’m still surprised it took this long for Humboldt farms to raise hell about. Way way way too late now.
Natalynne Delapp is so out of touch with how politics, conflict of interest rules apply. Of course Bushnell has to recuse herself. She is either naive, misinformed or just stirring the pot. No pun intended. Not sure she should be representing the growers.
She should be fired for not trying to fix this unfair tax years ago. Way way way too late now.
Angry mobs always need an angry leader. Logic or fact need not apply in the face of feelings.
Michelle Bushnell is asses and elbows deep in her cannabis conflicts of interest. Finally she admits she has a conflict of interest and recuses herself from the cannabis tax measure S vote, because it would directly benefit herself and all of her families cannabis operations.
But what about all of her other votes to date re: cannabis that directly benefits her financial bottom line?
Bushnell voted to give a green light to the hideous McCann operation from the guy from Florida. Why? because Her logging business , run by her son ,gets to do all of the road building and logging associated with the operation.
Bushnell , during this long drought, voted to give a green light to unlimited well drilling on bone dry cannabis operations that are looking for more water to feed their plants. This vote directly benefited her and all of her hideous cannabis operations. Especially Her 50,000 sq. Ft. Grow in Kimtu Garberville , Chronic Creek, which has no water on it to sustain her plants.
One of the most egregious things she did was try to influence the Garberville water district to give her water to her Chronic Creek operation . This was especially corrupt and illegal for her to pressure them.
She voted to continue unlimited permit approvals for unlimited sized cannabis operations . Why? Because she has more family permits going through the process, and all of her family businesses will benefit. Whether is growing, well drilling, road building, logging.
once again, she is asses and elbows deep.
Conflict of Interest rules are in place for a reason. So that people like Bushnell can’t line their own pockets by casting votes or using their position of power to influence.
that’s why the FPPC is investigating her.
Bushnell will not longer be able to engage in ANYTHING cannabis, which renders her ineffective and useless to SoHum.
She’s like our little own Joe Biden. Makes us feel all special around these parts here.