Santa Barbara County Second District Supervisor and board chair Laura Capps says she is pro-business, but that residents near cannabis sites have suffered for years. The Board of Supervisors approved amendments to the county cannabis code that will require carbon scrubbers and impose stiffer penalties.
Santa Barbara County Second District Supervisor and board chair Laura Capps says she is pro-business, but that residents near cannabis sites have suffered for years. The Board of Supervisors approved amendments to the county cannabis code that will require carbon scrubbers and impose stiffer penalties. Credit: Daniel Green / Noozhawk photo

After years of public outcry over cannabis odors, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors has voted to require carbon scrubbers for operators throughout the county.

The board voted to change the county code during Tuesday’s meeting at the County Administration Building in Santa Barbara.

“The air that we breathe is a public good resource (…), and I think now we’re shifting the burden back to where it belongs, which is really on those who are who are emitting an odor,” said Supervisor Joan Hartmann, who represents the Third District.

Under the revised code, all cultivation, processing and manufacturing facilities will be required to install multi-technology carbon scrubbers or equivalent odor technology.

Carbon scrubbers have been a longtime request from residents in the Carpinteria area and other parts of the county who have complained about odor from cannabis farms and processing facilities.

According to county staff, 15 to 20 cannabis operators operate without carbon scrubbers. They added that five to seven operators have already installed the scrubbers.

Second District Supervisor Laura Capps and Fourth District Supervisor Bob Nelson have led the charge for changing the ordinance and requiring carbon scrubbers.

Third District Supervisor Joan Hartmann says air is a public resource and that the responsibility to keep it clean should be on cannabis sites that emit odors.
Third District Supervisor Joan Hartmann says air is a public resource and that the responsibility to keep it clean should be on cannabis sites that emit odors. Credit: Daniel Green / Noozhawk photo

The board was able to act after Supervisor Roy Lee was elected to represent the First District. Lee, who ran on reining in cannabis odors in Carpinteria, was able to unseat longtime Supervisor Das Williams in last year’s election.

During Lee’s second meeting, the board supported scrubbers. They directed staff to develop an ordinance amendment to make the rule changes, which they approved during Tuesday’s meeting.

Under the new ordinance, the county will be allowed to revoke or deny licenses for operators who are not in compliance with the requirement.

Under the current plan, March 2026 will be the deadline to install carbon scrubbers unless the California Coastal Commission approves the cannabis ordinance amendments after that date.

Fifth District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino says he believes that the cannabis industry is being unfairly targeted, but that the carbon scrubbers are needed.
Fifth District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino says he believes that the cannabis industry is being unfairly targeted, but that the carbon scrubbers are needed. Credit: Daniel Green / Noozhawk photo

In that case, the ordinances would go into effect as soon as they are approved by the commission.

The board also was asked to consider extensions for sites that need more time to install any machinery.

The requests for delay could include supply chain issues, delays that prevent installing power for the technology, and other circumstances approved by the board.

During public comment, most speakers were supportive of the ordinance changes, including cannabis operators who said they agreed that carbon scrubbers were a good idea and that they wanted to be good neighbors.

However, some asked that the board not go too far in developing new ordinances. One speaker, Eric Edwards, said he employs more than 300 employees at his site.

“We need to provide stability and sustainability to the industry,” Edwards said.

He added that he supports the odor threshold that was discussed as part of a different agenda item but asked that county staff take multiple odor readings to ensure they get an accurate assessment.

Eric Edwards says his company supports more than 300 employees and asks that the Board of Supervisors take a balanced approach to the ordinance changes.
Eric Edwards, whose company supports more than 300 employees, asks the Board of Supervisors to take a balanced approach to the ordinance changes. Credit: Daniel Green / Noozhawk photo

Other speakers asked if the county could help growers by providing tax credits to make installing equipment more affordable.

During deliberations, Fifth District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino said he feels like the cannabis industry in Santa Barbara has been singled out. However, he expressed support for the plan and said the carbon scrubbers and other changes were needed.

“I hope that folks understand that at this point, the reality is, without significant odor control implementation, the industry is going to die anyway because of pushback from the community,” Lavagnino said.

He also stated that the smell is not pollution.

In her comments, Capps thanked the other supervisors for supporting the changes even if they were coming to the decision with different perspectives.

She also expressed her support for business and said the cannabis industry has offered good wages and jobs. The scrubbers will benefit workers, too, she said.

“One side’s a business, and I get that, and I’m pro-business, but the other side are just people wanting to have a good quality of life, and the hardship I believe, has been one that they (had to bear), that they had to deal with, and they have had to come to multiple meetings. Some of them have had real health consequences,” Capps said.

— Noozhawk staff writer Daniel Green can be reached at dgreen@noozhawk.com.