It’s a busy week of cannabis updates from California. Today’s news comes from Sonoma County, Sacramento, Oroville, Pomona and Alameda County.

• Sonoma County will hold a public hearing on August 7 to amend chapters 14 and 26 of the county code. The changes will allow adult-use cannabis businesses, enhance neighborhood compatibility, synchronize with state cannabis laws (where it makes sense), and several other minor amendments. The county will also determine if it is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act.
• Sacramento is holding a special city council cannabis workshop on Thursday, August 9.  As you may remember from our detailed article about the cannabis in Sacramento, there is a rolling deadline to submit your cannabis application.  Members of the public are welcome to join this meeting, which will cover topics such as:
  • Removing the distribution business permit square footage requirements
  • Re-configuration of the distribution permits
  • Special use regulations for cannabis production
  • Waiving the conditional use permit requirement for the self-distribution and transportation only distribution businesses.
  • A potential cannabis equity program.  (Note: San Francisco launched something similar not too long ago, and we will brief you on Los Angeles’ social equity program later this week).
• Oroville is planning a public hearing and may amend current zoning codes to establish new zones for commercial cannabis activities.
• Pomona is looking into amending and allowing cannabis use but may first create Safe Access Cannabis (SAC) and Industrial Cannabis (IC) overlay zones. This would prohibit cannabis businesses from being within 600 feet of schools, daycares and youth centers.  This is not unusual; most cannabis zoning laws have this stipulation. Pomona City will also submit a cannabis business tax measure on the November ballot.
• Alameda County recently released an application for a Cannabis Delivery Operator Permit.  If you are interested in applying, complete the application and submit to: 399 Elmhurst Street, Suite 141 Hayward, CA 94544

If you have cannabis licensing questions about the cities or counties listed here, or any other city in California, contact GreenGrowth CPAs today.