Articles From : Melinda Burns

  • Graham Farrar is proposing to construct a 25,000 square-foot processing building at his cannabis greenhouse operation at Glass House Farms, also known as G & K Farms, at 3561 Foothill Road in the Carpinteria Valley. Farrar's greenhouses have been a focus of odor complaints from residents in recent years. (Photo by Melinda Burns)

    Sidestepping the Cannabis Caps

    New rules would promote local processing and boost tax revenues, county supervisors say.

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  • A 24-acre cannabis operation at 5645 Santa Rosa Road west of Buellton was approved 3-1 by the county Board of Supervisors this week. (Photo by Central Coast Agriculture)

    County Approves Second Cannabis “Grow” for Central Coast Agriculture

    Supervisors brush aside coalition’s concerns about water supply, air pollution

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  • More than 100 state-of-the-art carbon filters, called

    Ever-Bloom Tries to Clear the Air

    Carpinteria cannabis greenhouse gets a green light for new odor-control technology, but critics vow to appeal

     

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  • Blair Pence, the owner of Pence Vineyards & Winery, is president of the Santa Barbara Coalition for Responsible Cannabis, a countywide group that advocates for stricter regulation of the industry. (Courtesy photo)

    Cannabis Project Next to Pence Vineyards is Withdrawn

    Owners cite family’s ‘competing business interests’

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  • Hemp is currently grown on 179 acres in Santa Barbara County under a research program run by Allan Hancock College. (Photo by Mel Graham)

    New Rules in the Works for Hemp Growers

    County supervisors favor a 180-acre cap

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  • The cannabis industry has taken root during the past four years in the Carpinteria Valley, as cut flower greenhouses converted to pot. The “grows” are most heavily concentrated at the western end of the valley, shown here. (Courtesy photo)

    Partial Ceasefire in Carpinteria’s Cannabis Wars

    Former foes sign a pact to get rid of the stench of pot.

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  • The Sta. Rita Hills region west of Buellton is a federally designated American Viticultural Area; the county has approved zoning permits for 350 acres of cannabis there. An additional 250 additional acres of cannabis are proposed within the AVA. (Photo by Melinda Burns)

    Stricter Permits for Outdoor Cannabis Projects?

    After years of controversy, the county Board of Supervisors may tighten the rules.

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  • Dayspring abandoned large areas of hoop-house cultivation on his private property in the Los Padres, leaving a hard-packed surface that could create significant erosion during rains. (2019 photo by Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board)

    Helios Dayspring’s Shoddy North County Operations

    Indicted cannabis grower could lose the last of his state licenses to operate here.

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  • Cottonwood Roots held a open house in Los Alamos in March to present its plans for a cannabis dispensary on Bell Street; the group lost out to a Southern California firm during county review. (Photo by Jeffrey Bloom)

    County Releases Documents on Cannabis Storefront Selections

    For some applicants and residents, it’s too little, too late.

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  • The county Board of Supervisors this week approved a zoning permit for 87 acres of outdoor cannabis on this property at the western end of Sta. Rita Hills wine country. It is the largest “grow” approved to date in the county. (Courtesy photo)

    County Approves “Gargantuan” Cannabis “Grow” for the Sta. Rita Hills

    Vintners fear their premium wine grapes and tasting rooms will suffer

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  • Residents of La Mirada Drive above Foothill have complained that the smell of cannabis is making them sick. Here’s their view of the greenhouse industry, including G&K Farms, at the western end of the Carpinteria Valley, looking toward Nidever Road . Many of the greenhouses in the valley were formerly in cut flowers and and are now in cannabis. Courtesy photo.

    Carpinteria Cannabis Deals: The Pushback

    Warehouse opponent vows to take her fight to the state level, if necessary.

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  • The Island Breeze cannabis operation, shown here at 3376 Foothill Road, is across the road from the entrance to the Polo Condos, a complex of 140 apartments next to the polo grounds. (Credit: Anonymous)

    The County vs. Pot Growers

    Three cannabis operations feel the heat.

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  • An 850-acre vineyard, shown here in 2016, was installed in the northwestern Cuyama Valley by the Harvard Management Company, the investment arm of Harvard University. (Photo by the Santa Barbara County Water Agency)

    State Knocks “Deficiencies” in Cuyama Valley Groundwater Plan

    Dropping well water levels, threats to water quality and wetlands need more study, officials say.

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  • The 30-acre Central Coast Agriculture cannabis operation at 8701 Santa Rosa Road is less than half a mile from a residential neighborhood. (Photo by Melinda Burns)

    Cannabis Grower Faces Penalties for “Serious” Air Pollution

    Diesel generators at two operations west of Buellton spewed toxic exhaust for up to 343 days, authorities say.

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  • In a wide-ranging ruling this week, a Superior Court judge struck down a citizens' lawsuit against the County of Santa Barbara and Busy Bee’s Organics, an outdoor cannabis operation west of Buellton. Busy Bee’s is the parcel with the red dot on the map, between Highway 246 and the Santa Ynez River. Source: County Planning and Development.

    Big Win for Cannabis Industry in Superior Court

    Santa Barbara judge upholds county review and zoning permit for Busy Bee’s Organics near Buellton

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  • Cannabis operator John De Friel signed an agreement not to sue Kathy Joseph, owner of the Fiddlestix Vineyard, if pesticide from grapes should contaminate his plants. (Photo by Melinda Burns)

    Cannabis Operator, Winemaker Make Peace in the Sta. Rita Hills

    Grower agrees not to sue over any pesticide “drift” from grapes.

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  • Central Coast Agriculture, a 30-acre cannabis operation at 8701 Santa Rosa Road, will be required to hire to test for the smelly gases that the crop gives off during harvest time and address complaints from Buellton residents, the county Board of Supervisors said this week. A conditional use permit for the project was approved on Tuesday after a flurry of last-minute negotiations between the owner and a citizens’ coalition. (Photo by Melinda Burns)

    The Bar Has Been Raised

    Santa Barbara County Supervisors approve first outdoor cannabis “grow” with strict controls on the stench of pot.

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  • More than 740 acres of outdoor cannabis cultivation is proposed for the Cuyama Valley; Essa and Jawad have submitted applications for 133 acres at three locations, including this property at 2225 Foothill Road. The growers say cannabis will use half the water needed for alfalfa and carrots, the crops that have mined the groundwater basin to historical lows. (Courtesy photo)

    New Front in the Pot Wars

    Cannabis gains a foothold in the parched Cuyama Valley.

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  • Greg and Marllus Gandrud, plaintiffs in a Carpinteria cannabis lawsuit, sold their home this week at 1493 Chapparral Drive; they allege that the vapor system at Ever-Bloom, a commercial greenhouse cannabis operation adjacent to their back yard, was exacerbating Marllus’ asthma. (Greg Gandrud photo)

    Carpinteria Cannabis Plaintiffs Sell Home Next to Ever-Bloom

    Giant greenhouse pot operation was fouling the air, they say.

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  • The county Board of Supervisors has agreed to extend its state water contract by 50 years, starting in 2035. That’s the year that eight water agencies from Carpinteria to Santa Maria will pay off their debt for the $575 million pipeline from the California Aqueduct to Lake Cachuma. The aqueduct is shown here in Kern County. (Photo courtesy of the state Department of Water Resources)

    County Extends State Water Contract to 2085

    Supervisors delay a decision on how and where surplus water can be sold.

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