- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Board of Supervisors rejects temporary moratorium on ag, cannabis projects
Supervisor Bruno Sabatier presented the item to his colleagues, asking for them to pass the 45-day temporary moratorium in order to come up with solutions about how to protect the county water supply amid deepening drought conditions.
“This is climate change. Whether you want to agree that this is manmade or not is not the discussion,” he said.
However, with the urgency ordinance requiring a four-fifths vote of the board, it became clear early in the discussion that it would not have enough votes to pass after three board members voiced their opposition.
Sabatier said he believed he had brought traditional agriculture and cannabis growers together with his request. During public comment, both groups would voice opposition.
He presented data showing that Clear Lake is on track to drop to levels not seen since the drought of 1976 and 1977.
Sabatier said his goal was not to prohibit growth but to make sure the county has the vetting tools needed to protect the environment while making sure things are done correctly.
He said no ag projects currently were in the queue. The only cannabis projects that would be able to go through during the moratorium period would be about 14 that have already submitted plans to the state clearinghouse.
Sabatier said he’d spoken to the agricultural commissioners and the Lake County Cannabis Alliance about the matter. He said he’d received mostly positive input from the general public.
With the current drought reported to be the harshest in more than 1,200 years, Sabatier said it felt like the county was waiting for something to happen before taking any action. He said he wanted to make sure Lake County continues to be a farming community.
“It’s a tough topic. It gets very personal for those who are in the industries,” he said.
Despite Sabatier’s belief that the county could have a plan within 90 days to move forward, the majority of the board refused to support it.
Supervisor Tina Scott said she didn’t agree with the moratorium proposal, and that they needed to let Community Development Director Mary Darby complete work on updating county rules.
She said it is going to punish the good actors, but the bad actors will continue to waste water. “It’s just not going to solve the issues.”
Scott said she wanted to see enhanced hydrology standards, but added that the county cannot have knee jerk reactions.
The harshest criticism came from Supervisor Jessica Pyska, who said county staff was weeks away from coming back with proposals for how to rework the planning process to address issues like water.
She said Sabatier’s temporary moratorium would derail that, and that staff only had so much time available to work on these matters.
Citing staff issues and turnover, Pyska said, “To say that nothing’s been happening is wholly untrue.” She added that if Sabatier hadn’t seen any action it was because he wasn’t on the committee working with Community Development.
Pyska said the end goal is to get to a place of sustainability in our county and staff is now researching the watershed.
“This drought didn’t come out of nowhere,” said Psyka, adding that they have to work collaboratively and can’t just pile things on staff all the time.
Supervisor Moke Simon said he completely agreed with Scott and Pyska. “We’re doing the work.”
Simon said people need to think about how they’re living on the earth, bringing up issues with lawn grass, water storage and the local tribes’ lack of say on Clear Lake’s water rights.
“That’s our water,” he said. “Our tribal communities were not at the table when it was taken.”
Board Chair EJ Crandell was the only board member to offer any support for Sabatier,
Noting that in his Northshore district and its town halls there has been a lot of discussion of water in general, Crandell agreed that the county is working on addressing the situation and that the tribes were not considered when water rights were being determined.
He said he thought a 45-day moratorium would allow county staff to catch up on its works.
“I would have no problem considering a moratorium for 45 days despite the fact that it would affect some of you here, many of you here,” he said to the community members in the room.
The comments offered by community members were almost entirely against even a temporary pause.
Farmer and cannabis consultant Richard Derum noted, “Legalization has brought us new challenges.”
He said changes are needed in the industry itself, explaining that mixed light greenhouses are more sustainable than traditional outdoor grows.
Derum said those waiting in the approval queue likely can’t grow a crop this year anyway, so he didn’t see the need for an urgency ordinance.
As a consultant, Serum said he saw a “flip” in the industry last year, with the push going to fresh cannabis that’s more easily obtained through greenhouses.
Sarah Bodnar, a policy adviser for the Lake County Cannabis Alliance, said everyone acknowledges that the drought is a problem and that they are ready to work on solutions. “A moratorium isn’t one of them.”
She said they are farmers. “Without water we cannot farm.”
Ultimately, the board took no action on the proposal.
Sabatier said he appreciated everyone’s feedback and wished the county could come back sooner rather than later with solutions.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.