The following is a letter-to-the-editor from attorney Larry Rosen, which was also sent to the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors:
Dear Mendocino County Board of Supervisors:
I sent email to the County last week asking about the status of our cannabis cultivation permit. There is still no answer! This confirms reports I hear regularly from my friends and neighbors that County staff are, to say it politely, not being helpful. Stated less politely, we are getting a run-around.
County staff say that we can’t get our cannabis permit until state agencies will give us a license. State agencies says we can’t get our cannabis license until the local government issues us a permit. What should we crazy people do first? Our legislators are dealing separately with the state’s procedural deficiencies, but we need the County to do its job.
I am reminded of the famous satirical novel, Catch 22. In the book, Catch-22 is a military rule typifying bureaucratic reasoning. The rule is: If one is crazy, one does not have to fly missions; and one must be crazy to fly. But one has to apply to be excused and applying demonstrates that one is not crazy. As a result, one must continue flying, either not applying to be excused, or applying and being refused. As characters in the novel say: “Agents enforcing Catch-22 need not prove that Catch-22 actually contains whatever provision the accused violator is accused of violating.” Another character explains: “Catch-22 says they have a right to do anything we can’t stop them from doing.” The hero of that novel ends up in what is referred to (now inappropriately) as an “insane asylum”.
I feel like I am there now for our cannabis cultivation.
Why do you keep us waiting? The County has already reassured itself, through its inspection and through voluminous forms filed with you, that our cannabis cultivation site:
- Has been inspected by Mendocino County to ensure that cultivation is compliant with all requirements of the local cannabis code and regulations. Site is within local zoning and site restrictions. The cultivation site is fenced and secured with locked gates. There are security cameras for 24-hour monitoring of the site.
- Complies with Mendocino County agricultural ordinances for farming and for cultivating cannabis.
- Complies with Mendocino County building codes and ordinances, and all construction is under Mendocino County permits.
- Complies with Mendocino County environmental codes and ordinances, and cultivation of cannabis at that site will not adversely impact the environment of the site nor impact water supplies or disposal.
- Has been registered with the Mendocino County tax department.
Meanwhile, at Board of Supervisors meetings, the County CEO ironically complains that taxation revenues from legal cannabis are far below your projections. Duh!
The Board of Supervisors is responsible to fix this. We elected you to prevent such situations and to make the County staff do their jobs.
Give us our Mendocino County cannabis cultivation permit!
-Larry
The preceding was a letter submitted to The Mendocino Voice, published here as opinion. The views stated in this letter are those of the writer alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Mendocino Voice. This being a letter-to-the-editor, its content has not been fact-checked independently by the Voice, nor has it been copy-edited — all punctuation, capitalization, spelling, etc. is preserved from the original letter.
The Mendocino B.O.S have slaughtered the Cannabis Industry when we could have been leaders and role models. They should all have their salaries cut in half instead of receiving a $36k raise. They’ve cost us so much and can never remedy this ongoing sabotage.
No vision, no guts, no plan. It’s heartbreaking because if they had listened to seasoned, professional, responsible farmers we could have had it all. Shame on the Mendo B.O.S.
Again, Sherry Glaser speaks Truth to Power! It has been painful to watch our friends and families be broken apart, thrown in jail or move from the area because our BOS is not and has not been doing the job we ALL pay them to do. Stores have closed and many are about to. These businesses have been locally owned and have depended on local folks spending money locally. Well when money dries up, so do our businesses. SHAME on all of the BoS. Get to work and bury your bias against our hard working small farmers, who are bringing financial, physical and spiritual health to our community and the greater world. What a waste of potential they have caused!
Concerning the pot permit “process”, Larry Rosen is reminded of the double-bind from Catch 22. He puts the blame where it belongs, with the so-called Board of Supervisors.
In relation to that august body, another popular reference comes to mind –
“What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Say it again”
One more example of wasted opportunities! Here is a quote from a very recent article from the New Yorker magazine,
“Founded in 2003, as an illegal event, the Emerald Cup is now held at the Sonoma County fairgrounds, and tickets sell for as much as four hundred dollars apiece.”
I remember that we had an opportunity to have that event at our fair grounds, but no…send it south and let them have 40,000 plus folks now attending and infusing their economy and tourist trade with a financial boom. Knuckleheaded is too kind of a word for BoS members.
legal is legal. if the supe’s and state don’t want t grant licences, then why keep trying to comply. crops need to be in the ground now. so i’m taking your inactions as no action is needed on my part. what are you going to do about that. i know, give yourself a raise and double the 3rd district supervisor’s pay as he says he is giving it away, but i wonder if he declares it as income on his taxes and the writes it off as a contribution?
This is a fiasco that’s driving the illegal farmers prices up and the legal farmers into the ground. Where is the logic? I believe the idiots making up the rules are simply scared and impotent…mixing stupidity and state. Gawd Help us All!!!!
Here’s an update: I’ve spoken with planning staff about the letter by Mr. Rosen, a local attorney. They met with him and explained his project still needs a Lake and Streambed Alteration (LSA) permit from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. In the case of his project, that permit is a requirement under State law, and not an item County staff has the authority to waive for Mr. Rosen, or anyone else. I hope that helps. Dan Gjerde, County Supervisor
The CDFW is also under staffed as well Mr. Gjerde. Don’t pawn off the county’s responsiblity to use the tax dollars we pay quarterly to help farmers succeed in this infantile industry. Regulate it into the ground at your own peril BOS. We’re still gonna be here like we always have doing hat we’ve always done.