Santa Barbara County DA orders cannabis farm to pay $40k for environmental violations

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. -- The Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office announced a settlement with 805 Agriculture Holdings, LLC on Tuesday.

District Attorney Joyce E. Dudley announced today that her Consumer and Environmental Protection Unit has obtained a $40,000 stipulated final judgment against 805 Agricultural Holdings, LLC. 

805 Agriculture Holdings is a cannabis farm on the Central Coast.

In the settlement, it resolved allegations that 805 Agricultural Holdings committed Fish and Game Code violations in connection with the production or cultivation of cannabis. It was alleged that the cannabis farm unlawfully altered a streambed by removing vegetation from a stream, grading a road within a stream and constructing hoop houses within a stream.

It was further alleged that they had polluted a stream with diesel fuel, hoop houses, pesticides, herbicides, rodenticides, fertilizers, unconsolidated soil and plastic irrigation pipes.

“Although cannabis cultivation is lawful under California law, with the appropriate governmental permissions, cultivators must comply with environmental laws like any other business,” said District Attorney Dudley.

The cannabis farm will have to follow the conditions that were agreed on:

• $35,000 in civil penalties, payable as follows pursuant to California law:
  • $23,000 to the County of Santa Barbara, for the enforcement of consumer protection laws;
  • $3,000 to the Santa Barbara County Treasurer, for deposit in the County Fish and Wildlife Propagation Fund;
  • $3,000 to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, for deposit in the Fish and Game Preservation Fund;
  • $1,800 to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife;
  • $2,400 to the California Timber Regulation and Forest Restoration Fund; and
  • $1,800 to Santa Barbara County, to reimburse District Attorney costs of investigation and prosecution.
• $5,000 as cost reimbursement to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
• Injunction mandating compliance with applicable Fish and Game Code provisions.