SOS Neighborhoods Policy Positions

Listed in priority order, Save our Sonoma Neighborhoods urges the electorate and the Board of Supervisors to support the following Sonoma County policy changes:

1) All commercial marijuana cultivation should be restricted to industrial zoning only. Commercial marijuana cultivation does not belong in neighborhoods, regardless of their zoning. It should be relegated to industrial-zoned areas where it does not jeopardize the health and safety of residences and can be properly monitored, regulated and contained by the County.

2) The County must immediately STOP issuing marijuana permits until the Sonoma County Ordinance is revised. The current Ordinance is fatally flawed, and the county must stop issuing new permits until the Supervisors can amend it to reflect community concerns over due process, water use, utility services, odor, public health and safety. Issuing more permits exacerbates these problems yet creates vested interest among marijuana growers, and is therefore an act of bad faith.

3) Ministerial marijuana cultivation permits should not be allowed. The community demands due process to raise compatibility issues before the County determines whether a commercial marijuana grow is compatible with a neighborhood and surrounding environment.

4) The County must cap the number of marijuana cultivation permits issued. Marijuana permits must be limited to prevent concentration in neighborhoods and oversupply. In addition to the cumulative environmental impact, this presents a problem for public safety. The county should not aspire to attract growers who supply the black market by transporting pot to other states where prices are much higher. The county should also avoid becoming a target for federal enforcement activities.

5) Disband the Cannabis Advisory Group (CAG). The current Cannabis Advisory Group (CAG) is biased towards facilitating marijuana operations that it cannot be allowed to continue. Many members have pending cultivation applications, conflicts of interest, and violate the public trust by making self-serving recommendations. If the supervisors need a advisory group, it should be reconstituted to have equal representation from citizens who are not in the marijuana industry.