In a report to the county Board of Supervisors this week, County Counsel Michael Ghizzoni described several enforcement actions initiated by the county against cannabis operations in the Carpinteria Valley and west of Buellton.
John Palminteri
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. - In a sweeping decision that puts a seal of approval on the county’s embrace of the fast-growing cannabis industry in rural areas, a Santa Barbara County Superior Court judge this week tossed out a citizens’ lawsuit that sought to shut down a 22-acre cannabis hoop-house operation on Highway 246.
Noting that “this is a very important case,” Judge Thomas Anderle ruled on Tuesday that the county’s environmental review and zoning permit for Busy Bee’s Organics, a mile west of Buellton, were fully in compliance with state laws and county land-use policies. The right time to sue, he said, was back in early 2018, when the county Board of Supervisors certified an environmental impact report and adopted ordinances governing cannabis cultivation and licensing.
By Giana Magnoli, Noozhawk Managing Editor | @magnoli
March 11, 2021
| 3:33 p.m.
The 11-member redistricting commission was created by a voter-approved ballot measure and is tasked with drawing new boundaries for the five county supervisor districts.
Four firms initially submitted proposals to be the commission’s legal counsel, and members interviewed three of those firms in early February: Nielsen Merksamer Parrinello Gross & Leoni LLP; Scott Rafferty; and Strumwasser & Woocher LLP.
Commission members voted to hire Strumwasser & Woocher, and the majority of the Board of Supervisors voted to approve the $200,000 contract after discussion.
Attorney Mark Meuser representing The Coalition of Labor, Agriculture and Business sent a letter to the county threatening litigation if the Strumwasser & Woocher contract was approved.
By Giana Magnoli, Noozhawk Managing Editor | @magnoli
March 10, 2021
| 2:33 p.m.
Thousands of people have filed complaints alleging COVID-19-related health order violations to Santa Barbara County, which has emphasized education over enforcement in its response.
Each complaint has to be substantiated by a county employee for a response, Emergency Management Director Kelly Hubbard said, and most health order violations have not prompted enforcement.
Environmental Health Services, a division of Public Health that oversees restaurants, bars and other food service, has investigated 764 complaints related to COVID-19 health order violations.
The county sent notice-to-comply letters to 22 businesses, and has had two hearings so far, Hubbard said.