Mendo Board of Supes Votes to Accept Offer from State Department of Cannabis Control to Help Streamline Applicants’ Permits
Last Monday, after hours of testimony at a Senate Committee hearing on small businesses including cannabis, Nicole Elliott, the director of the State Department of Cannabis Control, sent a letter to the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors, reading in part, “If the Board chooses to pursue such streamlining, the Department is prepared to collaboratively engage with the County to address longstanding challenges confronting the County’s legacy operators and California’s legal market. This includes assessing inefficiencies under existing procedures for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and identifying a way by which the Department could (with the County’s assistance) lead revitalized efforts to ensure timely compliance with CEQA for provisional license holders. Likewise, streamlining local permit decisions will provide greater clarity, sooner, to support enforcement of state and local law.”
Elliott also requested that the County “refrain from disbursing additional funds under the Local Jurisdiction Assistance Grant (LJAG) Program.” CEO Darcie Antle told the Board the grant program funds were the subject of an audit, after learning that Cannabis Program Director Kristin Nevedal said she had made a reporting error that led the state to mistakenly believe over $3 million of the grant money had already been spent.
Supervisor John Haschak asked Nevedal if the requested freeze in spending the grant funds applies to money the Board approved to hire planners under a contract with a company called 4Leaf to process applications. The grant is intended to help local jurisdictions bring cannabis applicants into compliance with environmental regulations.
“We just approved a contract, last meeting, for $1.6 million for 4Leaf to do this additional consulting,” Haschak reflected; “and it seems like that’s necessary work to be done. But if they’re saying, don’t spend any more money, does that mean that we’re not supposed to continue with that contract? It’s kind of a Catch-22, because we need to keep working on the applications, and we can’t get behind if this doesn’t work out with the state.”
Nevedal responded that, “Based on my conversations with the DCC yesterday, it does not include the 4Leaf contract. So they’re not asking us to not move forward with the 4Leaf contract. They’re asking us to not move forward with issuing grant monies.”
It’s not clear yet exactly what the licensing process would look like in a collaborative effort with the state. But supervisors and Michael Katz, Executive Director of the Mendocino Cannabis Alliance, are hoping for an extension to the July 1 deadline for processing state permits.
County Counsel Christian Curtis told the Board, “We would need to do a CEQA addendum…If you keep essentially all of the substantive environmental protections that are there now, you could likely do a pretty significant overhaul. The big change is that this would mean the Appendix G process would not happen at the county level anymore. Because a lot of the steps that are being taken during the permit application review process are documenting what the state wants before they issue their permit.” He speculated that the state could convert its process to a ministerial permit or choose another way to document site-specific environmental compliance. “I’m very heartened to see that they’re willing to work with us on this,” he added.
Curtis also pointed out that, while much of the work of processing applications is likely to be performed by the 4Leaf contractors, civil servants do have protections, and he does not want them to panic.
During public comment, a caller named Kaylie Perkins, who said she is an attorney with clients who are trying to get their permits with the county, told the Board she thinks it’s time for a change. “I think the Mendocino Cannabis Department should be omitted, and instead, only a state license should be required,” she stated. “The DCC has proven that they are competent in processing licensing documents, and Mendocino Cannabis Department has proven that they are not…There are countless reports of the department losing documents, requiring multiple submissions, sending erroneous correction requirements, and it’s been a constant drain on our clients. We should have an exemplary permitting process. We started it off, after all, with 9.31. But ever since then, it’s gone downhill. Everyone in Northern California that’s in the cannabis industry knows Mendocino County is not the place to go to get permitted. So I urge the Board to strip the cannabis department of their authority and hand responsibility over to the state.”
Supervisors defended the department and Nevedal. In a call after the meeting, Supervisor Maureen Mulheren said she does not think it would be realistic to eliminate the local cannabis department, and she does not believe anyone at the department is acting nefariously. She said an extension of the timeline would be the most helpful thing, but she is concerned that the state will not be as compassionate as the county. She views the application portals as examples of the county giving applicants as many chances as possible to submit their documents.
Supervisor Ted Williams has long complained that the cannabis program is rightfully the state’s responsibility. He said that, while Nevedal is “kind of in the hot seat right now,” multiple ag commissioners and cannabis program managers and heads of Planning and Building before her have also been accused of botching everything. “It’s the same result, no matter who you put there,” he said. “It’s a structural problem.”
Earlier:
- Mendocino Cannabis Alliance Alleges Failure of County Cannabis Program in Letter to Governor Newsom, Requests State Intervention
- Mendo’s Cannabis Department Faces Declining Revenue, Budget Overages, and a Multi-Million Dollar Reporting Error
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‘Banking Failures Are Hitting Weed Companies, Too’
Industry is uncertain whether its deposits are FDIC-insured
Risks seen for pot accounts and banking legislative prospects
“Crypto isn’t the only edgy new industry being roiled by the collapse of several banks.
US companies that deal directly with cannabis, a federally illegal substance, are already shut out of large banks. So these companies have increasingly found support in an estimated 200 to 700 smaller financial firms that serve them, including state-chartered banks.”
_________________________
Or are Weed Company failures bringing down banks…???
Either way, it looks like Weed Companies that have, or have had, their money in banks, might not get there money back if and when those banks fail…
Something to think about…
I guess maybe the federal government isn’t going to federally insure money that is generated by something that is federally illegal….???
Also something to think about…
Our bank just tried to charge us an extra $3,000. They quietly gave that up once they realized our deposits were turning to dust!
They blame the thriving illicit market. I blame anyone who calls it cannabis with a lack of understanding the weed industry. I also blame corporate cannabis. They pushed for many changes in regulation. Ignoring the war on drugs with little or no understanding of the enemy. They strengthening the government’s ability to reap huge financial gains without realizing they would be subjected themselves. It’s comical we are literally laughing all the way to the bank.
Close MCD and Fire Nevedal or Vote BOS out!!
Better yet, why not all three? Shut down MCD, can the Director and recall the BOS. As stated in the article, Mendo has proved they can’t issue permits.
Truth be told,
They all proved they can’t properly manage money, or properly account for WHERE it’s gone, WHEN it’s gone…
That’s the important part to consider.
Not that it’s all that uncommon.
It’s all too common.
Limiting permits to just the few that they have issued, is probably a team prerequisite to their employment.
It keeps the money concentrated in just a few powerful hands…
For them, that is of paramount importance.
The whole State program is a cluster shart. There should be one application, instead there is twelve different state agencies to work through, all with different web portals. The DCCs is one of the worst. The Waterboard is terrible. Actually the CA Dept.of Tax and Fees Administration (CDTFA) Is one of the easiest, and friendly of the alphabet soup groups. METRC has its own site that is fairly functional, designed for the purpose, unlike the DCC’s, but it’s a labyrinth to learn your way around. Many agencies require duplicate information, you have to extract your filing from one site, and submit it to another with different methods. CDFW has an intricate uploading process for all the same info as the Waterboard, but then at the end you have to mail a paper narrative reiterating everything you just submitted.there should be one online portal, with the cultivator on one side, and all the agencies able to access what they need on the other.
That’s how cute and dandy. County counsel questioning what he needs to do for addendums to make sure it’s “adequate”. More of the same ask for help and then ignore it. I highly doubt it’s going to change anything for the better more convoluted cluster f. Then when that fails BOS can blame it on CEQA and DCC. Thats one thing Mendocino County does well is a good blame shift. Watch out CEQA and DCC.
Fire Christian Curtis, he has given the board so much bad advice, starting with the vegetation modification letters without due process. He has no part in working with the DCC to fix this process, he will make it worse.
Here Is proof on another topic County Counsel gives horrible advice
https://mendovoice.com/2023/03/sunshine-week-national-award-names-mendocino-county-one-of-americas-worst-in-government-transparency/
Christian Curtis is the Trifecta of County Counsel’s: unqualified, unprincipled and incompetent. But these are the principles the Mendo Board looks for since they also fit the current and former CEOs.
Exactly. How he even weaseled his way into such a position of power is a pretty good question to be asked. No real life experience dismal advice, dismal results, ineffective decision making, blame shifting. Typical Mendocino County lawyer they all struggle with functioning. Oh yeah…depositing his pay that’s about the only thing he does well. Laughing all the way to the bank. And a pension to boot.
He even botched his own pay raise then threatened to quit if the BOS didn’t hire outside counsel to fix the mess he created.
They just said Ceqa would be eliminated and the state would determine the environmental impact on each farm, which is annoying considering most of us finished that already.
“…does not believe anyone at the department is acting nefariously”
Nefarious or not, the results are counterproductive and confusing. Self-protection is a chief concern of government agencies, which consistently look out for their own survival. Individual people and careers are involved, after all.
But-but, big government good, right???? Big Gov. fix everything, right??? Whaa ha ha
Now the DCC is giving provisional state licenses, if you are in the equity program. So this streamline program is another farce. I was raided while having a county license and in the process of obtaining a state license. County charged me close to 20k in fines, which I payed due to the threat of cancelling me. Had the provisional license program existed then, I would have been fine. Hey John Ford, can I get some reparations/equity? I didn’t think so.. all I got was a sore arse from the county cheese grater, no lube.
https://cannabis.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=782ff07f15b74f74286abab9e&id=7f1bef8343&e=70ab967a8e
13 years experience 26/100 rating oh boy!
https://www.lawyer.com/christian-m-curtis.html
Is there a rating for the BOS? On a scale of 1 to 10 they’re a solid -5.
Everyone needs to quit being so mean to the poor county program, they are trying really hard you guys and their job is super hard. I think the mean state should back off, and we should all leave the county program alone except make sure to give them that fourteen million dollars they need to do their job, so they can permit another six farms or whatever.
They are trying super hard you guys this talk is all really mean spirited, besides permitting basically already-permitted farms was always going to be an almost impossible task they were doomed to fail from the start. How else could it have gone.
Thank you County of Mendocino Dope Program for trying so hard in the face of so many adversities.
Adversities they created by refusing to listen. Re inventing the wheels upon EVERY turn. Layering bs to fix the bs. Sorry, not sorry. Yet they keep patching the roof with more layers. No problem with that oops… eventually the roof collapses! Oh my bad it already COLLAPSED.
Shut down the local program. Turn it all over to the state. Problems solved. End of story. Everyone can go about their business. The local program is just another completely unnecessary middleman in California’s program. Give these poor farmers some much needed relief.
Now that the permit process will likely completely change don’t they need to cancel the 4 leaf contract and write a new contract based on different needs?
Good point. Too bad no one on the BOS or in the Administration knows what they’re doing or gives a bleep. Just keep passing out lucrative contracts with no clear deliverables or accountability.