LIVE: Shasta Lake council mulls delay for hash-oil facility
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The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in the council chamber at 4488 Red Bluff St. -
Here's what's up first: then, we get to the hash oil extraction facility.
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Sunshine week celebrates transparency in government.
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Lots of people here. Not sure if they're all here for hash oil facility. Eventually, it would expand into a commercial kitchen and a second extraction machine (all in the industrial park)
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Council member Pam Morgan reads the proclamation for March as Women's History Month.
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Now Peter Bunkrude will review annual report for the mosquito-vector control district. That agency focuses on pests that transmit contagious diseases (think west Nile or zika, Bunkrude said)
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He said a long gone disease, St. Louis Encephalitis, reappeared in California, has been moving up valley. One human case in Sacramento in 2016
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During winter, agency staff focuses on improving water flow and look at and monitor ticks that transmit Lyme disease
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He said Agency plans to increase outreach and awareness of programs. One way: they'll work with homeowners to treat pools and ponds. One idea: mosquito eating fish.
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Another plan: work with Sierra Pacific to find ways to treat lumber pools. Tried a pilot project at Anderson mill. If it works, they may bring it to other mills. SPI and the agency have worked together to try to find ways to curtail mosquitoes in those pools, Bonkrude says.
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Mayor Richard Kern asks whether west Nile is moving up the valley, citing increases in cases in Butte and Glenn counties. Bonkrude says migrating birds may play a role, but more likely just some pockets up here may be less active at times
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Only things that would move mosquitoes long distance he says, are human related activities.
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Now County Supervisor Steve Morgan is reading a commendation from supervisors for deputy who helped people escape 50-acre blaze. That fire also claimed Morgan's home that he shares with his wife, Councilwoman Pam Morgan.
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Now the consent agenda is up, including stipend language for planning commissioners (they're appointed by council)
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And now we're onto the regular business agenda, aka the concentrated cannabis extraction facility.
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Duckett asks the council to table the second reading until draft commercial marijuana regulations are completed.
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City Attorney John Kenny says allowing the org a permit could invite others who could begin operations before regulations are in place.
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It could then force the city into an ugly fight it may not win. Instead, council should wait on the overall draft regs, which will cover the facility and other types of activities, Kenny says.
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Councilwoman Pam Morgan asks if the applicant has to restart process. Kenny says yes BUT they and the three dispensaries would be given priority when the refs come out.
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Councilman Greg Watkins asks what would be different between tonight's ordinance and the draft rules (still being finalized)
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Watkins asks about no license, fees and other stuff spelled out in ordinance.
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Kenny says problem arises because a permit given before the overarching rules are in place may allow the permit holder to ignore some rules.
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Basically, Kenny is concerned that if tonight's ordinance passes, then any extraction facility could move in with a permit from city. But those permits may exempt them from the potentially more comprehensive rules that are being drafted.
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So if the city passes the ordinance and gives NorCal Nectar a permit, others may move in, get permit and then be protected from newer rules being written now.
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Larry Farr is asking about whether it will be making medicinal and recreational marijuana. Kenny says city, for city-level regulations, may not want to distinguish between the two markets. (Prop 64 allows dual licensing)
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"You don't want those (recreational marijuana businesses) proliferate," Kenny says, adding city wants to keep any industrial/commercial scale growing/manufacturing away from residential areas. Aka you wouldn't know it was there unless you saw inside.
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"We just want to proceed in a logical manner," Kenny says.
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Councilwoman Janice Powell points out facility is medical only.
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Property owner Brian Hicks speaking about potential renter's proposal.
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Hicks says ordinance was very narrow and designed to allow only specific activity for carbon dioxide THC extraction in the industrial park. It's been a long process but to delay it now at final reading is unfair (been in works since November). Hicks points out it also allows only medical marijuana extraction.
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Hicks says he understands concerns from attorney, but there are other variables and the worries are overblown.
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He adds the city already has plenty of regulations about medical marijuana, with seven pages for this particular enterprise.
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Future ordinances will need to be amended as state rolls out it's rules. So all businesses will have to adjust anyways.
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Hicks asks why can't tonight's ordinance be updated to mesh well with the comprehensive set of rules being worked on.
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Hicks adds that it would allow only medicinal CO-2 facilities. It would not allow recreational facilities. "Recreational is the city's big concern. We've already done the medical marijuana side for years," he said.
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Also, he worries a larger measure will take longer than the almost 6 months it's been for NorCal Nectar.
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He said one machine would bring in $4.1 m in revenue to the city. "That's about $12,000 per day in lost (business) revenue and (sales tax revenue)."
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He says the concern is minor compared to the potential benefits for Shasta Lake. Says no major concerns or complaints have been lodged with application.
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Elizabeth Laverneau (unsure of spelling). Teacher at Shasta Lake School, worries about it hurting kids.
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She says Shasta Lake could attract better jobs. (Dispensary owner behind me scoffs, says that's worked well before). She said she wants to move here but doesn't want to be in "drug central." Says Prop 64 is "horrible." "The culture in this town is going toward drug central," she said "We're looking at Redding because they don't seem to be a drug-supporting community."
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Person next to me, however supports the teacher's statement.
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Now a man named Jeremy (Last name like I'm gone yo') speaking. Says he's not sure if the facility will be a net good for community. Recognizes tax dollars. "Make choices that sound family friendly," he says.
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Now 530 Collective owner Jamie Kerr speaks in favor of passing the ordinance. "In a perfect world we'd have just one (ordinance)," she says. Offers a compromise: include language that upcoming ordinance would Supersede tonight's ordinance or offer a sunset clause. "I think there's a solution for both sides." Adds that the state will merge medical and recreational at many, but not all, stages of regulations.