I
am a physician and a resident of Carpinteria. I met with the director of the
Santa Barbara County Planning Department, Lisa Plowman, with questions on how
we have arrived at the current state of air pollution and the uptick of
respiratory illnesses in Carpinteria Valley.
For
example, why did the County Board of Supervisors ignore an assessment from an
outside consulting firm, the Woods Group, stating that new cannabis grows would
significantly impact air quality and needed an environmental impact report. That
assessment was made just on the basis of the odors and chemicals emitted by the
cannabis itself.
Numerous
environmental issues have become increasingly apparent, but the Board of
Supervisors has yet to require EIRs for cannabis production or processing. Sitting
Supervisor Das Williams was the architect and driving force behind our woeful
Cannabis Ordinance, and he has also stymied any meaningful remedies to
the crisis he and his ordinance has created.