The cannabis industry is making its way into Guadalupe as the City Council approved the city’s first two dispensaries and a processing facility during a series of March and April meetings in order to increase the amount of revenue coming into its general fund, Mayor Ariston Julian told the Sun. Guadalupe passed three ordinances in […]
Cannabis Corner
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A recent Board of Supervisors decision opens doors for cannabis growers, but residents remain concerned
When California legalized adult recreational cannabis consumption in 2016, Santa Barbara County created an ordinance to regulate the new industry and welcomed cannabis into the agricultural community. But that approach created a new set of challenges. “What we’ve done with cannabis in Santa Barbara County is we’ve built the plane while we were in mid-flight, […]
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Lompoc allows public cannabis smoking during permitted events
A debate over public safety and allowing cannabis at public events got heated between two Lompoc City Council members during their last meeting of 2021. The ordinance, which would allow temporary cannabis smoking during large permitted events at three parks in Lompoc, was addressed during the City Council’s Dec. 21 meeting. Councilmember Gilda Cordova argued […]
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County supervisors side with Maldonado in cannabis project appeal
Nobody wants to argue with their neighbors, but former Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado said there isn’t anything he can do to make Bien Nacido Vineyards happy when it comes to his 48-acre cannabis cultivation project. “I’m just negotiating with myself,” Maldonado said during a Dec. 14 Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors meeting. He told […]
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Skunk-like cannabis will soon be wafting into Lompoc unless the county enforces odor control
I was transferred here by the U.S. Air Force in 1975, and I stayed in Lompoc primarily because of the moderate weather and especially for the clean, fresh air in this valley. That may change soon. Our city is surrounded by agricultural operations; there is an abundance of row crops, vineyards, and several cattle ranches […]
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Natural Healing Center loses dispensary permit; former CEO pleads guilty to bribery, tax evasion
“NHC! NHC! NHC!” A few dozen employees of Natural Healing Center chanted their company’s acronym in unison on Oct. 19 while gathered on the steps of San Luis Obispo City Hall. Donning white T-shirts with “save my career” printed across the back, NHC executives and workers assembled to protest a recent SLO city decision to […]
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Lompoc Planning Commission approves plans for two separate cannabis facilities
Construction on two proposed cannabis facilities in Lompoc could start as early as 2023, following both projects’ recent approvals from the city’s Planning Commission. During the Planning Commission’s Sept. 22 meeting, city officials voted to approve a 68,100-square-foot site called the Mustang Cannabis Facility, which will incorporate several different lots to be used for cannabis […]
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Child care, cannabis regulation amendments to be prioritized by county
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors chose to focus some of the county’s zoning ordinance amendment efforts on cannabis permitting and child care facilities for this fiscal year. When the board adopted the county budget in June, it approved a new position within the Planning and Development Department that would focus on processing zoning […]
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The city of Lompoc proposes a new cannabis tax measure in order to generate revenue for the city
Seaweed Dispensary owner Todd Mitchell seized on Lompoc’s laissez-faire attitude toward the cannabis industry as an opportunity to open the first and only cannabis lounge on the Central Coast. “Lompoc is a great place [for cannabis businesses]. There are very few municipalities that went for the free market where as long as you meet zoning […]
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Coalition for Responsible Cannabis resolves odor concerns with local grows, withdraws appeal
The Santa Barbara County Coalition for Responsible Cannabis withdrew an appeal on Aug. 16 that it made against the county-approved Autumn Brands and Ocean Hill Farms cannabis project, after reaching an agreement with cannabis growers. After the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission approved the Carpinteria-based cannabis operation in April 2021, the Coalition for Responsible Cannabis […]
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NHC loses court fight over Orcutt dispensary, founder charged with bribery
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles announced bribery and tax evasion charges against Natural Healing Center co-founder and owner Helios Dayspring just days after a Santa Barbara County Superior Court judge denied the cannabis company’s petition against the county for the score NHC received on its application to open an Orcutt dispensary. NHC filed […]
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Guadalupe works to establish commercial cannabis permit application criteria
Guadalupe is working to flesh out the finer details of its recently passed cannabis ordinance, and although that process might take slightly longer than initially expected, potential business owners could be able to apply for cannabis business permits before the summer’s end. On May 25, Guadalupe City Council adopted an ordinance allowing commercial cannabis […]