If County Supervisor Das Williams led more with his nose and less with his chin, perhaps he’d be getting more love in his own hometown. Carpinteria, the cozy coastal community which Williams represents, has become ground zero for this year’s most hotly disruptive news story ​— ​the unintended consequences of legalizing cannabis, and the stink it is causing, both in the air and on the ground. 

But it’s not only Carpinteria. Almost all corners of Santa Barbara County are in an uproar. 

About a month ago, an angry, disparate group of activists ​— ​from the very north to the southern tip of the county ​— ​came together to form the Santa Barbara Coalition for Responsible Cannabis Cultivation. Singularly missing from their roster are any actual pot cultivators, but there are plenty of Santa Ynez Valley vintners, who worry that the skunk-like scent of cannabis wafting from nearby cannabis fields will destroy the economic viability of their wine tasting rooms and avocado orchards. Besides odious odors, the coalition also has a laundry list of complaints, including round-the-clock generator noise, late-night lights, new fences, barking guard dogs, and security personnel, some of whom are reportedly armed.