Score: +7 (9/7/2)

Humboldt County Grand Jury • 2021-2022

Permitted (eventually) a Review of the Cannabis Cultivation Permitting Process in Humboldt County

Published: April 12, 2022 9 pages

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⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.

⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.

Findings and Recommendations 7 findings

The intake of applications for cannabis cultivation is done at the Planning and Building Department by a counter team of six full time employees assigned on a rotating basis to enter the application information into the Accela system. (R1)

Related Recommendations (1)

The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury recommends that for Fiscal Year 2022- 2023, the Board of Supervisors approve sufficient funding for the Planning and Building Department to upgrade the Accela system so that applicants can complete the application, including payment, on-line. This will reduce the need for applicants to come into the Planning and Building office. (F1, F2)

The Accela software cannot accept credit card payments, thus an applicant cannot utilize the online application process. (R1)

Related Recommendations (1)

The Board of Supervisors funded the purchase of the Accela software for the Planning and Building Department to replace the former OnTrack permit management system. Accela lacks completeness in that the Public Works Department is limited to responding to Planning & Building Department referrals. (R2, R3)

Related Recommendations (2)

The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury recommends that for Fiscal Year 2022-2023, the Public Works Department determine the funding needed and submit a budget request to build out Accela modules for Planning and Building Department referrals for; 1) encroachment permitting; 2) legal document review; 3) map review; 4) drainage fee calculator; 5) encroachment violation and tracking; 6) reporting tools for each module; and/or other modules determined to be necessary. (F3)

The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury recommends that for Fiscal Year 2022-2023, the Board of Supervisors approve sufficient funding for the Public Works Department to 7 fully implement Accela to a level which enables Public Works to meet its specific needs. (F3)

Through the Accela Citizen Access portal, there is a cumbersome process for the public to access and view the status of all permit applications, including cannabis. (R4)

Related Recommendations (1)

The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury recommends that in Fiscal Year 2022-2023, the Planning and Building Department provide in the Citizen Access Portal specific instructions for the general public to search a location without creating an account in Accela or the need to contact the Planning and Building staff. (F4)

The State will not issue new provisional cannabis licenses after June 30, 2022. Thereafter, applicants must meet all requirements of State regulations for the issuance of a license. Holders of a provisional license will be allowed to continue in operations until final resolution after which the County will be notified. (R5)

Related Recommendations (1)

The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury recommends that the Planning and Building Department act on all County interim cannabis permits upon receiving notice of approval or denial of the State provisional license. (F5)

As of January 2022, there were over 900 pending cannabis permits, many of which are amendments to existing permits. (R6)

Related Recommendations (1)

The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury recommends that for applications pending more than 30 days, the Planning and Building Department notify applicants of the corrective actions required for approval. (F6)

Within the Public Works Department, as part of the cannabis permitting process, applicants are allowed to “self-certify” Category 4 roadways, however, self-certification is not always verified. (R7)

Related Recommendations (1)

The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury recommends that by December 31, 2022, as an essential part of the cannabis permitting process, actual verification that a roadway meets Category 4 requirements should be performed by Public Works employees. (F7)

Agency Responses 7

Government agencies' official responses to this report's findings and recommendations. Click on a response to see the structured breakdown.

Board of Supervisors

July 01, 2025 • 9 pages • 5 responses • Score: +3 (+3, 2, 0) View Details ▾

PDF

5 responses to findings and recommendations

Response: Requires Analysis

Score: 0

for details. Recommendation 4 ("split into several parts as detailed belowV Once the Humboldt Bay SIR Steering Committee determines the best regional approach to implement, the Civil Grand Jury recommends the regional organization chosen to bef ormed by July 1, 2024, and include thef ollowing stated goals: a) Recommendation 4a: seek inputfrom all major stakeholders including, but not limited to, local and county agencies, agriculture,f ishermen, aquaculture. Tribal groups, owners and occupants of threatened land, regulatory agencies, environmental groups, academia, SLR consultants, PG&E, and ...

Response: Agree Score: +1

and F4 above. c) Recommendation 4c: share the operating costs (salaries and office expenses) associated with its efforts; (F3) This recommendation requires further analysis. The Board of Supervisors agrees to research this recommendation. See

Through the Accela Citizen Access portal, there is a cumbersome process for the public to access and view the status of all permit applications, including cannabis. (R4)

Response: Agree Score: +1

The Board of Supervisors agrees with findings F3, F4, F5, F8, and F9.

Response: Requires Analysis

Score: 0

("split into several parts as detailed belowV Once the Humboldt Bay SIR Steering Committee determines the best regional approach to implement, the Civil Grand Jury recommends the regional organization chosen to bef ormed by July 1, 2024, and include thef ollowing stated goals: a) Recommendation 4a: seek inputfrom all major stakeholders including, but not limited to, local and county agencies, agriculture,f ishermen, aquaculture. Tribal groups, owners and occupants of threatened land, regulatory agencies, environmental groups, academia, SLR consultants, PG&E, and CalTrans;( Fl, F6) This recomme...

Response: Agree Score: +1

The Board of Supervisors agrees with findings F3, F4, F5, F8, and F9.

Board of Supervisors

June 27, 2022 • 7 pages • 1 response • Score: +1 (+1, 0, 0) View Details ▾

PDF

Board of Supervisors

June 17, 2022 • 4 pages • 4 responses • Score: +3 (+3, 1, 0) View Details ▾

PDF

4 responses to findings and recommendations

Response: Agree Score: +1

Agree

The Accela software cannot accept credit card payments, thus an applicant cannot utilize the online application process. (R1)

Response: Agree Score: +1

Agree Finding 2: Although DHHS-CWS has established an Indian Child Welfare Act {ICWA) program, Humboldt County does not have a specified Office of Tribal Affairs to address matters of importance to the County's sovereign nations including child protection and extending to justice-related issues as well as cultural protocols and social services.

Response: Implemented

Score: 0

Recommendation 2 has been implemented.

Response: Agree Score: +1

Agree Finding 3: Humboldt County does not have a specified Ofcfi e of Tribal Affairs to promote County-Tribal partnerships facilitating collaboration through coordination of intergovernmental services while respecting tribal sovereignty.

Board of Supervisors

June 17, 2022 • 11 pages • 3 responses • Score: -2 (+0, 0, -2) View Details ▾

PDF

3 responses to findings and recommendations

Response: Unknown Score: 0

This recommendation will not be implemented. Creating a comprehensive and actionable plan to address the areas mentioned above requires significant coordination with multiple agencies around the county, many of whom are not under the direction of the Board of Supervisors. However, DHHS is actively working with the Sheriff's Office and other community partners to prevent or lower the use, and address the impacts of, fentanyl and other drugs in the community, and providing services to those experiencing behavioral health issues. While the negative impacts of fentanyl and methamphetamines persist...

Response: Will Not Implement

Score: -1

: The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury recommends that the Sheriff's Office and Board of Supervisors prepare a Request for Proposals for the purchase and installation of doors for the SW AP Farm barn by October 3l, 2022. Funding to be approved by December 3l, 2022. Response: This recommendation will not be implemented. While this recommendation has merit, the request for funding to purchase and install doors at the SW AP Farm barn should come during the budget process to ensure the county can identify sufficient revenues for the expense. OFFlCE OF E.MERGENCY SERVICES FINDINGS Finding 6: The OE...

Response: Will Not Implement

Score: -1

This recommendation will not be implemented. This recommendation has merit; however, additional funding must be identified prior to approving this expense.

Planning and Building

July 05, 2022 • 3 pages • 4 responses • Score: +1 (+1, 3, 0) View Details ▾

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4 responses to findings and recommendations

The Accela software cannot accept credit card payments, thus an applicant cannot utilize the online application process. (R1)

Response: Disagree Partially Score: 0

Agree. When the Planning and Building Department initially tested the payment module for Accela it worked fine for all credit cards. Unfortunately, when it went live, it did not work consistently and had to be turned off. During the migration of the Division of Environmental Health to Accela, the issues that limited Accela's ability to accept credit card payment have been resolved, which we expect will translate in the Planning and Building Department's ability to take credit card payments. With this understanding we expect that in this fiscal year 2022-23 the department will be able to accept...

Through the Accela Citizen Access portal, there is a cumbersome process for the public to access and view the status of all permit applications, including cannabis. (R4)

Response: Disagree Partially Score: 0

Disagree. The Accela Citizen Access (ACA) portal provides a global search to access permit information for both building permits and land use permits. Customers have the option of registering for an Accela account or visiting the site as a guest. When visiting as a guest, access is limited to viewing records and documents only. Customers who register for an ACA account and have their project linked to the ACA account can review the permit and upload pertinent documents and information to their project. When customers upload documents and information, an email is generated to the assigned plann...

Response: Disagree Partially Score: 0

Partially agree. The State will stop issuing new Provisional Licenses as of July 1, 2022. The state will extend existing provisional licenses beyond this date. For people who have an existing Provisional License from the State, there will be no change for them until they receive their permanent County Permit and then can obtain their Annual License from the state. The sunset date for existing provisional licenses is in 2024. It is important to note that state licenses are granted based upon the status of local permitting, not the inverse. F6. As of January 2022, there were over 900 pending can...

As of January 2022, there were over 900 pending cannabis permits, many of which are amendments to existing permits. (R6)

Response: Agree Score: +1

Agree Planning and Building Response to Grand Jury Cannabis Cultivation Permitting July 5, 2022 Page 3 RECOMMENDATIONS R1. The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury recommends that for Fiscal Year 2022-2023, the Board of Supervisors approve sufficient funding for the Planning and Building Department to upgrade the Accela system so that applicants can complete the application, including payment, on-line. This will reduce the need for applicants to come into the Planning and Building office. (F1, F2) Response: In the process of being implemented. R4. The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury recommends t...

Public Works

July 22, 2022 • 3 pages • 14 responses • Score: +1 (+1, 1, 0) View Details ▾

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14 responses to findings and recommendations

Response: Unknown Score: 0

Response: Unknown

Score: 0

The Accela software cannot accept credit card payments, thus an applicant cannot utilize the online application process. (R1)

Response: Unknown Score: 0

Response: Unknown

Score: 0

Response: Unknown Score: 0

Response: Will Implement

Scheduled: Completed by Oct. 1, 2022 Score: +1

Will be implemented. Having written processes and procedures in place will ensure cross departmental understanding of financial procedures and will mitigate miscommunications and potential delays to county workflow.

Through the Accela Citizen Access portal, there is a cumbersome process for the public to access and view the status of all permit applications, including cannabis. (R4)

Response: Disagree Partially Score: 0

Partially Agree. Humboldt County Public Works uses an additional operation reporting structure for management of the road fund which is required by the State Controller for the annual Road Report.

Response: Unknown

Score: 0

Response: Unknown Score: 0

Response: Unknown

Score: 0

As of January 2022, there were over 900 pending cannabis permits, many of which are amendments to existing permits. (R6)

Response: Unknown Score: 0

Response: Unknown

Score: 0

Response: Unknown Score: 0

Response: Unknown

Score: 0

Public Works

July 05, 2022 • 2 pages View Details ▾

PDF