As someone who gathered signatures lately to stop the recent cultivation ordinance, I want to clarify a couple points and provide an update to recent events.
This referendum that we passed did not throw out the proposed ordinance altogether, it only stopped it from going into immediate effect.
At this very moment, the Board of Supervisors are deciding whether to put this on the ballot this summer, and they have until March to decide. So I ask anyone who really cares about the future of this county to get informed and take a stand.
There is much more to this ordinance than any one thing, and there will be many repercussions if this new ordinance were to be voted in this summer.
This new ordinance, would make it illegal for anyone to grow their medicine if they have less than an acre, live inside a community growth boundary, and would require written approval from your land lord if you are renting.
It would also prevent indoor grows that use over 1,200 watts of electricity, which is less than a plug-in space heater takes, and you can not use more than 100-feet of square space. Which is about a quarter of your garage space. If the ordinance goes through, it will affect local businesses because if people can not grow their own personal medicine, they will no longer be buying the supplies they need from local stores.
This includes nurseries, soil companies, hardware stores etc. People without health insurance will be without their alternative medicine.
Now, If this ordinance is stopped, it will be replaced on the November ballot with an alternative measure which will promote small personal growers and help come down harder on those with commercial or violent cartel type grows, which are federally illegal and give medicinal growers a bad name. Some alternatives may include tagging, code enforcement check-offs, etc.
The new alternative measure is not set in stone because it is still being drafted but it will offer alternatives so that residents and the board of supervisors do not feel like it is necessary to eradicate cultivation all together. Ask the Board of Supervisors. to throw the ordinance out instead of putting it before the voters. We would like to help craft an ordinance together.
Extend the Urgency ordinance, and allow us the time to create a permanent ordinance that better provides for patients needs while keeping the residents of this county safe.
This ordinance was written out of fear for the unknown, and we are trying to eliminate that fear.
Megan Berger
Clearlake
