Memorandum
Date: October 5, 2021
To: The Honorable Lake County Board of Supervisors
From: Carol J. Huchingson, County Administrative Officer
Subject: Consideration of Local Jurisdiction Assistance Grant Program
Executive Summary:
On September 14, 2021, the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) released draft guidelines for the Local Jurisdiction Assistance Grant Program. The goal of this grant, as authorized by the Budget Act of 2021 (SB-129), is to provide funding to local jurisdictions with commercial cannabis licensees needing the greatest assistance in transitioning from provisional licenses to annual licenses.
Staff from the Administrative Office and Community Development Department have participated in providing requested data and comments on the program with DCC staff. There is $100 million allocated to this program. The County of Lake is currently eligible for funding up to $884,309 in Grant Program Funding, with an additional $1,216,834 available due to the County having created an Equity Program. At this time, a maximum total of $2,101,143 has been allocated to the County.
Two of the eligible uses for funding include:
- Local government review, technical support, and certification for application requirements.
- Local government or other professional preparation of environmental documents in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act for permits, licenses, or other authorizations to engage in commercial cannabis activity.
Based on the information provided by DCC, Staff recommends the County engage contract professional services to support CDD in addressing the backlog of cannabis cultivation applications. Grant funds can be used to fund these services to both relieve the burden on CDD staff and expedite the processing of County permits. This will be enable those applicants to complete their local permitting process and receive their annual license with the state.
Staff seeks direction from your Board to both complete the application when it is made available and to request funding for professional services to assist CDD in processing cannabis cultivation applications.
If not budgeted, fill in the blanks below only:
Estimated Cost: ________ Amount Budgeted: ________ Additional Requested: ________ Future Annual Cost: ________
Consistency with Vision 2028 (check all that apply): ☐ Not applicable
☐ Well-being of Residents ☐ Public Safety ☐ Disaster Prevention, Preparedness, Recovery
☒ Economic Development ☐ Infrastructure ☐ County Workforce
☐ Community Collaboration ☒ Business Process Efficiency ☐ Clear Lake
Recommended Action: Provide direction to staff