LAKE COUNTY >> Lake County Administrator Matt Perry confirmed the authenticity of email correspondence between Community Development Director Richard Coel and others dated April 30 suggesting a new dispensary ordinance be put before the Board of Supervisors (BOS) less than a week before the June 3 election, but noting that a failure of Measure N at the polls might make the issue moot.
“My goal is to ask the BOS approve the Ord. on May 27th then advance it 2 weeks for a 2nd reading on June 10th,” the email apparently stated. “If (Measure) N failed then BOS does not need to approve it.” The message went on to suggest the move would indicate allowing some dispensaries would offset the denial of outdoor cultivation.
Perry said he recalls discussing the issue with County Council Anita Grant at the time, and as the ordinance was not placed on the agenda in the time frame Coel suggested, the matter was resolved.
“Anita and I discussed it at length and she has advised county employees on the limitations and appropriate role that county employees should or shouldn”t take on measures,” Perry said.
Perry added that Grant sends out guidelines to county employees in the weeks preceding elections, which advise employees of the do”s and don”t”s of using county resources and staff time for political activities.
While dispensaries have been outlawed in unincorporated parts of the county since late 2011, the BOS did take up the discussion of allowing a specified number of them again on July 1, though the agenda item was postponed as one of the supervisors left early due to the Butts Fire.
On Aug. 5, the BOS resumed the conversation. Despite Measure N”s passage though, District 3 Supervisor Denise Rushing questioned whether the county really needed dispensaries and the board decided to postpone a decision on the ordinance until some of the supervisors had the opportunity to meet with members of county staff.
Philip Murphy, who was privy to the email correspondence, originally between Coel and Chamber of Commerce CEO Fulton but forwarded to others, also raised the question of whether Coel”s press release on Oct. 27 concerning Measure N”s effectiveness was also coordinated to influence the coming election. The release came just 11 days before the election and is the only release the Record-Bee has received from the county that describes the number of marijuana plants eradicated under Measure N.
However, in addition to providing the number of plants eradicated, the release also seeks to abolish the misconception “as to the nature and scope of the preliminary injunction recently issued by a federal court and the effect of that injunction on Measure N.”
Perry said he was also concerned that the public may view the release as a political move and it was subsequently reviewed by Grant, who deemed it appropriate because of the information it contained that the county could still act within the restrictions and perimeters of Measure N, despite the court”s ruling.
The email appears to be concerned with public options. Scheduling the vote as suggested, it said, “Will give me 2 opportunities to restate the 3 existing options patients still have for access when living in community boundaries, (dispensaries will provide a 4th option),” referencing the three dispensaries located in Clearlake. “The BOS has taken a formal position in support of Measure N so I want to provide whatever opportunities possible for the BOS to reiterate that.”
Coel also included that he had shared the administrative draft of the dispensary ordinance with Daniel McLean and a former dispensary operator and that they had “both indicated a willingness to review and try and provide some constructive input before I take this to the Board of Supervisors.”
He requested Fulton to forward the draft to anyone in the Chamber of Commerce who might be interested in reviewing or commenting on it.
Coel did not return multiple calls to his office.
