HomeMy WebLinkAboutcc min 2017/08/03 WkshpCity of Chula Vista
Meeting Minutes - Final
Thursday, August 3, 2017 4:00 PM Council Chambers
276 4th Avenue, Building A
Chula Vista, CA 91910
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP
CALL TO ORDER
A regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Chula Vista was called to order at 4:01 p.m. in the
Council Chambers, located in City Hall, 276 Fourth Avenue, Chula Vista, California.
ROLL CALL:
Present: Councilmember Aguilar, Councilmember Diaz, Deputy Mayor McCann, Councilmember
Padilla and Mayor Casillas Salas
Also Present: City Manager Halbert, City Attorney Googins, Acting City Clerk Bigelow, and Deputy City
Clerk Larrarte
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG AND MOMENT OF SILENCE
Councilmember Padilla led the Pledge of Allegiance.
PUBLIC COMMENTS
There were none.
WORKSHOP
17-0306 CANNABIS WORKSHOP
Presentation and discussion of current state cannabis laws and the future
of local regulations regarding cannabis
Deputy City Manager Bacon, Deputy City Attorney McClurg, and Police Chief Kennedy presented
information on the item and answered questions of the Council.
The following members of the public spoke in support of regulations that would allow cannabis sales in
the City:
- Sam Elhomsy, Bonita resident, representing Pharmacists Association, and he gave a presentation
- David King, San Diego resident, and he also expressed concerns regarding marijuana use
- Alan Cassell, Chula Vista resident
- Mike Barbee, San Diego resident, representing Lighthouse Pharmacy
- Theresa Acerro, Chula Vista resident, and she also spoke in support of adequate staffing for regulation,
inspections, and criminal enforcement
- Ken Sobel, San Diego resident, representing Grow for Vets US California
- Mickey Kasparian, San Diego resident, representing UFCW Local 135
- Sapphire Blackwood, San Diego resident, representing Association of Cannabis Professionals
- Derek Candelario, Chula Vista resident
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City Council Meeting Minutes - Final August 3, 2017
The following members of the public spoke in opposition to regulations that would allow cannabis sales in
the City.-
- Manolo Guillen, Chula Vista resident
- William Perno, Chula Vista resident
- Kathleen Lippitt, Poway resident, representing San Diegans for Safe Neighborhoods
John Redman, San Diego resident, representing CADFY, spoke regarding issues with marijuana sale and
use in other countries.
Carol Green, Chula Vista resident, spoke in opposition to commercializing marijuana.
Randy Epstein, Chula Vista resident, submitted a request but declined to speak.
At the request of Councilmember Padilla, there was consensus of the Council to request a summary of
the recent trip Mayor Casillas Salas and staff took to Aurora, Colorado to learn about Aurora's
implementation of cannabis regulations.
At the request of Mayor Casillas Salas, there was consensus of the Council to direct staff to provide a
report within 90 days on the effects of legalizing and regulating the sale of cannabis, including the
following points:
- Efforts of cities that have approved cannabis sales, both regulatory and educational, to prevent and
reduce the use of cannabis by minors,-
-
inors;- Potential or proposed regulations that may be required to protect public safety;
- Zoning requirements to prevent clustering of cannabis operations and to protect the City's neighbors and
economy;
- Regulations and resources needed to quickly shut down unlicensed operations, as well as costs
associated with current efforts to close illegal operations; and
- Additional information on the two initiatives that had been submitted to the city clerk, including efforts to
inform and solicit input from the public.
Councilmember Diaz requested staff also provide information on the following:
- Anticipated resources and costs for all affected departments to administer a legalized cannabis
program, including education, prevention, and treatment programs;
- Cost for the City Attorney to implement a criminal prosecution unit,' and
- Actions the City could take to oppose the proposed initiatives.
Councilmember Diaz also spoke in support of staff creating a webpage to make materials provided to the
City available to the public, including reports and studies.
Councilmember Padilla requested staff also provide information on the following:
- Research and information on the correlation between individual use and access to cannabis;
- Options for potential regulations to address safety concerns related to cash -based businesses; and
- The ability of local regulations to control aspects of cannabis sales, such as the potency and availability
of certain products to specified age groups.
City Attorney Googins provided information on the citizen initiative process and related timeline.
Councilmember Aguilar requested staff also provide information on the following:
- Possible regulations related to cultivation,-
-
ultivation;- Ability to limit the amount of THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) in products; and
- Regulations to limit advertising and signage of dispensaries.
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City Council Meeting Minutes August 3, 2017
Councilmember Aguilar also spoke in support of illegal dispensaries being closed quickly and requested
additional information on the resources necessary to do so.
Deputy Mayor McCann requested staff also provide information on the following:
- Protections for children and neighborhoods, such as buffers between dispensaries and houses, parks,
and schools,-
-
chools,- Potential impacts on public safety and ensuring affected departments would have adequate resources to
address the effects; and
- The status of Federal law and the 1970 Controlled Substance Act, in conjunction with local cannabis
legalization efforts.
ADJOURNMENT
At 6:40 p.m., Mayor Casillas Salas adjourned the meeting to the Regular City Council Meeting on August
8, 2017, at 5:00 p.m., in the Council Chambers.
Mao
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