6.7 21-715 11:30 A.M. - Consideration of An Interim Urgency Ordinance Imposing a Temporary Prohibition (Moratorium) On the Issuance of Early Activation Permits for Land Use Projects within the Unincorporated Area of the County of Lake
The devistating effects of the illegal cannabis grows in the unincorporated areas of Lake County is making living in this area unbearable. We chose to invest and build in this beautiful county in an unincorperated area with CCR'S. Evidently, those mean nothing. Dust, noise, garbage and litter is a constant, not to mention our well water level has dropped significantly. Growers that dug wells last year are trucking water in indicating water issues. Growers that don't have wells are trucking in water daily damaging our private roads. With the heavy loads of water and soil being trucked in daily, the heavy handed 'bosses' and workers staring you down as you navigate the one lane roads to your home, it is frightening. It is turning into the wild west out here. We have many grows with multiple hoop houses and large outdoor grows everywhere yet nothing is done. If you disallowed watertruck delivery to these grows and only to residents, that might help. The county needs to do something.
Thank you for bringing this Urgency Ordinance for a Temp Moratorium on EA Permits to the Board. Residents have waited decades for a source of steady, substantial tax revenue for Lake County, yet we need to be aware of the impacts it is having on both the short & long term. The backlog & pressure to get applications processed at CDD results in items being overlooked, residents concerns not addressed & environmental reports may be incomplete.
EA on it's own needs to be reviewed as it allows an applicant to begin cultivation before any reports or review of reports has been completed. Once EA is issued, the damage is done before any studies or review & it creates an 'ask for forgiveness' scenario. Many times we've seen applicants with EA's cited for grading, runoff, disturbing protected areas, etc. only to pay a fine & have their application approved. Any applicant that violates an EA permit should automatically be denied a use permit or the EA process should be done away with completely.
This could help. I am unfortunate to reside next to a parcel that is trying to apply for a major use permit for cannabis. This individual has drilled an agricultural well above my residential use spring severely affecting the output. This individual also owns a dispensary in L.A, and decided to go forward with his unpermitted commercial cannabis grow without even an early activation permit. There has been unpermitted grading (10+ semi trucks brought in grow soil) in the last 3 weeks. Code enforcement has had to waste their resources to reprimand these actions. Giving individuals with no educated oversight early permission to molest their land especially in unincorporated areas of the county will only perpetuate bad decisions to be made, and the price will be paid by the actual constituents of Lake county.
Here’s another example of the above mentioned abusing the cannabis ordinance from the assumption of being approved for early activation-advertising a valid state permit w/o local perm
Please consider supporting this ordinance amidst our county's severe drought and need to carefully look at research on cannabis' long-term effects to our environment and inhabitants and clear up back-log of current applicants awaiting permits.
The devistating effects of the illegal cannabis grows in the unincorporated areas of Lake County is making living in this area unbearable. We chose to invest and build in this beautiful county in an unincorperated area with CCR'S. Evidently, those mean nothing. Dust, noise, garbage and litter is a constant, not to mention our well water level has dropped significantly. Growers that dug wells last year are trucking water in indicating water issues. Growers that don't have wells are trucking in water daily damaging our private roads. With the heavy loads of water and soil being trucked in daily, the heavy handed 'bosses' and workers staring you down as you navigate the one lane roads to your home, it is frightening. It is turning into the wild west out here. We have many grows with multiple hoop houses and large outdoor grows everywhere yet nothing is done. If you disallowed watertruck delivery to these grows and only to residents, that might help. The county needs to do something.
Thank you for bringing this Urgency Ordinance for a Temp Moratorium on EA Permits to the Board. Residents have waited decades for a source of steady, substantial tax revenue for Lake County, yet we need to be aware of the impacts it is having on both the short & long term. The backlog & pressure to get applications processed at CDD results in items being overlooked, residents concerns not addressed & environmental reports may be incomplete.
EA on it's own needs to be reviewed as it allows an applicant to begin cultivation before any reports or review of reports has been completed. Once EA is issued, the damage is done before any studies or review & it creates an 'ask for forgiveness' scenario. Many times we've seen applicants with EA's cited for grading, runoff, disturbing protected areas, etc. only to pay a fine & have their application approved. Any applicant that violates an EA permit should automatically be denied a use permit or the EA process should be done away with completely.
This could help. I am unfortunate to reside next to a parcel that is trying to apply for a major use permit for cannabis. This individual has drilled an agricultural well above my residential use spring severely affecting the output. This individual also owns a dispensary in L.A, and decided to go forward with his unpermitted commercial cannabis grow without even an early activation permit. There has been unpermitted grading (10+ semi trucks brought in grow soil) in the last 3 weeks. Code enforcement has had to waste their resources to reprimand these actions. Giving individuals with no educated oversight early permission to molest their land especially in unincorporated areas of the county will only perpetuate bad decisions to be made, and the price will be paid by the actual constituents of Lake county.
Here’s another example of the above mentioned abusing the cannabis ordinance from the assumption of being approved for early activation-advertising a valid state permit w/o local perm
Please consider supporting this ordinance amidst our county's severe drought and need to carefully look at research on cannabis' long-term effects to our environment and inhabitants and clear up back-log of current applicants awaiting permits.