Leaders of Vista Meridian Global Academy obtained countywide approval and set about opening a Costa Mesa campus, after telling Newport-Mesa Unified they had no plans to operate inside district boundaries.
Byron de Arakal, 64, is leaving the Costa Mesa Planning Commission, taking with him decades of experience as planning issues dominate public discourse. His seat is one of four vacancies council members will fill Tuesday.
Although local cannabis laws don't prohibit dispensaries from opening near such services, Planning Commissioners Monday voted against a shop planned for 2001 Harbor Blvd.
Catalyst-Costa Mesa decried the city's dispensary application process, claiming it was unfairly stacked against new operators. On Monday, the company was granted a permit to do business on 17th Street.
Owners with Culture Cannabis Club and 420 Central Newport Mesa pleaded their cases before planning commissioners this week, fielding questions about security, lighting and traffic.