6.12 25-9312:00 P.M. - PUBLIC HEARING - Consideration of an Ordinance on the Processing of Commercial Cannabis Cultivation Permits within the Unincorporated Area of the County of Lake
My name is Rev. Charles Bono, and I speak today on behalf of myself and the concerned members of The Rainbow Church of Living Light to strongly urge you to vote against the urgency ordinance proposed by Supervisor Owen that would pause new cannabis permit applications pending the passage of a revised Cannabis Ordinance.
While this proposal is being presented as a temporary pause, the reality is far more disruptive. The development and passage of a comprehensive ordinance is a complex process that could take many months—potentially well into next year. During this time, the moratorium would not only halt progress but actively harm compliant operators, small farmers, and entrepreneurs who have invested time, money, and hope into participating in Lake County’s legal cannabis economy.
Let’s be clear: Lake County’s cannabis program has been a growing source of tax revenue, job creation, and agricultural innovation. According to county records, cannabis-related tax revenue has increased steadily since the program’s inception, contributing millions to the general fund and supporting vital services. In 2022 alone, cannabis businesses contributed over $2.5 million in local taxes and fees. Why would we choose to interrupt this upward trajectory?
Moreover, the moratorium sends the wrong message to those who have played by the rules. Many applicants have spent months preparing their submissions, conducting environmental reviews, and engaging with local communities. Pausing the process now undermines their trust in local government and discourages future investment. It also risks pushing legitimate operators toward insolvency or into the illicit market—precisely the outcome we all seek to avoid.
The urgency ordinance also contradicts the Board’s stated goal of streamlining and improving the permitting process. If the current system needs reform, let’s reform it—but let’s not freeze it. Other counties, such as Humboldt and Mendocino, have faced similar crossroads and chose to keep their programs open while revising regulations. They recognized that continuity is essential for economic stability and public trust.
Additionally, this moratorium could disproportionately impact small-scale and equity applicants—those without the financial cushion to weather long delays. These are often local residents, family farmers, and legacy operators who represent the heart of Lake County’s agricultural identity. Shutting the door on them now would be a disservice to our community values and economic resilience.
I urge you to consider the broader implications of this pause. It will not simplify the ordinance process—it will complicate it by creating a backlog, legal uncertainty, and economic disruption. Let’s instead move forward with transparency, collaboration, and a commitment to supporting a regulated, responsible cannabis industry.
Please vote no on this moratorium. Let the permitting process continue while the ordinance is refined. Lake County deserves progress, not paralysis.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Rev. Charles Bono
The Rainbow Church of Living Light
My name is Rev. Julia Bono, and I’m here today on behalf of myself and the concerned members of The Rainbow Church of Living Light to urge you to vote against the proposed moratorium on new cannabis applications submitted by Supervisor Owen.
This urgency ordinance is being framed as a temporary pause, but in reality, it would stall progress for many months, especially since it can be extended. The Board began this cannabis ordinance process to streamline regulations and support the licensed industry, but halting applications and permits in this manner contradicts that mission.
Lake County’s cannabis program has generated increasing tax revenue year after year. It’s a sign of responsible growth and community investment in this important agricultural industry. Why stop that positive momentum now?
This moratorium would punish good actors who have waited patiently and followed the rules. People and businesses that are ready to contribute to our county’s tax base and economy. As our elected supervisors, this key local industry needs your support now, not more barriers that would likely just encourage problematic black market behavior.
Please reject this moratorium now and allow the permitting process to continue while the new ordinance is developed. Let’s build a better future together for the cannabis industry, not freeze it in place.
Thank you.
Rev. Julia Bono
The Rainbow Church of Living Light
I respectfully request a pause on incomplete, inactive, and new cannabis applications, and we suggest a countywide cumulative analysis of all projects, including those completed but not yet approved, alongside project-specific CEQA. This measured step protects evacuation safety, water and roads, and tribal resources—it’s responsible stewardship.
Please find attached a letter from Lake County Community Action Project (LakeCAP) which was sent for your review in August. We continue to respectfully request that a transparent analysis of the current fiscal state of the cannabis culitvation program in Lake County be conducted.
Urgent Request to Pause Incomplete Commercial Cannabis Cultivation Permits — Addressing Cumulative Environmental, Infrastructure, Safety, Cultural Heritage, and Transparency Concerns
Dear Lake County Board of Supervisors,
I am writing to formally request that the Lake County Board of Supervisors take immediate action to pause the acceptance and processing of incomplete commercial cannabis cultivation permit applications in unincorporated areas of Lake County. This action is necessary to address a growing list of concerns regarding cumulative environmental damage, infrastructure strain, wildfire risk, cultural heritage preservation, and a troubling lack of transparency in the current permitting process.
More than 150 cannabis cultivation projects have been approved since Measure C passed in 2016. However, dozens of additional applications, many of them incomplete or inactive for years—remain pending. Proceeding without a comprehensive review of their collective and cumulative impact is both irresponsible and potentially dangerous to public health, safety, and the environment.
Lack of Adequate Ingress and Egress for Wildfire Safety
Many cultivation sites are in high-fire-risk zones, with insufficient or non-compliant emergency access routes. Key issues include:
• Single, narrow egress roads
• Lack of emergency turnarounds and access for fire suppression
• Poor road surfaces and lack of drainage infrastructure
• Failure to comply with Cal Fire's Fire Safe Regulations, specifically:
o Public Resources Code § 4290, requiring fire-safe road design, turnarounds, width, and grade standards for emergency vehicle access
o Public Resources Code § 4291, which mandates defensible space near structures and roadways to reduce wildfire spread.
Permitting cannabis operations in these locations without proper access puts lives at risk and severely undermines the County’s wildfire preparedness and evacuation capabilities.
Failure to Adequately Protect Tribal Cultural Resources
There has been a consistent lack of thorough and adequate review of potential impacts to Tribal Cultural Resources, including:
• Failure to conduct comprehensive archaeological and ethnographic surveys.
• Inadequate consultation or documentation with affected tribal governments
• Noncompliance with CEQA and AB 52, which require meaningful and active tribal consultation, impact analysis, and protection of sacred sites.
Permitting without these thorough reviews risks irreversible destruction of Indigenous cultural heritage and violates legal obligations to tribal communities in Lake County.
Illegal Grading and Damage to Sensitive Waterways
Numerous projects have engaged in unpermitted and reckless grading, particularly in or near sensitive water tributaries and basins throughout Lake County. These actions have:
• It causes erosion, sedimentation, and water quality degradation.
• Harmed riparian habitats.
• Disrupted wildlife and natural watershed functions.
These activities directly violate the intent of Article 37 – Waterway Combining District (WW) and require urgent enforcement and mitigation.
Lack of Transparency from the Community Development Department (CDD)
The public has been left in the dark regarding the cannabis permitting process. The Community Development Department (CDD) has:
• Failed to provide clear, timely updates, nor lack of Information on the status of pending or approved permits.
• Recycled and copy-pasted outdated CEQA documents from unrelated projects — a practice that undermines the integrity of public environmental review.
• Withheld consistent disclosure of violations or enforcement actions.
• Lacked genuine facilitation of public participation, especially for impacted neighborhoods, water users, and traffic corridors.
• Conducted meetings where industry lobbyists dominate discussions, without balanced public representation.
This lack of transparency erodes public trust, fuels misinformation, and excludes residents from decisions with serious environmental and quality-of-life consequences.
Cumulative Environmental and Infrastructure Impacts
Permits have been reviewed on a project-by-project basis, ignoring the combined and accumulative impacts of widespread cannabis development across the region. These include:
Roads and Traffic
• Deterioration of rural roads due to heavy commercial vehicle traffic
• Increased safety risks and congestion, particularly affecting residents, school routes, and emergency access.
• Noncompliance with California Public Resources Code § 4290, which sets minimum standards for road widths, grades, and surfaces for fire access.
• Violation of Public Resources Code § 4291, due to lack of defensible space and vegetation clearance on access routes critical for evacuation
Water Use and Conservation
• Overdraft of wells and depletion of aquifers
• Degradation of watersheds from over-extraction, poor erosion control, and lack of monitoring
• Failure to enforce water conservation best practices.
Scenic and Shoreline Protections
• Visual degradation along designated scenic highways and lakefront areas.
• Violations of Article 34 – Scenic Combining District (SC) due to poor screening, mass grading, and intrusive development
Furthermore, it is deeply concerning and inappropriate that County Legal Counsel would advise the Planning Department to disregard or not evaluate cumulative environmental impacts as part of the CEQA process.
This directly contradicts CEQA’s core requirement to analyze the “whole of the action” and consider cumulative impacts from past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future projects.
By failing to do so, the County is not only exposing itself to legal liability, but also enabling piecemeal development that threatens the long-term environmental integrity, infrastructure resilience, and safety of our communities.
We demand an explanation as to why such guidance was given, and request immediate clarification on how the County will ensure CEQA compliance going forward.
Recommendations
To responsibly manage the future of cannabis in Lake County, I urge the Board to:
1. Pause the acceptance and processing of incomplete or inactive cannabis permit applications.
2. Initiate a comprehensive cumulative impact study that includes:
o Road and infrastructure strain
o Water supply and watershed impacts
o Wildfire access and emergency response limitations
o Tribal cultural resource preservation and full compliance with CEQA/AB 52
o Scenic and shoreline protections as outlined in existing ordinances.
3. Implement a transparent, accountable permitting system that ensures public access to permit status, CEQA documentation, violations, and enforcement records!
4. Require updated, project-specific CEQA documentation, not recycled or inapplicable filler content!
________________________________________
Conclusion
This is not a blanket opposition to cannabis cultivation. This is a call for responsible, transparent, and community-minded governance. Future cannabis activity in Lake County must be:
• Environmentally sustainable
• Respectful of tribal and cultural heritage
• Compliant with fire and safety regulations
• Transparent and inclusive of public voices
• Evaluated comprehensively, not piecemeal.
Thank you for your time, attention, and your commitment to protecting the health, safety, and future of our community.
I support pausing the permitting process temporarily so Staff can do a better job of putting these projects together and not rush them to completion in an attempt to reduce the backlog. There are so many aspects of cannabis projects that require careful consideration as to how they will affect their neighbors, resources, and the environment that it’s important the County do a good job; especially when we’re talking about a permit that’s good for 10 years! Because the County has limited staff in some departments, we’re seeing a lot of violations occur that should not happen, but do because of lack of enforcement. Please pause the permitting process until the new cannabis ordinances are in place and we can get a handle on the projects that are already approved without adding to the problem. Please approve this ordinance. Thank you!
The rewrite of the cannabis ordinance, originally projected to take four months, has now extended beyond two and a half years. Until that process is completed expanding cultivation further is premature. New approvals risk compounding impacts before oversight is adequate. We respectfully urge the Board to pause new permit approvals until the ordinance rewrite is finalized, existing permit oversight is strengthened, and meaningful environmental protections are assured. This action would affirm Lake County’s commitment to protecting its natural heritage and the species that depend on it. The Mackiewicz Family
Dear Lake County Supervisors,
My name is Rev. Charles Bono, and I speak today on behalf of myself and the concerned members of The Rainbow Church of Living Light to strongly urge you to vote against the urgency ordinance proposed by Supervisor Owen that would pause new cannabis permit applications pending the passage of a revised Cannabis Ordinance.
While this proposal is being presented as a temporary pause, the reality is far more disruptive. The development and passage of a comprehensive ordinance is a complex process that could take many months—potentially well into next year. During this time, the moratorium would not only halt progress but actively harm compliant operators, small farmers, and entrepreneurs who have invested time, money, and hope into participating in Lake County’s legal cannabis economy.
Let’s be clear: Lake County’s cannabis program has been a growing source of tax revenue, job creation, and agricultural innovation. According to county records, cannabis-related tax revenue has increased steadily since the program’s inception, contributing millions to the general fund and supporting vital services. In 2022 alone, cannabis businesses contributed over $2.5 million in local taxes and fees. Why would we choose to interrupt this upward trajectory?
Moreover, the moratorium sends the wrong message to those who have played by the rules. Many applicants have spent months preparing their submissions, conducting environmental reviews, and engaging with local communities. Pausing the process now undermines their trust in local government and discourages future investment. It also risks pushing legitimate operators toward insolvency or into the illicit market—precisely the outcome we all seek to avoid.
The urgency ordinance also contradicts the Board’s stated goal of streamlining and improving the permitting process. If the current system needs reform, let’s reform it—but let’s not freeze it. Other counties, such as Humboldt and Mendocino, have faced similar crossroads and chose to keep their programs open while revising regulations. They recognized that continuity is essential for economic stability and public trust.
Additionally, this moratorium could disproportionately impact small-scale and equity applicants—those without the financial cushion to weather long delays. These are often local residents, family farmers, and legacy operators who represent the heart of Lake County’s agricultural identity. Shutting the door on them now would be a disservice to our community values and economic resilience.
I urge you to consider the broader implications of this pause. It will not simplify the ordinance process—it will complicate it by creating a backlog, legal uncertainty, and economic disruption. Let’s instead move forward with transparency, collaboration, and a commitment to supporting a regulated, responsible cannabis industry.
Please vote no on this moratorium. Let the permitting process continue while the ordinance is refined. Lake County deserves progress, not paralysis.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Rev. Charles Bono
The Rainbow Church of Living Light
Dear Lake County Supervisors,
My name is Rev. Julia Bono, and I’m here today on behalf of myself and the concerned members of The Rainbow Church of Living Light to urge you to vote against the proposed moratorium on new cannabis applications submitted by Supervisor Owen.
This urgency ordinance is being framed as a temporary pause, but in reality, it would stall progress for many months, especially since it can be extended. The Board began this cannabis ordinance process to streamline regulations and support the licensed industry, but halting applications and permits in this manner contradicts that mission.
Lake County’s cannabis program has generated increasing tax revenue year after year. It’s a sign of responsible growth and community investment in this important agricultural industry. Why stop that positive momentum now?
This moratorium would punish good actors who have waited patiently and followed the rules. People and businesses that are ready to contribute to our county’s tax base and economy. As our elected supervisors, this key local industry needs your support now, not more barriers that would likely just encourage problematic black market behavior.
Please reject this moratorium now and allow the permitting process to continue while the new ordinance is developed. Let’s build a better future together for the cannabis industry, not freeze it in place.
Thank you.
Rev. Julia Bono
The Rainbow Church of Living Light
I respectfully request a pause on incomplete, inactive, and new cannabis applications, and we suggest a countywide cumulative analysis of all projects, including those completed but not yet approved, alongside project-specific CEQA. This measured step protects evacuation safety, water and roads, and tribal resources—it’s responsible stewardship.
Chair Crandell, Vice Chair Rasmussen, Supervisor Pyska, Supervisor Sabatier and Supervisor Owen,
Please find attached a letter from Lake County Community Action Project (LakeCAP) which was sent for your review in August. We continue to respectfully request that a transparent analysis of the current fiscal state of the cannabis culitvation program in Lake County be conducted.
Thank you for your time.
Lake County Community Action Project
Urgent Request to Pause Incomplete Commercial Cannabis Cultivation Permits — Addressing Cumulative Environmental, Infrastructure, Safety, Cultural Heritage, and Transparency Concerns
Dear Lake County Board of Supervisors,
I am writing to formally request that the Lake County Board of Supervisors take immediate action to pause the acceptance and processing of incomplete commercial cannabis cultivation permit applications in unincorporated areas of Lake County. This action is necessary to address a growing list of concerns regarding cumulative environmental damage, infrastructure strain, wildfire risk, cultural heritage preservation, and a troubling lack of transparency in the current permitting process.
More than 150 cannabis cultivation projects have been approved since Measure C passed in 2016. However, dozens of additional applications, many of them incomplete or inactive for years—remain pending. Proceeding without a comprehensive review of their collective and cumulative impact is both irresponsible and potentially dangerous to public health, safety, and the environment.
Lack of Adequate Ingress and Egress for Wildfire Safety
Many cultivation sites are in high-fire-risk zones, with insufficient or non-compliant emergency access routes. Key issues include:
• Single, narrow egress roads
• Lack of emergency turnarounds and access for fire suppression
• Poor road surfaces and lack of drainage infrastructure
• Failure to comply with Cal Fire's Fire Safe Regulations, specifically:
o Public Resources Code § 4290, requiring fire-safe road design, turnarounds, width, and grade standards for emergency vehicle access
o Public Resources Code § 4291, which mandates defensible space near structures and roadways to reduce wildfire spread.
Permitting cannabis operations in these locations without proper access puts lives at risk and severely undermines the County’s wildfire preparedness and evacuation capabilities.
Failure to Adequately Protect Tribal Cultural Resources
There has been a consistent lack of thorough and adequate review of potential impacts to Tribal Cultural Resources, including:
• Failure to conduct comprehensive archaeological and ethnographic surveys.
• Inadequate consultation or documentation with affected tribal governments
• Noncompliance with CEQA and AB 52, which require meaningful and active tribal consultation, impact analysis, and protection of sacred sites.
Permitting without these thorough reviews risks irreversible destruction of Indigenous cultural heritage and violates legal obligations to tribal communities in Lake County.
Illegal Grading and Damage to Sensitive Waterways
Numerous projects have engaged in unpermitted and reckless grading, particularly in or near sensitive water tributaries and basins throughout Lake County. These actions have:
• It causes erosion, sedimentation, and water quality degradation.
• Harmed riparian habitats.
• Disrupted wildlife and natural watershed functions.
These activities directly violate the intent of Article 37 – Waterway Combining District (WW) and require urgent enforcement and mitigation.
Lack of Transparency from the Community Development Department (CDD)
The public has been left in the dark regarding the cannabis permitting process. The Community Development Department (CDD) has:
• Failed to provide clear, timely updates, nor lack of Information on the status of pending or approved permits.
• Recycled and copy-pasted outdated CEQA documents from unrelated projects — a practice that undermines the integrity of public environmental review.
• Withheld consistent disclosure of violations or enforcement actions.
• Lacked genuine facilitation of public participation, especially for impacted neighborhoods, water users, and traffic corridors.
• Conducted meetings where industry lobbyists dominate discussions, without balanced public representation.
This lack of transparency erodes public trust, fuels misinformation, and excludes residents from decisions with serious environmental and quality-of-life consequences.
Cumulative Environmental and Infrastructure Impacts
Permits have been reviewed on a project-by-project basis, ignoring the combined and accumulative impacts of widespread cannabis development across the region. These include:
Roads and Traffic
• Deterioration of rural roads due to heavy commercial vehicle traffic
• Increased safety risks and congestion, particularly affecting residents, school routes, and emergency access.
• Noncompliance with California Public Resources Code § 4290, which sets minimum standards for road widths, grades, and surfaces for fire access.
• Violation of Public Resources Code § 4291, due to lack of defensible space and vegetation clearance on access routes critical for evacuation
Water Use and Conservation
• Overdraft of wells and depletion of aquifers
• Degradation of watersheds from over-extraction, poor erosion control, and lack of monitoring
• Failure to enforce water conservation best practices.
Scenic and Shoreline Protections
• Visual degradation along designated scenic highways and lakefront areas.
• Violations of Article 34 – Scenic Combining District (SC) due to poor screening, mass grading, and intrusive development
Furthermore, it is deeply concerning and inappropriate that County Legal Counsel would advise the Planning Department to disregard or not evaluate cumulative environmental impacts as part of the CEQA process.
This directly contradicts CEQA’s core requirement to analyze the “whole of the action” and consider cumulative impacts from past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future projects.
By failing to do so, the County is not only exposing itself to legal liability, but also enabling piecemeal development that threatens the long-term environmental integrity, infrastructure resilience, and safety of our communities.
We demand an explanation as to why such guidance was given, and request immediate clarification on how the County will ensure CEQA compliance going forward.
Recommendations
To responsibly manage the future of cannabis in Lake County, I urge the Board to:
1. Pause the acceptance and processing of incomplete or inactive cannabis permit applications.
2. Initiate a comprehensive cumulative impact study that includes:
o Road and infrastructure strain
o Water supply and watershed impacts
o Wildfire access and emergency response limitations
o Tribal cultural resource preservation and full compliance with CEQA/AB 52
o Scenic and shoreline protections as outlined in existing ordinances.
3. Implement a transparent, accountable permitting system that ensures public access to permit status, CEQA documentation, violations, and enforcement records!
4. Require updated, project-specific CEQA documentation, not recycled or inapplicable filler content!
________________________________________
Conclusion
This is not a blanket opposition to cannabis cultivation. This is a call for responsible, transparent, and community-minded governance. Future cannabis activity in Lake County must be:
• Environmentally sustainable
• Respectful of tribal and cultural heritage
• Compliant with fire and safety regulations
• Transparent and inclusive of public voices
• Evaluated comprehensively, not piecemeal.
Thank you for your time, attention, and your commitment to protecting the health, safety, and future of our community.
Sincerely,
Randy Wilk
I support pausing the permitting process temporarily so Staff can do a better job of putting these projects together and not rush them to completion in an attempt to reduce the backlog. There are so many aspects of cannabis projects that require careful consideration as to how they will affect their neighbors, resources, and the environment that it’s important the County do a good job; especially when we’re talking about a permit that’s good for 10 years! Because the County has limited staff in some departments, we’re seeing a lot of violations occur that should not happen, but do because of lack of enforcement. Please pause the permitting process until the new cannabis ordinances are in place and we can get a handle on the projects that are already approved without adding to the problem. Please approve this ordinance. Thank you!
The rewrite of the cannabis ordinance, originally projected to take four months, has now extended beyond two and a half years. Until that process is completed expanding cultivation further is premature. New approvals risk compounding impacts before oversight is adequate. We respectfully urge the Board to pause new permit approvals until the ordinance rewrite is finalized, existing permit oversight is strengthened, and meaningful environmental protections are assured. This action would affirm Lake County’s commitment to protecting its natural heritage and the species that depend on it. The Mackiewicz Family