Cannabis Revenues Disappoint
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   March 21, 2023

At a SB County Board of Supervisors hearing this past Tuesday, the board was briefed on second-quarter revenues for Fiscal Year 2022-23 related to cannabis tax revenue, which continues to trend lower than budgeted with a projected $10.5M negative variance.  With an adopted budget of $16.3M, cannabis cultivation and retail storefront tax is currently projecting […]

Smells Like Compromise: Cannabis Farmers, Activist Group Strike Deal to Address Odor Issues in Carpinteria
By Nick Masuda   |   August 27, 2021

After months of back-and-forth stemming from ongoing concerns over what some claim is a stench of cannabis throughout Carpinteria Valley, the Santa Barbara Coalition of Responsible Cannabis and CARP (Cannabis Association for Responsible Producers) Growers have struck a deal to “resolve odor issues in a proactive and cooperative way” across the valley. According to a […]

 

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County Enforcement or County Stunt?
By Jeff Giordano   |   June 10, 2021

I’m loving what I’m seeing on Coast Village Road as most of us pull ourselves from our cocoons — an inside table at Lucky’s, things really are getting “normal.” It’s a spring like no other and I can’t wait to become fully engaged in our community because, frankly, it needs as much help as we […]

No Conflict of Interest Found in Cannabis Licensing Scandal; L.A. Magazine Stands by Story
By Nick Schou   |   May 27, 2021

It’s now been two months since Los Angeles Magazine published a bombshell exposé by former Montecito Journal reporter Mitchell Kriegman claiming marijuana-related corruption inside Santa Barbara’s City Hall. At the center of Kriegman’s sprawling, roughly 4,000-word story, which the Journal declined to publish last year before Kriegman departed from the paper, was the contention that […]

Santa Barbara Launches Probe in Wake of Corruption Allegations
By Nick Schou   |   March 17, 2021

On Monday, March 16, Santa Barbara Interim Police Chief Barney Melekian issued a statement responding to a March 12 Los Angeles Magazine article that raised allegations of corruption and undue influence involving Anthony Wagner, the department’s public information officer, who previously helped run the city’s cannabis dispensary licensing process. Melekian’s announcement stated that he was […]

Summerland Cannabis Survey
By Leslie Westbrook   |   September 3, 2020

Decisive Opposition to New Dispensary Despite 70 percent of Summerland voters in the state election voting in favor of marijuana legalization, residents and business owners are overwhelmingly against the establishment of a cannabis dispensary in town. So says a recent survey with a sample that comprises 25 percent of residents and almost all business owners […]

Cannabis Under Fire, Part Three
By Nick Schou   |   July 23, 2020

Ever since the Santa Barbara Grand Jury issued its damning report last month on the explosion of cannabis cultivation in Santa Barbara County, a widening ripple of reaction has circled around Carpinteria, Goleta, and Buellton, where residents hope the controversy will aid their efforts to curtail the industry. As the Montecito Journal reported last week, […]

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  • Cannabis Under Fire: Part 2
    By Nick Schou   |   July 16, 2020

    Das Williams, Santa Barbara’s First District Supervisor, suddenly found himself under a harsh, almost Perry Mason-style cross examination during a July 13 interview with Steve Chiotakis, host of KCRW’S Greater L.A. radio talk show. “Your campaign contributions come from pot lobbyists trying to grow weed,” Chiotakis scoffed at one point. “And look, it’s legal, yeah, […]

    Fragrant Cane Supper Club
    By Dalina Michaels   |   February 27, 2020

    There is a new supper club in town – but it’s not your granny’s get-together of the ‘50s. This is a chance to experience a meal on a new level… a “high”-er level, if you will. Just when you thought your Friday night couldn’t get more exciting, enter Melissa Petitto and Cynthia Abulafia. Both moms. […]