News
Countywide Cannabis “Visioning Survey”
Sonoma County’s countywide cannabis visioning survey closes tomorrow (Monday, September 6, 2021). Members and supporters of the local cannabis industry are encouraged to submit their responses so our concerns can be heard by the Board of Supervisors as they work to revise the county’s cannabis program. This is especially important considering how there has been talk of a potential moratorium on new applications. Link for survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/cannabisvisioningsurvey More information: https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/Cannabis-Program/ Submit feedback about the survey to: cannabis@sonoma-county.org Want to get involved with SCGA’s efforts to improve cannabis policies in Sonoma County? Email us at info@scgalliance.com to learn more about…
Draft Ordinance Updates, General Plan Amendment & Subsequent MND Posted
The following documents related to Sonoma County’s proposed cannabis ordinance updates are now available for review, with comments due at 12pm PST on March 18: Notice of Intent (PDF: 92 kB) Draft Subsequent Mitigated Negative Declaration (PDF: 1.8 MB) Draft Commercial Cannabis Cultivation Ordinance (PDF: 471 kB) Draft Amendments to Chapter 26 of Sonoma County Code (PDF: 5.4 MB) Draft General Plan Amendment These documents replace the preliminary documents the county had posted previously. Link to documents on California Environmental Quality Act website Link to Frequently Asked Questions – 2021 Ordinance Update Comments should be addressed to the Planning Commission c/o McCall Miller, Department…
Sonoma County Releases Preliminary Draft of New Cultivation Ordinance
[NOTE: Updated materials have been posted on the county’s cannabis program website. Please refer to those documents instead of the ones in this post when reading and commenting on the proposed ordinance changes.] On January 31, 2021, Sonoma County released preliminary draft language for a new cannabis cultivation ordinance, along with a draft of the associated subsequent Mitigated Negative Declaration. Both documents can be accessed on the county’s cannabis program website. Our preliminary reading shows that this language would be an addition to the existing cultivation permit process that could provide a pathway for those in some zoning classifications (DA, LIA, LEA & RRD with…
SCGA Responds to Delay of Proposed Cannabis Ordinance Amendments
The SCGA Board of Directors sent the following letter to county officials in response to further delay in releasing the draft amendments to the Sonoma County Commercial Cannabis Land Use Ordinance. SCGA Letter – Delay of Draft Cannabis Ordinance Amendments (1.2.21)
County Supervisors Receive Quarterly Update on Cannabis Program
On November 10, 2020 the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors received a quarterly update from the Cannabis Ad Hoc Committee regarding the status of the current permitting program and an update on proposed amendments to the cannabis ordinance. You can view the update here. Of note, the former cannabis program manager Niki Berrocal is no longer working with the county, and the new “point person” for the cannabis program is Assistant County Administrator Christina Rivera, though it seems like she will mainly be overseeing the various county agencies involved rather than making any policy decisions herself. The update included a…
Sonoma County Amends Cannabis Code Enforcement Provisions
Recently, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors voted to amend certain cannabis-related code enforcement provisions. Most notably, the 50X “permit multiplier” for cannabis has been reduced to 10X to match other commercial violations. Check out this blog post from SCGA Advisory Council member Lauren Mendelsohn of the Law Offices of Omar Figueroa, which details the code enforcement update.
SoCo Planning Agency Cannabis Update – July 30, 2020
On July 30, 2020 the Sonoma County Planning Agency received an update from county staff about the cannabis program. The presentation can be accessed below. Planning Agency Cannabis Update 07/30/2020
SoCo Board of Supervisors COVID-19 Education and Compliance Program Update – August 6, 2020
On August 6, 2020 the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors authorized a COVID-19 Eduction and Compliance Program and adopted an Administrative Citiation and Civil Penalty Urgency Ordinance. The presentation can be accessed below. Board of Supervisors Update 08/06/2020
July 2020 Newsletter
Read our July 2020 newsletter here.
Community Update from SCGA
Dear Members, Sponsors, and Friends of the Sonoma County Growers Alliance: 2020 has been a unique and challenging year so far for everyone. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, including related business shutdowns and social distancing requirements, SCGA hasn’t been able to host our normal social mixers or in-person educational events. We also realize that many people are out of work, either because they have to care for loved ones or because they were terminated or furloughed as a result of COVID-19. As a result of the challenges facing our community, we have decided to stop taking payments from members and…