As members of the Tepusquet Canyon Crisis Committee, we want to express our deep appreciation to the Santa Barbara Grand Jury for their extraordinary efforts. The comprehensive Grand Jury 26-page report on the county’s woeful Cannabis Ordinance underscores the many concerns we have urged upon the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors for the last three years. We have insistently advocated against the wholesale takeover of our county by the cannabis industry, attending every meeting, writing letters, and speaking in an effort to have our voices heard.
The Grand Jury has done an outstanding job of describing most of the issues. They have provided detailed evidence of what has proven to be been a flawed and corrupted process, marked by undue influence by the cannabis lobby. The Cannabis Ordinance dismissed the myriad concerns of our traditional agriculture, the wine industry, and residents — especially in rural areas and Carpinteria. The supervisors need to remedy the problems created by its controversial Ad Hoc Committee. The Grand Jury’s excellent recommendations should be the blueprint for a revised Cannabis Ordinance.
We also want to express our appreciation to the supervisors who have responded to the outcry of residents, by voting to prohibit any commercial cannabis activities in Existing Developed Rural Neighborhoods. Specifically, we want to thank Supervisors Gregg Hart, Joan Hartmann, and Peter Adam for their vote on the EDRN issue. The Tepusquet Canyon Crisis Committee continues to support a requirement for Conditional Use Permits for all countywide cannabis operations.