LAKEPORT ?About five to seven medical marijuana dispensaries opened their doors after the Lake County Board of Supervisors approved a temporary ordinance aimed at curbing the establishment of new dispensaries, an ordinance the board extended Tuesday.
Board members voted 4-0 to extend the ordinance for 10 1/2 months, but community development director Rick Coel said he expects to finish an ordinance for the board in about 45 days. The temporary ordinance also protects dispensaries from enforcement action that follow state law and that were established before Sept. 15. Supervisor Jim Comstock was absent from the meeting in the County Courthouse in Lakeport.
The Community Development Department will notify and regulate dispensaries that aren”t complying with the temporary ordinance.
On Sept. 15, the board adopted a 45-day moratorium to stop medical marijuana dispensaries from opening while the county develops a plan to regulate them.
Supervisor Rob Brown said having a dozen or more dispensaries in Lake County is excessive for a proposition voters passed to help people with legitimate medical problems.
“There are 17 gas stations in Lake County,” Brown said. “Before long we”ll have more dispensaries than gas stations. People are clearly trying to make a profit.”
When attorney Ron Green told the board about issues he had with language in the temporary ordinance, board members said they thought the wording was correct and will work.
“For me, this is a timeout,” Supervisor Anthony Farrington said.
The board addressed a few other issues during the short meeting Tuesday.
Board members voted 3-1 to move forward with the process of buying land at 3555 Lakeshore Blvd. in Nice with $102,000 of redevelopment funds. Brown dissented. The board will hold a public hearing on the issue before potential approval.
The Nice property is between two county parks, which has been “a longstanding problem” and has a pier, county administrator Kelly Cox said.
“If we were going to go out and build a pier it would probably cost us as much to do that,” Cox said.
Board members said they were hesitant on using general fund money to buy the property and asked staff to bring it back with redevelopment funding.
Brown said at a time when the board says no to people and projects, he doesn”t think the property is a priority.
The board presented Marilyn Holdenried with a proclamation of appreciation for her dedication to the community of Kelseyville.
Jim Wittshire, deputy director for the California State Association of Counties, presented chairwoman Denise Rushing, the board and the county with an etched glass CSAC Challenge Award for the Clearlake Oaks Revitalization Project.
Contact Katy Sweeny at ksweeny@record-bee.com or call her directly at 263-5636, ext. 37.
