Though Californians voted to legalize recreational marijuana, there won’t be one blanket set of rules for the whole state.
Instead, each individual city and town will create its own rules for what types of pot-related businesses are allowed – or whether they’re allowed at all.
VOSD’s Jesse Marx checked in on the efforts to create regulations in cities across San Diego County.
In many places, a group of pot industry supporters is trying to force city officials’ hands by placing measures onto local ballots that would create regulations for them.
Though the new state law allows pot business licensing to move forward starting Jan. 1, for most cities, the process of hashing out rules will keep going throughout 2018.
Kasparian Steps Down From Dem Committee
Labor leader Mickey Kasparian, who’s been accused by at least three women of sexual harassment, abuse and other improper behavior, has left the local Democratic Party’s Central Committee, the Union-Tribune reported Wednesday.
Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez-Fletcher, herself a former labor leader, called for Kasparian to leave the committee in a Facebook post Friday, but stopped short of saying Kasparian should resign as president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 135.
“Ultimately, it is up to the members of UFCW whether to retain him as their leader,” she wrote.
Kasparian remains in that post.
Kasparian didn’t mention the allegations against him in his resignation letter, Times of San Diego reports. He cited “an extremely busy year at UFCW Local 135,” as the explanation for his departure.
SANDAG Chair Still Feeling the Heat Over Climate Remarks
Del Mar City Councilman Terry Sinnott raised eyebrows across San Diego when he told KPBS late last week that climate change was a “debatable issue” just after being elected as the new chairman of SANDAG, the regional planning agency whose future in large part will involve reducing the region’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Sinnott has walked those comments back and said he believe climate change is real and that humans contribute to it. Ruarri Serpa has the rundown of the whole strange ordeal in this week’s North County Report.
Also in our roundup of news from North County: what Jane Fonda has to do with the race to unseat Rep. Darrell Issa, hundreds of law enforcement officers and residents say goodbye to an Escondido firefighter who died battling the Thomas Fire and more.
Otay Project Moving Forward After Methane Scare
The Otay Water District is prepared to issue water meters to a housing development in Chula Vista after being assured potentially dangerous gases found in the soil will not damage the district’s water lines.
For several weeks, Otay had been refusing to issue meters to the Village of Escaya. Some homebuyers backed out of their deals altogether after methane and other gases were discovered in the soil.
On Wednesday, the water district and the project’s developer, Carlsbad-based HomeFed, said they’d worked through the water district’s worries. A HomeFed consultant said the gases would not harm water lines. Otay’s own consultant agreed.
“We feel comfortable moving on,” said Otay spokeswoman Tenille Otero.
To address all of Otay’s concerns, HomeFed is assuming responsibility for certain valves if there are problems with them that a manufacturer’s warranty doesn’t cover, Otero said. HomeFed still has to do routine water quality tests before it’s all clear to move people in, but those results should be back in a matter of days. The developer and its consultants are investigating a variety of possible sources for the gases, including the nearby Otay Landfill.
– Ry Rivard
Trump Hints at San Diego Visit
President Donald Trump told Cabinet members on Wednesday that he might soon visit the border wall prototypes on display at Otay Mesa, and “restated his desire that the wall be see-through,” according to the Washington Post.
Correction
Monday’s Environment Report misstated the title of a senior official at the San Diego County Water Authority. Dan Denham is the Water Authority’s assistant general manager.