Never, never be afraid to do what's right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society's punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.
~ attributed to Martin Luther King, Jr.
News & Announcements
PLEASE support Penman Springs community appeal of proposed, incompatible cannabis grow in Paso Robles (4/29/22)
A twisted tail of corruption in SLO County [Cal Coast News] (7/31/21)
Cannabis magnate admits bribing San Luis Obispo County supervisor [LA Times] (7/29/21)
Marijuana mogul charged with bribing SLO County Supervisor [Cal Coast News] (7/28/21)
Urgent! Help Penman Springs Road Community fight pot farm proposed next to family homes (5/25/21)
Urgent! Help Oak Shores Nacimiento community against new pot grow heading to Planning Commission (4/20/21)
Templeton Area Advisory to review large, proposed cannabis operation next to Templeton church on December 2nd - Community members invited to attend virtually (11/30/20)
Nipomo cannabis growers fined $500,000 for illegal activity (Cal Coast) (8/4/20)
Hemp growers sue SLO County to overturn 'de facto ban' (New Times) (6/18/20)
Wineries sue over cannabis operation (Wine-Searcher) (5/6/20)
Brazen burglary at Washington County marijuana farm caught on camera; armed suspects sought (Fox12 - Oregon) (1/20/20)
Government bodies and residents grapple with accessibility amid COVID-19 pandemic (New Times SLO) (4/9/20)
Local business lambasts SLO County cannabis grower applicant for "complete distortion of facts, misrepresentation of impacts" (Public record letter - SLO County) (3/30/20)
Santa Barbara County Planning Commission to recommend more rigorous permit for all cannabis cultivation (Santa Maria Times) (3/27/20)
Carpinteria residents file lawsuit against marijuana growers over cannabis odor (KEYT) (2/28/20)
County to Investigate Cannabis Affidavits as Part of Evolving Enforcement Plan (Noozhawk) (2/5/20)
Ellen Beraud not showing up to debates (SLO Trib article) (1/30/20)
Residents weigh in on Santa Barbara County cannabis regulations (KSBY) (1/22/20)
Limit Industrial Marijuana Cultivation in Santa Barbara County (Santa Barbara Independent) (1/21/20)
Beraud takes big campaign donations from controversial marijuana figures (CalCoast News) (1/21/20)
Grover Beach pot shop runs dance studio out of business (CalCoast News) (1/17/20)
Don’t let unscrupulous cannabis growers hijack SLO County (CalCoast News) (1/14/20)
What’s driving SLO County’s erratic marijuana oversight? (CalCoast News) (1/14/20)
Is SLO’s marijuana shop approval process unbiased? (CalCoast News) (1/8/20)
Deputies seek armed suspects in Stanislaus Co. marijuana grow robbery (1/2/20)
California's legal pot industry is stuck. Should voters step in? (1/2/20)
Millions of Americans are driving under the influence of marijuana, CDC says (1/2/20)
SLO County supervisors bend to pressure from marijuana moguls (1/2/20)
SLO County Board of Supervisors does not extend cannabis abeyance period - set to end on Dec. 31st. (12/12/19)
Stephanie Shakofsky announces candidacy for District 1 Supervisor (12/10/19) (Candidate site here)
Carpinteria is on edge as pot gains new clout (11/10/19)
Listen to SCWG on 920 KVEC calling for a cannabis cultivation moratorium. Fix this ordinance, SLO County, this time with real public input! (11/7/19)
Police: $1B Worth Of Marijuana Found On California Hemp Fields (11/1/19)
El Dorado County Sheriff's Deputy murdered while responding to reported theft from cannabis farm (10/23/19)
Cal Coast: Cannabis industries’ dirty loophole, research exempt hemp (10/22/19)
Think cannabis cultivation and crime don't go hand-in-hand? A Templeton cannabis farm just got targeted by thieves. Another reminder that cannabis cultivation is NOT compatible with traditional agriculture or homes. (10/21/19)
Cal Coast News: San Luis Obispo based lawsuit challenges California Cannabis Bureau over marijuana billboards (10/9/19)
Read our 2nd OpEd on John Peschong and what the County Board of Supervisors needs to do to fix the next-door cannabis problem in SLO County (10/7/19)
LA Times: These California politicians once helped regulate legal marijuana. Now they’re working for the industry (10/1/19)
WineBusiness.com: Napa supervisors prepare to ban cultivation, manufacturing, and sale of commercial cannabis in unincorporated Napa County (9/18/19)
'Save Rural SLO' have filed suit against SLO County following appeal of the Paso Robles Airport Road cannabis cultivation to the county board of supervisors. Case # 19CVP-0301 petitioners claim the site is not compliant with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). (9/18/19)
Capitol Press: Alleged marijuana damage to grapes ruled plausible (9/14/19)
The perception vs. the reality of local government vetting cannabis businesses. Cal Coast News' coverage of Grover Beach shops quickly selling off cannabis business licenses (9/13/19)
LA Times: Nearly 3,000 illegal marijuana businesses found in California audit, dwarfing legal trade (9/11/19)
Read our OpEd on John Peschong and the bad cannabis ordinance (9/8/19)
Forbes: FBI Seeks Tips on Marijuana Industry Corruption (8/16/19)
KEYT: $20 million marijuana grow eradicated in San Luis Obispo County
Washington Ag Department: Hemp CBD Foods Are Illegal (8/16/19)
LA Times: California now has the biggest legal marijuana market in the world. Its black market is even bigger (8/15/19)
Cal Coast: Marijuana industry donations lead in SLO County races: Pot farmers and their agents are donating big to local politicians. Clearly, they'll want a return on their investment (pssssst....at the expense of county residents and residences) (8/12/19)
Please download and sign this letter to the SLO County Planning Commission on newly Proposed Cannabis Grow in Nipomo. "There are significant issues regarding this project’s revision, renaming, renumbering, lack of posting on the County website, lack of reference to previous project within the project description, lack of reporting changes for consideration of SCAC, lack of notification to neighbors by applicant within the required time by cannabis ordinances amendments adopted in December 2018 - making this project unrecognizable to the project which was first proposed September 2018, and therefore we have not had sufficient time to provide input to this 'new’ project." (7/23/19)
Listen to SCWG (Stephanie Shakofski and Michelle Wortner) on Dave Congalton's Show, 920 KVEC (June 21st, 2019)
Part 1
Part 2
Sacramento Bee: Chinese money funding real estate acquisitions to perform illegal cannabis grows. (6/19/19)
San Diego authorities raid and arrest a 'legal' cannabis business in northern San Diego County (6/18/19)
Another accurate and scathing article of how Santa Barbara County has been trashed by cannabis production interests (a portent for what awaits SLO county and the similar path it's taking) (6/18/19)
Cannabis compliance team seizes illegal cannabis near Goleta (note: it was a former 'legal' operator) (6/18/19)
Call for input! Come help the Creston Advisory Board (CAB) set criteria, plans and actions regarding the encroachment of the cannabis industry in their community. At Creston Church, Wednesday, 6/19 from 7 to 9:30pm.
CalCoast Article on SLO County's promotion of marijuana over hemp (6/18/19)
Call for action! Please view and sign our SLO County Phase 2 cannabis ordinance amendment petition here! (6/18/19)
LA Times article on Santa Barbara county and some of the disastrous impacts 'regulated' cannabis growing is having on its residents, agriculture and health (6/12/19)
CalCoast article on new lawsuit against Nipomo grower and San Luis Obispo County (6/4/19)
Carpinteria leaders call special meeting to deal with cannabis impacts from nearby county property (6/4/19)
New lawsuit filed against the County’s approval of a cannabis project on border of Nipomo/Arroyo Grande citing violation of environmental law (5/31/19)
An open letter to the SLO County Board of Supervisors concerning Phase 2 cannabis ordinance amendments (5/28/19)
<< News and Alerts Archive >>
Because BIG CANNABIS doesn't belong in our beautiful San Luis Obispo County neighborhoods
(Click to open map of planned pot production sites )
Here are the TOP things you can do:
1. Reach out to your Board of Supervisors.
Write and tell them that the Title 22 Cannabis ordinance needs to be scrapped or overhauled because you want to protect families and children, protect your neighborhoods and limit crime from the co-location of cannabis production. You can also tell them that you don't think any taxes the county receives from marijuana are worth the industry's horrific impact to San Luis Obispo's quality of life and character. Here are your SLO county supervisors.
Here is a sample letter you can use to send to each member of the Board of Supervisors.
2. Tell the SLO County Planning Commission. The planning commissioners are very powerful and they need to know they cannot and will not get away with promoting cannabis production and locating its many risks into our neighborhoods. Here's their link.
3. Get involved in your county advisory group and make it abundantly clear that marijuana has no place in SLO county or in your neighborhood. Here are the advisory groups and their links:
Cayucos Citizens Advisory Group
Los Osos Community Advisory Council
Santa Margarita Advisory Council
These groups solicit the community's perspective on new cannabis applications. Write letters to them and show up at their meetings.
4. Write letters to the editor of all of the local newspapers. Be concise, respectful and clear why you want to see cannabis removed from SLO county neighborhoods. Here are some 'Writing Effective Letters to the Editor" tips.
Suggested news outlets are:
5. Get a map and listing from the SLO county planning and building department on all cannabis applications in your area, or those of your friends. Be informed about the decisions someone else - whether marijuana grower or county official - is making for you and your neighborhood.
6. Show up to planning commission hearings when the county is considering an applications that impact you, ones you love or the larger community. They take public comments at these hearings. Click here for information.
7. If the planning department or planning commission force a neighborhood to accept marijuana businesses around it, this decision can be appealed. Appeals go before the county board of supervisors, so you can write to them and show up at the appeal hearings, too!