Carpinteria Cannabis Growers Appeal What Could Be a Shut Down of Their Farms
Six cannabis growers in the Carpinteria Valley have appealed a license issue after failing to meet a county deadline. They have 60 days.
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Nine Cannabis Operators Miss County Scrubber Deadline, Appeals Still Possible
Nine Carpinteria area cannabis growers have failed to meet a cleaner air requirement. They will lose their licenses unless they can win an appeal.
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Santa Barbara Finance Committee Considers Cannabis Tax Hike
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – A proposed ordinance that would adjust the tax rates on cannabis businesses in the city of Santa Barbara is under consideration. The topic was on the agenda at a special Finance Committee meeting on Tuesday. “The city council directed staff to look at potentially raising the cannabis rate from what it is right now at
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Protesters Gather in the Thousands for “No Kings” Rallies in Carpinteria and Santa Barbara
CENTRAL COAST, Calif. (KEYT) – Thousands of people attended “No Kings” protests up and down the Central Coast and around the nation on Saturday. News Channel’s Kevin McClarty captured some of the march in Santa Barbara. “There are so many things that have happened, so many videos of how people are being treated. We had
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U.S. Citizen Detained During ICE Raid Responds to DHS Accusations
VENTURA, Calif. (KEYT) – A U.S. citizen and Army veteran detained during the Glass House cannabis farm ICE raid in July is responding to a Homeland Security social media post that followed an opinion piece he wrote that was published in the San Francisco Chronicle on Sept. 16th about his 3-day detainment. The op-ed was
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U.S. Citizen’s ICE Arrest Case Could Reach Supreme Court
VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) – Aerial video during an ICE raid could be called into evidence. George Retes can be seen standing next to his white car. He said the footage shows what happened as he tried to get to work during an ICE operation that left a farm worker dead and sparked protests
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Freed Veteran says he got caught between protesters and ICE agents on his way to work
CAMARILLO, Calif. – On July 10th, a disabled Army veteran and security guard said he got caught in the middle of protesters and ICE agents at Glass House Farms on his way to work in Camarillo. Aerial video shows George Retes arriving in his white car at the state licensed cannabis farm. “Every single officer
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‘Green Rush’ Fades: Santa Barbara Cannabis Revenues Go Up in Smoke, Grand Jury Says
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. — Santa Barbara County’s once-high hopes for cannabis tax revenue are going up in smoke, with a new Grand Jury report warning the program may soon become a financial burden without major reforms. Tax revenues peaked at $15.7 million in fiscal year 2020–21 but are projected to bring in just $5.4
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Vintner vs. Cannabis Grower: Feuding Neighbors in Wine Country
BUELLTON, Calif. – A class action lawsuit with broad implications for outdoor cannabis growers and their neighbors is approaching a pivotal moment, three years after it was filed in Santa Barbara County Superior Court. The plaintiffs in the case are Pence Vineyards & Winery, at 1909 West Highway 246; and Quantum Wines, the indoor and
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County Sheriff’s Cannabis Enforcement Team Is Disbanded: Shrinking revenues, fewer raids lead supervisors to shift funds elsewhere
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – The team of four county Sheriff’s deputies and a sergeant that busted dozens of illegal pot operations and confiscated tens of millions of dollars’ worth of marijuana, beginning in 2018, has been broken up. The move was made official on Tuesday at a county Board of Supervisors hearing on the
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Reality Check: County Supes Cut $1.4 million in Cannabis-Related Costs
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – In a significant course correction this week, the county Board of Supervisors cut $1.4 million from its cannabis budget, taking the knife to administration, auditing, planning review and especially law enforcement. Voting 4-0 on Tuesday, with Supervisor Bob Nelson of Orcutt absent, the supervisors settled on $5.3 million for cannabis-related
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Proposed California Bill aims to give tax relief to cannabis retailers in hopes of strengthening legal pot industry
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. — California’s cannabis industry has hit a few potholes. Public Health Institute Senior Advisor, Dr. Lynn Silver, says the market is just too saturated. Production has far surpassed demand, leading to a dramatic price drop. “Even though sales have continued to go up in California, the unit price went down. And so they’re
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Island Breeze, Bane of the Polo Condos, Is Shut Down — But for How Long?
CARPINTERIA, Calif. – The property owners at Island Breeze Farms, a controversial cannabis greenhouse operation across from the Polo Condos, are embroiled in bankruptcy proceedings, having declared $9.6 million in debts, $6.4 million in real estate assets and $3,400 in the bank, according to records at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Santa Barbara. Island Breeze
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Carpinteria homeowners’ class action lawsuit against cannabis grower gets legal green light
CARPINTERIA, Calif. — A Santa Barbara County Superior Court judge has certified a class-action lawsuit against a Carpinteria-based cannabis grower, allowing local homeowners to proceed to trial. The ruling, issued Wednesday, marks a significant shift in the legal grounds available for class-action lawsuits against cannabis growers and could have statewide implications. “This ruling will send
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‘Landmark’ Ruling Certifies a Class Action Against Valley Crest for ‘Nuisance Odor’
CARPINTERIA, Calif. – In a case that could have broad implications for commercial cannabis growers, Superior Court Judge Thomas Anderle ruled on Wednesday that the neighbors within a one-mile radius of Valley Crest Farms, a cannabis greenhouse operation in the Carpinteria Valley, can collectively seek damages for the pervasive smell of pot invading their properties.
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Upping the Ante: Planners Support Tough Odor Controls for All Cannabis Greenhouse
CARPINTERIA, Calif. – In a 5-0 vote on Wednesday, the county Planning Commission endorsed the most consequential changes to the county’s cannabis ordinance to date, recommending that all indoor growers be required to install advanced carbon filters, a state-of-the-art clean air technology, in each of their greenhouses. The “skunky” smell of pot, the commission said,
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Another Delay For Graham Farrar’s Cannabis Processing Building
CARPINTERIA, Calif. – One of the most contentious projects in the Carpinteria Valley — a proposed 25,400 square-foot processing building for a cannabis greenhouse operation that has generated hundreds of foul odor complaints — has been delayed again, this time during design review. The building is proposed by Graham Farrar, a co-owner of G&K Produce
Continue Reading Fine-Tuning Strict Odor Controls for Cannabis Greenhouses
CARPINTERIA, Calif. – Working on a fast track, the county Planning Commission on Wednesday tentatively endorsed a county Board of Supervisors proposal that would require the installation of state-of-the-art odor control technology inside every cannabis greenhouse in the Carpinteria Valley. Under the proposal, which will return to the commission for a vote on Feb. 19,
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The Downward Trend in Cannabis Tax Revenues
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – A disappointing first quarter for fiscal year 2024-25 garnered only $1.3 million in cannabis tax revenues for the county, the worst first quarter showing since the program began in 2018, the county CEO’s office reported this month. The first quarter, covering July through September, does not include the twice-yearly spring
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County Planners Reject the Island Breeze Cannabis Project
CARPINTERIA, Calif. – Island Breeze Farms, a small greenhouse pot operation across Foothill Road from the Polo Condos at the western end of the Carpinteria Valley, has been denied a zoning permit by the county Planning Commission. It is the first time the panel has turned down a cannabis project in the region. The 4-1
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