Policy
MCA Memos for 03-28 BoS Meeting
In advance of the BoS Meeting tomorrow, 03-28, MCA has prepared the attached memos on the following items:
- Item 3c – Cannabis Tax Reform (CLICK HERE for Agenda Materials)
- This is the Second Reading / Final vote for adoption.
- Item 4c – Vegetation Modification (CLICK HERE for Agenda Materials)
If you support our recommendations, you can use the following instructions to make either written or verbal comments (including leaving a voice mail at your convenience before 7:30AM on 3-28).
To leave any written public comment, first you must CLICK HERE to register with Granicus. Once you have registered, you will be able to sign in and make comments and upload files for all agenda items. You can CLICK HERE to find upcoming meeting agendas.
YOU MUST MAKE AN INDIVIDUAL COMMENT FOR EACH AGENDA ITEM YOU WANT TO ADDRESS. CLICK THE ITEM BELOW FOR THE APPROPRIATE PLACE TO SUBMIT YOUR COMMENT
To make a verbal comment there are two options:
Option #1-Voicemail
- Call (707) 234-6333 to leave a voice message, up to 2 minutes, to be played during public expression/public comment, as it relates to the published agenda.
- Leave your full name and the agenda item upon which you are making a comment.
- The deadline for voicemail comment is 8AM the day of the meeting. (Voicemails received after 8AM will not be played back during the meeting)
- Anonymous phone messages will not be played back during the meeting (nor will phone messages received prior to publication of the agenda)
ONLY 1 MESSAGE PER AGENDA ITEM. WE RECOMMEND LEAVING MESSAGES BY 7:30AM ON THE DAY OF THE MEETING TO BE SAFE.
Option #2 – ZOOM
Use the “raise hand” feature when Public Comment is called
CLICK HERE to Join Zoom Webinar
Zoom Webinar ID: 859 2655 1260
Zoom Phone Number (if joining via telephone): 1 669 900 9128
Please also feel free to email your District Supervisor, or all Supervisors, with your comments!
(Be sure to include the items that you’re writing about in your Email Subject)
District 1 – Glenn McGourty mcgourtyg@mendocinocounty.org
District 2 – Mo Mulheren mulherenm@mendocinocounty.org
District 3 – John Haschak haschakj@mendocinocounty.org
District 4 – Dan Gjerde gjerde@mendocinocounty.org
District 5 – Ted Williams williamst@mendocinocounty.org
All Supervisors: bos@mendocinocounty.orgRaise your voice and make a difference!
MCA Memos for 03-27 GGC Meeting
In advance of the General Government Committee Meeting on 3-27-23, MCA has prepared the attached memos on the following items :
- Public Expression – In Support of AB 1111 Cannabis Small Producer event sales
- Item 2a – MCD Update (CLICK HERE for Agenda Materials)
- Item 2b Deprioritization Ordinance Amendment (CLICK HERE for Agenda Materials)
If you support our recommendations, you can use the following instructions to make either written or verbal comments (including leaving a voice mail at your convenience before 7:30AM on 3-27-23).
To leave any written public comment, first you must CLICK HERE to register with Granicus. Once you have registered, you will be able to sign in and make comments and upload files for all agenda items. You can CLICK HERE to find upcoming meeting agendas.
YOU MUST MAKE AN INDIVIDUAL COMMENT FOR EACH AGENDA ITEM YOU WANT TO ADDRESS. CLICK THE ITEM BELOW FOR THE APPROPRIATE PLACE TO SUBMIT YOUR COMMENT.
- Public Expression
- Agenda Item 2a – MCD Update
- Agenda Item 2b – Processing deprioritized tax applications
To make a verbal comment there are two options:
Option #1-Voicemail
- Call (707) 234-6333 to leave a voice message, up to 2 minutes, to be played during public expression/public comment, as it relates to the published agenda.
- Leave your full name and the agenda item upon which you are making a comment.
- The deadline for voicemail comment is 8AM the day of the meeting. (Voicemails received after 8AM will not be played back during the meeting)
- Anonymous phone messages will not be played back during the meeting (nor will phone messages received prior to publication of the agenda)
ONLY 1 MESSAGE PER AGENDA ITEM. WE RECOMMEND LEAVING MESSAGES BY 7:30AM ON THE DAY OF THE MEETING TO BE SAFE.
Option #2-ZOOM
Use the “raise hand” feature when Public Comment is called
CLICK HERE to Join Zoom Webinar
Zoom Webinar ID: 847 1652 0553
Zoom Phone Number (if joining via telephone): 1 669 900 9128
You can also email the Supervisors on the committee:
District 2 – Mo Mulheren mulherenm@mendocinocounty.org
District 3 – John Haschak haschakj@mendocinocounty.org
Every voice raised makes a difference!
MCA Memos for 03-14 BoS Meeting
In advance of the BoS Meeting on Tuesday March 14, MCA has prepared the memos on the following items:
- Item 4g Cannabis Tax Reform – (CLICK HERE for Agenda Materials)
We fully support the impactful tax reform items being brought by Supervisor Mulheren and recommended by both her and Supervisor Haschak of the General Government Committee:
- an Amnesty Program for tax penalties and interest still owed,
- a payment plan for those who have been Deprioritized due to late tax payments,
- and a 50% reduction in the Minimum Cannabis Tax for tax years 2023 and 2024)
We urge you to share your support of these recommendations with the Supervisors, and to specifically thank Supervisor Mulheren for bringing this item forward and working so quickly with the various county departments to make it happen. Instructions for commenting below.
- Item 4f – Local Cannabis Program Streamlining (CLICK HERE for Agenda Materials)
We are supporting the intent of the item to explore, both locally and with the state, every option available to move folks to their Annual Licenses. While these options are being evaluated, there are many items that will warrant consideration if significant changes are going to be made to our existing systems and regulations. Our memo provides some of these items, and calls for significant engagement with the stakeholder community as these conversations proceed.
We encourage you to support the conversations taking place between the State and the County, to include robust stakeholder input, and to share any items you think the County should be considering as things move forward.
COMMENTING
You can use the following instructions to make either written or verbal comments (including leaving a voice mail at your convenience before 7:30AM on Tuesday March 14).
To leave any written public comment, first you must CLICK HERE to register with Granicus. Once you have registered, you will be able to sign in and make comments and upload files for all agenda items. You can CLICK HERE to find upcoming meeting agendas.
YOU MUST MAKE AN INDIVIDUAL COMMENT FOR EACH AGENDA ITEM YOU WANT TO ADDRESS. CLICK THE ITEM BELOW FOR THE APPROPRIATE PLACE TO SUBMIT YOUR COMMENT.
To make a verbal comment there are two options:
Option #1-Voicemail
- Call (707) 234-6333 to leave a voice message, up to 3 minutes, to be played during public expression/public comment, as it relates to the published agenda.
- Leave your full name and the agenda item upon which you are making a comment.
- The deadline for voicemail comment is 8AM the day of the meeting. (Voicemails received after 8AM will not be played back during the meeting)
- Anonymous phone messages will not be played back during the meeting (nor will phone messages received prior to publication of the agenda)
ONLY 1 MESSAGE PER AGENDA ITEM. WE RECOMMEND LEAVING MESSAGES BY 7:30AM ON THE DAY OF THE MEETING TO BE SAFE.
Option #2 – ZOOM
Use the “raise hand” feature when Public Comment is called
CLICK HERE to Join Zoom Webinar
Zoom Webinar ID: 850 3079 4049
Zoom Phone Number (if joining via telephone): 1 669 900 9128
Please also feel free to email your District Supervisor, or all Supervisors, with your comments!
(Be sure to include the items that you’re writing about in your Email Subject)
District 1 – Glenn McGourty mcgourtyg@mendocinocounty.org
District 2 – Mo Mulheren mulherenm@mendocinocounty.org
District 3 – John Haschak haschakj@mendocinocounty.org
District 4 – Dan Gjerde gjerde@mendocinocounty.org
District 5 – Ted Williams williamst@mendocinocounty.org
All Supervisors: bos@mendocinocounty.orgYour voice makes a difference!
MCA Corrections to Local Article
Several local Mendocino papers have recently published a letter from Jim Shields titled ‘Outside Media Gets Mendo Weed Woes Wrong (As Usual).’ Unfortunately neither Mr. Shields nor the papers reached out to either Michael Katz or Hannah Nelson who were both mentioned in the letter to verify the statements made, and several inaccuracies were included. MCA is choosing to respond to Mr. Shields’ letter in order to correct those inaccuracies and provide some additional information for the public, especially at this critical time for our locally licensed cannabis operators. Recent articles in the Lost Coast Outpost, Cal Matters and the Ukiah Daily Journal clearly illustrate the socioeconomic decline that is impacting our rural community. These fact based articles point to the need to act fast to minimize the damage and reverse this decline before it is too late.
First, Michael Katz is not a ‘paid lobbyist’ for the Mendocino Cannabis Alliance (MCA). A lobbyist in California is defined by the Fair Political Practices Commission as ‘an individual who is compensated to communicate directly with any state, legislative or agency official to influence legislative or administrative action on behalf of his or her employer or client.’ The term ‘lobbyist’ is almost certainly being used by Mr. Shields in a derogatory fashion, but Katz is in fact the Executive Director of MCA; hired to support this trade association with over 120 members advocating for the fair treatment of small cannabis businesses in Mendocino County. The mission of MCA is to serve and promote Mendocino County’s world-renowned cannabis cultivators and businesses through sustainable economic development, education and public policy initiatives.
Mr. Shields further incorrectly identified Hannah Nelson as MCA’s lawyer. Ms. Nelson has an impressive 30 plus years’ history of advocacy and litigation concerning cannabis issues, including having previously served on the MCA Board, Policy Committee and as Senior Policy Advisor. However she does not currently, and has not in the past, provided either pro bono or paid legal services to the organization.
Independently, Ms. Nelson has written a series of memos dealing with the legal and practical implications of the Mendocino Cannabis Department’s (MCD) sudden and unjust Vegetation Modification letters. In each memo, and in working with the Ad Hoc and Staff through the summer of 2022, she provided clear analysis and proposed practical ways to deal with issues of proof and standards of evidence for new allegations of prohibited tree removal that suddenly surfaced so many years after the ordinance was enacted and applications were submitted. More recently, she collaborated with Ellen Drell and the Willits Environmental Center (WEC) to ensure both due process and common sense were adhered to in dealing with Vegetation Modification issues. This letter clearly demonstrates that both the environmental community and cannabis business advocates believe that the way MCD dealt with this issue was unreasonable, and provides a concrete and legally defensible method, supported by WEC and Ms. Nelson, for the County to move our locally licensed operators stuck in this purgatorial program forward.
As to Mr. Shields’ claim that we have been ‘actively engaged..with the development of the unworkable ordinance’ – it is technically false and substantively does not tell the whole story. Members of MCA, prior to our formation in 2019, and the organization since then, have been quite vocal in the public sphere providing practical solutions to the challenges of developing and implementing local cannabis policy. These recommendations have included everything from file management systems to the structure of the Local Equity Program, and even a line-by-line proposal for ordinance revisions to better align with state law. We firmly believe that if these and many more of our recommendations had been adopted and implemented over the last several years we as a community would be in a much better position today.
The most recent of the ‘working groups’ Mr. Shields refers to, and yes there have been several, occurred throughout the course of 2022 in an attempt to address the significant challenges reported by applicants with the management of the Department’s permit review and grant programs. This group included the Cannabis Ad Hoc committee (at the time Supervisors Haschak and McGourty), several members of the local stakeholder and consultant community including MCA, Hannah Nelson, the MCD, the CEO’s office, County Counsel’s office and State agencies. After many months of meetings, the Ad Hoc brought a list of 12 recommendations to the full Board in October 2022 which MCA fully supported. Most significant procedural and operational recommendations related to the management and oversight of MCD were rejected by the full Board.
Conditions have become so dire on the ground that MCA recently sent a letter to the Governor and the Director of the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) calling for state intervention to provide support. MCA is currently working with our State and Federal advocacy organization Origins Council in engaging the DCC, the Legislature and the Governor’s Office regarding this licensing crisis.
We understand that there are likely thousands of unregulated cultivation sites operating in Mendocino. Estimates have ranged anywhere from 6,000 – 10,000. However, those unregulated cultivation sites have not been working with the County and State for the last 6 years to achieve regulatory compliance. They are not subject to the regulations that have still not resulted in the issuance of Annual Licenses required to keep Mendocino County farmers in the regulated legal marketplace.
The February 18, 2023 SF Gate article by Lester Black, referenced by Mr. Shields, accurately describes the situation for licensees remaining in the regulated program who are in danger of being statutorily removed from California’s legal cannabis market through no fault of their own, in stark contrast to the promises made to them when they agreed to participate. The number of licensed farmers in Mendocino County mentioned in the article refers to those that stepped forward to enter the regulated cannabis program, and who still remain. As of 2020 there were about 1200 active permit applications operating in Mendocino. Per recent data from MCD as of December there were around 850. In a document provided to the Board of Supervisors on December 13, 2022, MCD stated that “the cannabis department estimates there will be approximately 200-300 farms that make it to annual licensing at the state level.’ That’s only 25% of the farmers who began this process in good faith.
The Vegetation Modification debacle that Mr. Shields refers to is in fact a new issue despite its inclusion in the ordinance. The ordinance contains an exception to the Tree Removal prohibition for ‘disease and safety concerns’ under which operators could remove trees. However MCD refused to give meaningful life to those important exceptions. In conjunction with County Counsel, they instead threatened applicants with permit denial and demanded unreasonable standards of proof never conceived in the ordinance or communicated over the last 6+ years. Some applicants who received Vegetation Modification letters threatening denial of their permits had even previously been inspected.
Many of these applicants had in fact been following instructions from CalFire when addressing safety concerns, but the County has been trying to disregard the intent of the exception quoted above to remove applicants from the program. Once this became clear, the advocacy community jumped into action and objected on due process grounds with a letter to MCD Director Kristin Nevedal, which led to a halt in the planned denials. We are grateful to the Willits Environmental Center and Hannah Nelson for coming together to address this important issue which still remains unresolved.
Today, more than ever, we as a community must come together and support the stability, survival and equal treatment of our small licensed cannabis farmers. Our rural community is a delicate ecosystem that has historically relied on the financial contributions of the cannabis community. This reliance continues to this day, and as of May 2022 the county reported that the regulated cannabis program brought in $8 million more than projected in tax revenue. Additionally, according to the 2020 County Crop Report Cannabis Addendum, licensed Mendocino County cannabis generated $131 Million of economic activity on 290 acres of canopy. Compare that to $81 Million in economic activity generated from wine grapes on 16,000 acres. What we see is that cannabis can create an incredible amount of value on a miniscule scale. Local cannabis businesses also spend money locally on goods and services which in turn supports other local businesses. With a stable regulatory environment in Mendocino County providing a foundation from which our licensed craft cannabis farmers can grow, we can get back there again.
The good news is that Mendocino cannabis is still recognized as some of the best craft product available anywhere, bringing home 11 awards at last years California State Fair, and appreciated around the world as a true craft product of place. With our reputation for quality already secure, we must stabilize the licensed cultivators who helped establish that reputation so their businesses can thrive and they can continue contributing to our local economy.
There are some glimmers of hope on the horizon for our local licensees in the form of Tax Reform recommendations from the General Government Committee of Supervisors Haschak and Mulheren, but it will fall on the full Board to move those proposals forward. In the context of the extortive taxes and fees to operate in the regulated cannabis market at the local and State levels in California, IRS Code 280e at the Federal level, which prohibits cannabis businesses from writing off all business expenses except Cost of Goods Sold (COGS), and the major regulated cannabis market crash, this tax reform will be essential to keeping as many of our locally licensed operators in the regulated market as possible. Doing this ultimately benefits our local community in numerous ways from adherence to environmental compliance to the generation of future tax revenue.
While many of the challenges our locally licensed cannabis businesses face exist due to regulations on the state level, there is still plenty that can be done locally by the Board of Supervisors, County Counsel and MCD to help move the process along rather than putting up roadblocks. We hope everyone reading this, including Mr. Shields, will join us in urging the Board of Supervisors to act swiftly in conjunction with the stakeholder community to protect this invaluable economic resource. The full Board can be reached via email at bos@mendocinocounty.org.
We encourage anyone reading this who supports a sustainable future for Mendocino County’s licensed legacy cannabis cultivators to reach out to us for information on how they can help. Learn more about MCA at our website www.MendoCannabis.com.
MCA Memos for 02-27-2023 GGC Meeting
In advance of the February 27 GGC meeting MCA has submitted the following memos:
- Item 2a – MCD Update
- Item 2b – LJAGP Budget Amendment
- Item 2c – Legislative Platform
- Item 2d – Cannabis Tax Payment Plan
If you support our recommendations, you can use the following instructions to make either written or verbal comments (including leaving a voice mail at your convenience before 7:30AM on Monday Feb 27).
To leave any written public comment, first you must CLICK HERE to register with Granicus. Once you have registered, you will be able to sign in and make comments and upload files for all agenda items. You can CLICK HERE to find upcoming meeting agendas.
YOU MUST MAKE AN INDIVIDUAL COMMENT FOR EACH AGENDA ITEM YOU WANT TO ADDRESS. CLICK THE ITEMS LINKED BELOW TO SUBMIT YOUR COMMENT.
- Item 2a – MCD Update
- Item 2b – LJAGP Budget Amendment
- Item 2c – Legislative Platform
- Item 2d – Cannabis Tax Payment Plan
To make a verbal comment there are two options:
Option #1-Voicemail
- Call (707) 234-6333 to leave a voice message, up to 2 minutes, to be played during public expression/public comment, as it relates to the published agenda.
- Leave your full name and the agenda item upon which you are making a comment.
- The deadline for voicemail comment is 8AM the day of the meeting. (Voicemails received after 8AM will not be played back during the meeting
- Anonymous phone messages will not be played back during the meeting (nor will phone messages received prior to publication of the agenda)
LEAVE ONLY 1 MESSAGE PER AGENDA ITEM. WE RECOMMEND LEAVING MESSAGES BY 7:30AM ON THE DAY OF THE MEETING TO BE SAFE.
Option #2-ZOOM
Use the “raise hand” feature when Public Comment is called
CLICK HERE to Join Zoom Webinar
Zoom Webinar ID: 885 1458 2367
Zoom Phone Number (if joining via telephone): 1 669 900 9128
We also recommend emailing the supervisors on the committee with your thoughts:
Supervisor John Haschak haschakj@mendocinocounty.org,
Supervisor Mo Mulheren mulherenm@mendocinocounty.org,
Chair Glenn McGourty mcgourtyg@mendocinocounty.org,
Every voice raised makes a difference. These are important issues and we request that ALL available Members make comments on these items.
MCA Documents Failure of Mendocino County Cannabis Program in Letter to Governor Newsom, Requests Urgent Intervention
(February 8, 2023) Mendocino County, CA – Mendocino Cannabis Alliance (MCA), the trade association representing cannabis operators in Mendocino County, submitted a sixteen-page letter today to Governor Gavin Newsom, Department of Cannabis Control Director Nicole Elliott, and California legislative leaders documenting the county’s failure to establish a process capable of moving small and legacy cannabis cultivators towards state annual licensure.
Nearly six years into its local permitting process, Mendocino County has transitioned just six local cannabis farmers to state annual licensure: less than 1% of all cultivators in the county. For comparison, 62% of cultivators in Humboldt County, 58% of cultivators in Nevada County, and 23% of cultivators in Trinity County have obtained a state annual license.
With state deadlines for permit processing approaching on July 1, 2023, MCA’s letter documents how nearly all small cannabis cultivators in Mendocino are now at imminent risk of losing their state licenses, threatening to undermine the promise of Proposition 64 to provide a just transition for legacy operators.
The letter documents how nearly six years after passing an ordinance to regulate cannabis cultivation, the Mendocino Cannabis Department (MCD) has not meaningfully moved forward to process local cannabis permits, cannabis permit renewals, or documents necessary for CEQA compliance.
Recent reports from MCD suggest a plan to transition just 256 “prioritized” operators to annual licensure, implying that nearly 70% of Mendocino’s 841 current operators have no path forward to remain in the legal market. Simultaneously, however, statements by MCD indicate that expected staffing resources are just half of what MCD claims would be necessary to process these 256 applications in time to meet state deadlines. Further, among over 500 “deprioritized” operators, MCA has found that a substantial number have been deprioritized incorrectly based on demonstrably false claims of tax delinquency or lack of state licensure.
While the state allocated over $17 million in grant funding to assist Mendocino’s local government with permit processing in 2021, MCA’s letter documents a lack of public accounting on how these funds have been spent, inconsistencies regarding the county’s proposed work plan in its grant application, and delays in opening an application process for over $10 million in funds set aside for direct grants to cultivators.
The letter further demonstrates how, rather than working to establish a viable permitting process, MCD and the Board of Supervisors have repeatedly focused time and energy on topics that raise additional barriers to compliance, including raising contrived legal objections to the county’s own cannabis equity program, and threatening operators with denial on “vegetation modification” grounds without due process.
“For years, MCA has been sounding the alarm on the unfolding crisis within the county’s cannabis program” said Michael Katz, MCA’s Executive Director. “Throughout 2022, we worked in good faith with the Board of Supervisors’ cannabis ad hoc committee to develop policy recommendations to course correct the program, only to have most of them rejected by the full board.”
“We are out of time,” Katz continued. “The bottom line is that there is no functional permit program in Mendocino, and no plan to create one. We cannot move forward if the county continues to obstruct local licensees. We need the state to intervene, and intervene now, if our legacy cultivators are to survive.”
MCA’s full sixteen-page letter can be read here:
https://bit.ly/MCA-Urgent_Intervention_Request
About MCA: MCA serves and promotes Mendocino County’s world-renowned cannabis cultivators and businesses through sustainable economic development, education and public policy initiatives. Learn more at MendoCannabis.com.
For more information contact Michael Katz at michael@mendocannabis.com or via phone at 707.234.5568
MCA Memos for 02-07 BoS Meeting
In advance of the BoS Meeting on Feb 7th, MCA has prepared several memos for Public Expression, as well as memos for specific agenda items.
Agenda Items
Item 4d – CLICK HERE for Memo on Equity Legal Opinion – We strenuously object to the adoption of the proposed expenditure of $25K for an outside counsel to investigate the Federal legality of our Local Equity Program on multiple grounds. (CLICK HERE for Agenda Materials)
Item 4f– CLICK HERE for Memo on Legislative Platform – We raise concerns about the February 17 deadline for the introduction of legislation at the State level and the nearly 2 month delay by MCD in providing updated materials for inclusion in the platform despite multiple directions to do so. (CLICK HERE for Agenda Materials)
Public Expression
CLICK HERE for Memo on LJAGP – We provide an LJAGP Timeline Update with significant concerns about the timely and effective opening of applications for Direct Grants to licensees, and ask the GGC and Board to intervene.
CLICK HERE for Memo on Resource Innovation Institute contract – We inquire about the utility of hiring an outside agency with scarce LJAGP resources to do State reporting that operators can do on their own
CLICK HERE for Memo on Equity Manual Raid Criteria Revisions – We support memos submitted by Hannah Nelson and Scott Ward and call for an Equity Manual language update clarifying the inclusion of various Law Enforcement agencies beyond CAMP who were responsible for raids as acceptable criteria for applicants. This change is in line with past Board direction, and within the authority given to Director Nevedal.
CLICK HERE for Memo on Berkeley Cannabis Research Report – We share the UC Berkeley Cannabis Research Center’s Report on Policy Findings & Recommendations Regarding California Cannabis Farming, Regulation and the Environment (report also attached and linked in the memo) which includes many insightful recommendations for state and local governments.
Hannah Nelson is also working on a memo for Item 4c related to Vegetation Modification, and at a minimum MCA will be supporting that memo.
If you support our recommendations, you can use the following instructions to make either written or verbal comments (including leaving a voice mail at your convenience before 7:30AM on Feb 7th).
To leave any written public comment, first you must CLICK HERE to register with Granicus. Once you have registered, you will be able to sign in and make comments and upload files for all agenda items. You can CLICK HERE to find upcoming meeting agendas.
YOU MUST MAKE AN INDIVIDUAL COMMENT FOR EACH AGENDA ITEM YOU WANT TO ADDRESS. CLICK THE ITEM BELOW FOR THE APPROPRIATE PLACE TO SUBMIT YOUR COMMENT.
To make a verbal comment there are two options.
Option #1-Voicemail
- Call 707-234-6333 and leave a voice message, up to 2 minutes in length, to be played during public expression/public comment, as it relates to the published agenda.
- Speak clearly, being sure to leave your full name and the agenda item upon which you are making a comment.
- Anonymous phone messages will not be played back during the meeting – nor will phone messages received prior to publication of the agenda.
- The deadline for voicemail comment submission is 8 AM the day of the meeting. Voicemails received after that time will not be played back during the meeting.
YOU MUST LEAVE ONE MESSAGE PER AGENDA ITEM. WE RECOMMEND LEAVING MESSAGES BY 7:30AM ON THE DAY OF THE MEETING TO BE SAFE.
Option #2-ZOOM
Use the “raise hand” feature when Public Comment is called
CLICK HERE to Join Zoom Webinar
Zoom Webinar ID: 895 0911 1749
Zoom Phone Number (if joining via telephone): 1 669 900 9128
Please also feel free to email your District Supervisor, or all Supervisors, with your comments! (Be sure to include the items that you’re writing about in your Email Subject)
District 1 – Chair Glenn McGourty mcgourtyg@mendocinocounty.org
District 2 – Mo Mulheren mulherenm@mendocinocounty.org
District 3 – John Haschak haschakj@mendocinocounty.org
District 4 – Dan Gjerde gjerde@mendocinocounty.org
District 5 – Ted Williams williamst@mendocinocounty.org
All Supervisors: bos@mendocinocounty.org
Every voice raised makes a difference. These are important issues and we request that ALL available Members make comments on these items!
MCA Memos for 12-12 GGC Meeting
In advance of tomorrow’s 12-12-2022 General Government Committee meeting at 9am where they will be hearing four cannabis agenda Items, MCA has shared several memos with the Board of Supervisors.
– Agenda Item 2a – Mendocino County – State Legislative Platform – where we make recommendations for inclusion to the County’s 2023 State Legislative Platform
– Agenda Item 2b – MCD Update – Where we raise questions and seek clarification on many of the items in the report.
– Agenda Item 2c – County Equity Grant Application – Where we support the County applying for 5 Million in additional Equity Grant funding.
***CLICK HERE to read the Memos!***
– Agenda Item 2d – Vegetation Modification – It’s possible that the memo will not be shared until tomorrow, so it’s possible you will not be able to see it until it’s shared. In the event you want to comment in general on this item, you could include your personal opinions on the issues with the Veg Mod program, and advocate that the GGC, the Board and County Counsel adopt the broadest possible reading of the Ordinance to enable as many operators as possible who have not conducted egregious Tree Removal to fall under the allowed exceptions in the Ordinance for disease and safety concerns.
This is the first time the Veg Mod proposals from CoCo will be heard, and they are not scheduled to be discussed by the full Board until sometime in January at the earliest.
If you support our recommendations, we urge you to share that support with the General Government Committee via written AND verbal comment. YOUR VOICE MAKES A DIFFERENCE!
To leave any written public comment, first you must CLICK HERE to register with Granicus. Once you have registered, you will be able to sign in and make comments and upload files for all agenda items. You can CLICK HERE to find upcoming meeting agendas.
YOU MUST MAKE AN INDIVIDUAL COMMENT FOR EACH AGENDA ITEM YOU WANT TO ADDRESS. CLICK THE AGENDA ITEM BELOW FOR THE APPROPRIATE PLACE TO SUBMIT YOUR COMMENT:
– Agenda Item 2a – Mendocino County – State Legislative Platform – where we make recommendations to the County to include in their lobbying of the State next year.
– Agenda Item 2b – MCD Update – Where we raise questions and seek clarification on many of the items in the report.
– Agenda Item 2c – County Equity Grant Application – Where we support the County applying for 5 Million in additional Equity Grant funding.
– Agenda Item 2d – Vegetation Modification – It’s possible that the memo will not be shared until tomorrow, so it’s possible you will not be able to see it until it’s shared. In the event you want to comment in general on this item, you could include your personal opinions on the issues with the Veg Mod program, and advocate that the GGC, the Board and County Counsel adopt the broadest possible reading of the Ordinance to enable as many operators as possible who have not conducted egregious Tree Removal to fall under the allowed exceptions for disease and safety concerns.
If you would also like to make a verbal comment (we recommend it!) on any or all of these items, there are two options.
Voicemail
- Call 707-234-6333 and leave a voice message, up to 2 minutes in length, to be played during public expression/public comment, as it relates to the published agenda.
- Speak clearly, being sure to leave your full name and the agenda item upon which you are making comment.
- Anonymous phone messages will not be played back during the meeting – nor will phone messages received prior to publication of the agenda.
- The deadline for voicemail comment submittal is 7:30 AM the day of the meeting. Voicemails received after that time will not be played back during the meeting.
YOU MUST LEAVE ONE MESSAGE PER AGENDA ITEM. WE RECOMMEND LEAVING MESSAGES BY 730AM ON THE DAY OF THE MEETING TO BE SAFE.
2. Join the Zoom Webinar for the meeting and use the “raise hand” feature when Public Comment is called. For details and complete list of the latest available options by which to engage with agenda items, please CLICK HERE
CLICK HERE to Join Zoom Webinar
Zoom Webinar ID: 893 7803 8056
Zoom Phone Number (if joining via telephone): 1 669 900 9128
Please also feel free to email the GGC Members and your District Supervisors with your thoughts on these items!
GGC Members:
District 2 – Mo Mulheren mulherenm@mendocinocounty.org,
District 4 – Dan Gjerde gjerde@mendocinocounty.org,
Additional Supervisors:
District 3 – John Haschak haschakj@mendocinocounty.org,
District 1 – Glenn McGourty mcgourtyg@mendocinocounty.org,
District 5 – Ted Williams williamst@mendocinocounty.org
All Supervisors: bos@mendocinocounty.org
Thank you for your support!
MCA Memos for 12-06 BoS Meeting
In advance of the BoS Meeting tomorrow MCA has prepared the attached memos on the following items:
– Item 3m – Proposed LJAGP Manual (CLICK HERE for Agenda Materials)
– Item 4h – Fee Hearing Re: Cannabis Appeals (CLICK HERE for Agenda Materials)
CLICK HERE to review the memos.
The Proposed LJAGP Manual is on the Consent Calendar, which means the Board plans to vote without discussing. WE STRONGLY FEEL THE LJAGP MANUAL SHOULD NOT BE ADOPTED AS WRITTEN AND URGE EVERYONE TO WRITE OR CALL IN TO ASK THE BOARD NOT TO ADOPT IT.
If you support our recommendations, you can use the following instructions to make either written or verbal comments (including leaving a voice mail at your convenience before 7:30AM tomorrow!).
To leave any written public comment, first you must CLICK HERE to register with Granicus. Once you have registered, you will be able to sign in and make comments and upload files for all agenda items. You can CLICK HERE to find upcoming meeting agendas.
YOU MUST MAKE AN INDIVIDUAL COMMENT FOR EACH AGENDA ITEM YOU WANT TO ADDRESS. CLICK THE ITEM BELOW FOR THE APPROPRIATE PLACE TO SUBMIT YOUR COMMENT.
If you would also like to make a verbal comment (we recommend it!) on any or all of these items, there are two options.
Voicemail
- Call 707-234-6333 and leave a voice message, up to 3 minutes in length, to be played during public expression/public comment, as it relates to the published agenda.
- Speak clearly, being sure to leave your full name and the agenda item upon which you are making comment.
- Anonymous phone messages will not be played back during the meeting – nor will phone messages received prior to publication of the agenda.
- The deadline for voicemail comment submittal is 8 AM the day of the meeting. Voicemails received after that time will not be played back during the meeting.
YOU MUST LEAVE ONE MESSAGE PER AGENDA ITEM. WE RECOMMEND LEAVING MESSAGES BY 730AM ON THE DAY OF THE MEETING TO BE SAFE.
2. Join the Zoom Webinar for the meeting and use the “raise hand” feature when Public Comment is called. For details and complete list of the latest available options by which to engage with agenda items, please CLICK HERE
CLICK HERE to Join Zoom Webinar
Zoom Webinar ID: 869 4597 5217
Zoom Phone Number (if joining via telephone): 1 669 900 9128
Please also feel free to email your District Supervisor, or all Supervisors, with your comments!
Make sure to include the items that you’re writing about in your Email Subject
District 4 – Dan Gjerde gjerde@mendocinocounty.org,
District 3 – John Haschak haschakj@mendocinocounty.org,
District 1 – Glenn McGourty mcgourtyg@mendocinocounty.org,
District 2 – Mo Mulheren mulherenm@mendocinocounty.org,
District 5 – Ted Williams williamst@mendocinocounty.org
All Supervisors: bos@mendocinocounty.org
Every voice raised makes a difference. These are important issues and we request that ALL available Members make comments on these items.