MelindaBurns
County Sheriff’s Cannabis Enforcement Team Is Disbanded
The team of four county Sheriff’s deputies and a sergeant that busted dozens of illegal pot operations and confiscated tens of millions of dollars’ worth of marijuana, beginning in 2018, has been broken up. The move was made official on…
Vintner vs. Cannabis Grower: Feuding Neighbors in Wine Country
A class action lawsuit with broad implications for outdoor cannabis growers and their neighbors is approaching a pivotal moment, three years after it was filed in Santa Barbara County Superior Court. The plaintiffs in the case are Pence Vineyards &…
Reality Check: County Supes Cut $1.4 million in Cannabis-Related Costs
The Sheriff’s Office will take the biggest hit. In a surprise move, the board signaled it may shift law enforcement funds to health, education and youth programs. In a significant course correction this week, the county Board of Supervisors cut…
Op-Ed: A Tale of Two Billionaires
Wendy McCaw foreshadowed Donald Trump, and our fight to save the free press and the rule of law is the country’s fight now. Wendy McCaw, the billionaire former owner of the Santa Barbara News-Press, admired Donald Trump. In 2016, she…
Western Flyer Cruises into the Santa Barbara Harbor
About 350 people visited the Western Flyer, the most famous fishing boat in the world, at Santa Barbara Harbor on Wednesday, on one of its stops on the way to the Sea of Cortez, also known as the Gulf of…
County Supervisors Make History With A Mandate For Clean-Air Technology In All Cannabis Greenhouses
“It’s about time,” Carpinterians say. In a historic vote this week, the county Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted what may be the toughest odor-control regulations for commercial cannabis in the nation, requiring the installation of state-of-the-art odor control systems inside…
The Nuts and Bolts of Cannabis Odor Control
Three county supervisors listen to Carpinteria residents at their hometown City Hall. A standing-room-only crowd packed into Carpinteria City Hall on Friday, eager to advise three county supervisors on how best to get rid of the smell of pot that…
Island Breeze, Bane of the Polo Condos, Is Shut Down — But for How Long?
Property owners are bankrupt, owing more than $9 million, court records show. The property owners at Island Breeze Farms, a controversial cannabis greenhouse operation across from the Polo Condos, are embroiled in bankruptcy proceedings, having declared $9.6 million in debts,…