By Craig S. Harrison

The Board of Supervisors held straw votes on key issues and tentatively approved a revised Cannabis Ordinance on October 28. The new approach mostly lines the pockets of a few big players in the pot industry at the expense of the health and safety of rural residents and our environment. The Supervisors ignored concerns expressed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Sonoma County Farm Bureau and the County’s Health Director. The board will hold a final hearing to adopt the ordinance on December 9.

The Cannabis Ordinance will harm Bennett Valley residents for decades. The worst features for our community include:

•   “Crop swaps” that allow vineyards to be “swapped” for marijuana without analyses of unhealthy air emissions, placement of hoop houses, water use, traffic, or cumulative impacts. The cultivations can be 10% of the parcel size. The ministerial permits last forever and allow no public input.

•   Setbacks of only 100 feet on Ag- and RRD-zoned parcels, despite the Health Director saying that longer setbacks minimize health risks. This will expose residents to unhealthy emissions in their homes, including carcinogens. Scores of Bennett Valley residents suffered from unhealthy emissions from the one-acre Wellspring Road grow.

•   Up to 104 cannabis consumption events per year are allowed on each Ag-zoned parcel. This irresponsibly endangers motorists and bicyclists on our narrow roads. A recent Ohio study found that 42% of drivers who died in vehicle accidents had high levels of THC.

•   Providing “right to farm” protections that purport to shield growers from nuisance litigation. State law allows such nuisance suits, and the County’s only purpose is to mislead residents about their legal rights.

•   The County admits the ordinance will "expose a substantial number of people to odors considered objectionable." Objectionable? They are unhealthy. The supervisors subsidize this “industry” with our taxes.

Supervisor Hermosillo said and did little to protect Bennett Valley residents during the long hearing. Especially disappointing was her vote for 100-foot setbacks for 15,000 Ag-zoned parcels with homes. This affects about 10% of county residents, including children and agriculture worker families. Supervisor Hermosillo did support 1,000-foot setbacks from parcels zoned residential (RR) and Ag-residential (AR) but has not explained the discrepancy.

During last year’s campaign the Neighborhood Coalition asked each supervisor candidate “Do you think Sonoma County should approve permits for commercial cultivations that expose residents in their homes to noxious odors, including carcinogens, by a business that Sonoma County permits?” Supervisor Hermosillo responded “I do not believe a farmer’s cannabis farm should ever affect the public and our neighborhoods.” You can see the entire questionnaire here.

When a resident reminded Supervisor Hermosillo of her statement, she replied:

“I want to be very clear that I did not make any campaign promises regarding cannabis policy. I also said that you should not have to smell your neighbor’s cannabis. I stand by those statements, and that is exactly what I was voting on yesterday. I also supported larger setbacks so residents would not have to smell cannabis from neighboring parcels.”

The Permit Sonoma staff presentations were often ambiguous, misleading, and confusing. Perhaps Supervisor Hermosillo did not understand what staff was proposing when she voted for 100-foot setbacks that will expose tens of thousands of residents to unhealthy emissions. She can still correct her vote and urge other supervisors to do so. If she believes she has not violated her campaign promise on this issue, she should explain her thinking in the VOICE.

If these issues are of concern, you can email Supervisor Hermosillo at:

Rebecca.Hermosillo@sonoma-county.org and email all supervisors at bos@sonoma-county.org. 

You can also leave a phone message (707-565-2241).