Calaveras Honing Cannabis Regs, Controls, Background Checks
San Andreas, CA – The Calaveras supervisors have a full day slated to hammer out how they plan to regulate commercial cannabis come January 2020.
Three major action areas are highlighted as the only regular agenda items at Tuesday’s special meeting.
The first would authorize the creation of a Division of Cannabis Control under the supervision of the County Administrator’s Office and direct finalization of a fee study to support the program office.
The second item includes a public hearing on the proposed acceptance of an addendum to a 2017-certified EIR that would allow for the rescinding of the county’s ban against commercial cannabis cultivation; replacing it with new much more comprehensive regulatory requirements than the initial urgency ordinance regulations enacted two boards ago.
The ordinance, which proposes to permit and regulate cultivation on parcels zoned A1, AP, GF, RA, U and in industrial zones, has been taking shape in the past several months since the current board decided to proceed towards enacting strict regulations versus maintaining an industry ban.
Staff will also introduce a companion ordinance related to enabling the county sheriff’s office to conduct comprehensive background checks, accessing state and federal information. While this has been in the works since early this year, the board recently directed CAO Al Alt to develop recommendations for the proposed Cannabis Control program office to be responsible for implementing and enforcing the background check ordinance. The ordinance would require all cannabis industry employees to apply for and maintain a background clearance badge (CBCB) that must be worn while on the job.
Tuesday’s meeting begins following an 8 a.m. closed session in the supervisors’ chambers at the county government center (891 Mountain Ranch Road) in San Andreas.
