The county Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 Wednesday to advance updates to a proposed cannabis program in unincorporated areas, including rules related to land use and lounges.
The motion from Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe regarding the Socially Equitable Cannabis Program includes the following updates:
- align with state standards and allow all cannabis facility types, requiring a 600-foot buffer between them and schools, day care and youth centers;
- further consider and research consumption lounges and events, and
- further consider a community equity contribution program, allowing cannabis businesses that qualify to apply for tax rebates or grants, “ensuring sufficient time for new cannabis businesses to obtain all their required permits/licenses,” according to county documentation.
Along with Montgomery Steppe, Supervisors Paloma Aguirre and Terra Lawson-Remer voted yes, while Supervisors Joel Anderson and Jim Desmond were opposed. A vote on the full approval is not expected until this summer.
Supervisors had been asked to consider three options, described as “decision points,” for the cannabis program.
On land use, the supervisors also considered the following options, to:
- adopt blended rules and allow all cannabis business types, but require a 1,000-foot buffer from an expanded list of sensitive uses, not including residential care facilities or public trails, consistent with a 2022 Board of Supervisors’ directive, or
- prohibit outdoor cultivation via an ordinance amendment, and require a 1,000-foot buffer from an expanded list of sensitive sites, along with more buffers for mixed-light cultivation, also in line with the 2022 board directive.
Montgomery Steppe said there are economic benefits from legal marijuana, noting that 425,000 workers were employed in legal U.S. cannabis markets in 2024, holding positions ranging from security to botany. The United States is projected to see $46 billion in cannabis revenue this year, and revenue from the county’s program could mean more money for services and infrastructure, Montgomery Steppe added.
Aguirre said the cannabis policy was developed thoughtfully and deliberately, and aligns with state law. She said factors such education and community reinvestment help to create a regulated system.
According to a county staff report, “Many stakeholders expressed concern about intoxicated driving, odor, exposure to minors and overall community compatibility. These activities would be subject to state licensing and oversight, as well as enforcement to ensure compliance with public safety and operating standards.”
Desmond and Anderson acknowledged the concerns. Desmond said he supported prohibiting outdoor cultivation, lounges and community contribution. He added that not one community planning group “came out in favor of moving forward with this.”
Anderson said a notable number of his District 2 constituents are concerned about safety. Because California voters approved legalizing marijuana in 2016, the county’s job is not to rewrite the law, but implement it in a way that causes the least harm to communities, he said.
Illegal pot shops “don’t care who they sell to, they’re not accountable to anybody,” said Anderson, who added that four of five existing county cannabis shops are in his district and he receives no complaints about them.
In January 2021, former Supervisors Nathan Fletcher and Nora Vargas proposed a socially equitable cannabis policy as a way to eliminate the black market, and address how anti-drug policies impact low-income and minority communities.
Since that time, supervisors have approved several related policies, including tax rates in unincorporated areas and a grant to help five existing facilities.
In May 2024, supervisors voted 3-2 in favor of a program that advocates say will allow people impacted by previous criminalization efforts to participate in the regulated market.
In April 2023, supervisors voted 3-1 for an ordinance setting tax rates for the legal cannabis industry in the county’s unincorporated regions.
Updated 6:20 p.m. Jan. 14, 2026
