LAKE COUNTY — Pot dispensaries in the unincorporated communities are supposed to be shutting down, and the county government is making sure that happens.
Medical marijuana clubs were deemed as unauthorized land-uses in the county”s jurisdiction late last year after the Board of Supervisors (BOS) responded to a successful referendum petition by rescinding an ordinance it had passed in August to establish regulations under which dispensaries could operate.
The supervisors then voted 4-1 in December to direct county staff to move forward with the abatement process to close the pot shops.
And a majority of dispensary owners have either already obliged or indicated to the county that they plan to, according to Community Development Director Rick Coel.
Of the 10 clubs operating at the time the ordinance was passed, Coel said as few as three could still be open come Monday.
Some dispensaries have closed, more intend to shut down soon and others are set to be converted to different uses, according to Coel.
Club owners began receiving formal notices in November, informing them the county considered their businesses illegal.
The timeframe for operators to voluntarily shut down is waning, and those who fail to close their shop in time face having to pay fees resulting from county code enforcement action.
The BOS discussed that very issue Tuesday, holding nuisance abatement hearings for two dispensaries during its regular meeting at the Lake County Courthouse.
Attorney Robert W. MacKenzie, representing the owner of Alternative Solutions in Clearlake Oaks, tried to argue that the club was a legal use for the property, but the supervisors had no interest in rehashing the debate about whether dispensaries are allowed.
From the board”s standpoint, that conversation has ended and dispensaries are not permitted anywhere in unincorporated Lake County.
“We tried to provide authorization,” District 4 Supervisor Anthony Farrington said, referencing the repealed ordinance.
The BOS unanimously approved an order to abate the nuisance, giving the owner until Friday to shut down the dispensary. MacKenzie said his client intends to do just that.
Should Alternative Solutions continue to operate after the deadline, county code enforcers would close the club and the owner would have to pay for costs associated with that action.
The BOS also talked about Triple C Collective in Clear Lake Riviera. Coel told the supervisors that shop has closed.
Another dispensary, H2C in Middletown, will be the subject of an abatement hearing on Feb. 7 unless it shuts down beforehand, according to Coel. He added that two shops in Lucerne are set to cease operations by Monday, with one converting to a retail store.
Coel said if the Lucerne clubs close as planned, the number of dispensaries operating in the unincorporated areas would be three. That would equal the number of pot shops open in the City of Clearlake. None exist in the City of Lakeport.
