CLEARLAKE — The City Council passed one measure and balked on another Thursday night before it got around to making plans to oust the mayor.
After voting 4-1 to put a 1-percent sales tax measure on the November ballot, the council took up the medical marijuana grow ordinance that”s been a point of contention in recent months.
For nearly two months, disagreements among council members involved the question of whose rights are more important — the residential marijuana grower or the person who opens a residential daycare center a couple of houses down?
Mayor Jeri Spittler has argued from the beginning that the rights of a resident who is growing pot for medical purposes shouldn”t be denied if and when someone opens up a childcare center in the neighborhood.
But other council members argued on behalf of the rights of a citizen to open up that business, along with the potential safety and crime issues that a backyard grow site might create so close to so many children.
After weighing several options, the council basically agreed on a “grandfather clause,” meaning if the pot grower was there first, the opening of a daycare center nearby couldn”t shut down the residential grow site.
The proposal was kicked back to city staff for some rewording and clarifications. The council will have to take it up again, perhaps at its next meeting.
Spittler said she supported the compromise, despite having reservations.
“We”ve spent so much time on this, I think we need to get it passed,” she said.
Rich Mellott is a staff reporter for Lake County Publishing. He can be reached at 263-5636, ext. 14 or rmellott@record-bee.com.
