The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors has amended its cannabis ordinance in an attempt to curb odors, which follows years of complaints from residents who live near farms.
On Tuesday, supervisors voted to adopt multiple amendments intended to crack down on odors from cannabis sites by enacting an odor threshold, requiring technology to negate smells, and giving the county more power to punish operators who do not comply.
During public comment, Paul Roberts expressed his longtime frustration with cannabis odors. Despite the changes, he said, he is not sure they will help stop the odors that residents say have become common in Carpinteria and other parts of the county.
He also asked the board to consider requiring cannabis operators to submit 90-day updates to show they are meeting the standards outlined by the county.
“From the resident’s point of view, we don’t trust them. We are trying to trust the diligence of the staff, (but) remembering for me when I attended the Planning Commission meeting and I heard from the planning staff there have been no verified complaints (…) it’s a little bit offensive to us,” Roberts said.
Tadd McKenzie, who is co-president and CFO of the Pacific Dutch Group, was concerned about operators having enough time to install cannabis scrubbers. Operators will have 12 months after the board approves the new ordinance.
“Frankly, we’ve had a number of projects go through the county system and none of them have taken 12 months,” McKenzie said.
He also asked that the county consider a tax credit to offset the price of installing the technology.
One of the major changes the supervisors approved is establishing an odor threshold that will be measured at an operator’s property line. Under the new ordinance, suspected violators will have odors measured for a period of three minutes using a handheld device called a nasal ranger.
If an operator violates the established threshold they will be required by the county to take steps to fix the issue. The operators will also have to submit a written statement detailing how they resolved the issue along with their odor abatement plan (OAP) or potentially submit a revised OAP.
The county is also going to require multi-technology carbon scrubbers for operators throughout the county. Cultivation, processing, and manufacturing facilities will have until March 2026 to install a scrubber or equivalent odor technology.
Operators who do not install scrubbers could have their business license revoked, suspended, or have their renewal rejected by the county. New applicants will also be required to install carbon scrubbers before they are approved for licenses.
The new ordinance will also see the elimination of vapor systems, which have been used by some operators to cover up odors from cannabis operations using a misting system. The systems have been criticized by nearby residents as ineffective for odors and spraying chemicals onto their properties.
Cannabis Tax and Enforcement Report
In the second quarter of the fiscal year, Santa Barbara collected $1.4 million in cannabis tax revenues. According to county staff, this is a similar amount as the same quarter of last year.
Early projections show that the revenues for the 2024-25 year will be $5.4 million.
The presentation also detailed cannabis-related enforcement operations conducted by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office over the past few years. There have been 11 operations since July, including arresting a man who allegedly was mailing marijuana from online sales to states where it is illegal.
The Sheriff’s Office has confiscated 300,514 live plants since 2022, with an estimated value of $72.1 million.
During the presentation, the supervisors narrowed in on the estimated value of the confiscated plants. However, Commander Eric Raney of the sheriff’s office stated that he could not comment because of ongoing investigations.
Supervisor Steve Lavagnino seemed skeptical that more information could jeopardize the case and said the public and the board need more context.
Supervisor Joan Hartmann asked if the board could receive a fuller report that could describe the trends over time and provide a full picture. She said that the board has no clue about what the Sheriff’s Office is seeing, and a better presentation would allow the board to understand.
“I think we asked for it last time, I want to ask for it again. Especially as we need to think about, we’re not bringing in as much revenue. We have to make some decisions about where we’re going to invest the revenue and you’re not giving a very compelling picture,” Hartmann said.