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After years of offering local weed farmers metaphorical carrots, the Humboldt County Supervisors today brought out the stick, unanimously agreeing to revoke 21 cannabis cultivation permits issued to growers who have failed to pay their Measure S taxes.

Planning and Building Director John Ford explained that the 22 growers listed in the staff report have had more than a year to enter into a payment plan for their delinquent taxes and have failed to do so. All of their state licenses have expired or been revoked.

“This group of 22 did not even put in the effort to enter into a payment plan,” Ford said. “So, essentially, they have been in violation of the board’s direction, county ordinance [and] the requirements of their permit since March 31 of 2024.”

One of the 22 came in to the Planning and Building Department after getting notice of this pending revocation and paid a little over half of the $2,181.60 in fees owed to the department, so the board elected not to revoke that permit, leaving it suspended for the time being. (The owner has not cultivated anything on the property, Ford said.)

Anyone expecting gnashing of teeth or rending of garments from struggling weed farmers would have been disappointed. None of the permit holders in question showed up or called in to protest, and the revocations went quickly.

One grower who’s slated to have his permit revoked later this month was in attendance. He said that times have been tough for years, but this past year has been particularly difficult for locals in the legal market.

Sheriff Billy Honsal spoke in favor of the revocations, saying, “This board and our county has bent over backwards to try and bring people into compliance with the law. Sometimes you have to draw the line, and this is the line.”

He added that revoking these permits also serves to reward the people who are following all the rules and paying what they owe.

“And unfortunately, not all cannabis farmers are going to survive,” Honsal said.

Short-Term Rental Ordinance Tweaks

Earlier in the meeting, the board considered adopting some amendments to county zoning regulations governing short-term rentals such as Airbnbs. Ford introduced the matter by saying these amendments, which were already approved by the Humboldt County Planning Commission, are simple adjustments that address unintended consequences of the existing ordinance.

However, the matter prompted a substantive debate and split vote among the supervisors.

One of the proposed changes involved road conditions. The current language requires permitted short-term rentals to be on road built to a Category 3 standard, as defined in county code. 

“There’s a problem with that,” Ford said. “Not many roads in all of Humboldt County are built to a Category 3 standard.” 

He explained that the purpose of that language was simply to assure that the roads could handle the functional capacity of Category 3 roads, so staff recommended changing the language to say, “the access road shall operate at a functional equivalent of a Category 3 road.”

Another proposed change, requested in response to a real situation, involved changing the method for calculating neighborhood concentration of short-term rentals. The existing language of the ordinance requires “a separation of 10 lots as the crow flies” between permitted short-term rentals.

Ford used a PowerPoint slide to show on a map of McKinleyville neighborhoods that measuring distance “as the crow flies” created a much larger radius than was intended — large enough, in fact, to stretch from one neighborhood into another one entirely. Staff recommended changing the standard to a radius of 300 feet, measured from the center of the lot where each rental is located.

The most controversial proposal involved allowing short-term rentals on land zoned Agriculture General, or “AG.” Despite the implications of that zone name, Ford explained that many applications for short-term rentals have come from owners of fairly small parcels in AG zones where there is no agricultural use taking place, making them ineligible to qualify as a farm stay opportunity. (Farm stays are encouraged and thus more lightly regulated by the county.)

Staff proposed changing the ordinance to allow short-term rentals on AG parcels of less than five acres. Parcels between five and 10 acres would require a special permit while parcels larger than 10 acres would still require their rentals to be associated with a farm stay.

Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson voiced concern for preserving both housing and agricultural land, and he argued that allowing short-term rentals on such land would make it even less viable for producing agriculture, in part by potentially impacting neighboring parcels. 

Wilson suggested requiring a special permit for all AG-zoned parcels of less than 10 acres while allowing home shares for parcels of 2.5 acres or smaller.

He also suggested measuring the concentration radius at 600 feet from the center of each parcel, rather than 300, to prevent mass conversion of neighborhoods into rental properties.

Second District Supervisor and board Chair Michelle Bushnell objected to these suggestions. She said there are many five-acre parcels in the Carlotta-Hydesville area that are classified as AG despite being residential in nature. And she objected to charging such property owners $2,500 for a special permit.

“I don’t feel okay about charging someone $2,500 when there isn’t an issue around that short-term rental; it qualifies in every other way,” she said. 

First District Supervisor Rex Bohn advocated for less regulation in this arena due to low demand during this difficult economic period when property owners may need the income.

“I called a couple people that have numerous rental units — by numerous I mean quite a few — and their vacancy rate is twice as much as usual … ,” he said. “We do a pretty good job of shooting ourselves in the foot and over-regulating everything.”

Bushnell reiterated that she would not vote in favor of Wilson’s suggestion to require a special permit for short-term rentals on AG-zone parcels larger than 2.5 acres. She felt that’s too restrictive.

“I’m not going to vote on the 2.5 acres because there’s just too many parcels within my district that are the five acre minimums,” Bushnell.

Fifth District Supervisor Steve Madrone said he’s concerned about housing being converted to rental properties, saying he’s not inclined to make that easier. 

Fourth District Supervisor Natalie Arroyo, who attended the meeting remotely via Zoom, agreed that it’s important to preserve housing for community members and ag lands for agriculture, though she also understands the needs of people “transitioning right now” — out of the cannabis industry, one assumes — who need to find new ways to make money from their properties. 

Bushnell argued that parcels of five acres or smaller are simply not big enough to support agriculture activity — not in the current state of the weed industry. 

“I just really hope we consider that,” she said.

Wilson countered by noting that everything the board was considering, with regard to this ordinance, constitutes an expansion of entitlements, changes that allow property owners more opportunities. He made a motion to adopt staff’s proposed changes with his own suggested provisions — allowing short-term rentals on AG-zoned parcels of 2.5 acres or smaller without a special permit; allowing them on AG-zoned parcels up to 10 acres with a special permit; allowing home shares on AG-zoned parcels of five acres or less; and changing the neighborhood density radius from 10 houses “as the crow flies” to 600 feet.

Madrone seconded the motion, and after a bit more discussion, the board passed the motion with a vote of 3-2, with Bushnell and Bohn dissenting.

Honsal Gets Exemptions From County Hiring Freeze

Humboldt County Sheriff Billy Honsal. | Screenshot.

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office wants to hire a public information specialist and a property technician, and so today’s board agenda included a request from that department for an exemption from the county’s ongoing hiring freeze, implemented nearly three years ago in response to a massive budget deficit, which persists to this day.

The request was on the consent calendar, slated to be passed alongside of slate of other items, without any specific deliberations, but Wilson asked to pull the matter for discussion. He said the county may soon find itself unable to afford the employees it already has, so hiring new ones deserves scrutiny.

Sheriff Honsal said both positions are essential to his office. The public information specialist will replace the current employee in that position, who’s leaving at the end of the month. Her replacement will be responsible for writing press releases and social media posts, plus coordinating responses to requests made under the California Public Records Act and the Freedom of Information Act.

“And let me just tell you what a feat that is,” Honsal said. “That is something that’s that we actually need more help on. … If we miss a timeline, we’re opening ourselves up [to] liability when it comes to responding to public records [requests].”

The public information officer will also be responsible for producing public information videos in the aftermath of any “critical” incidents, such as police-involved shootings.

The property technician, meanwhile, helps to maintain security and control in receiving, storing, releasing and disposing of evidence and property under the department’s control. And Honsal said the position’s costs will be about 80 percent covered via $56,000 generated by the multi-agency Humboldt County Drug Task Force.

“These are budgeted positions, we have the money for them, and this is essential,” Honsal said.

Wilson asked how many public information officers the Sheriff’s Office has now, recalling a pair of new hires last year — via another exemption to the hiring freeze — as part of an anti-human trafficking campaign financed by the Howard G. Buffet Foundation. 

Honsal said those positions function separate from the office’s day-to-day operations.

Bushnell spoke to the importance of having a PIO, especially for local volunteer fire departments. 

Madrone reiterated the difficult fiscal position the county finds itself in. 

“If we don’t start reining in our budget, we’re talking about spending money we don’t have, literally, which puts the county in debt,” he said, “not just using our reserves, but starts putting us in debt.”

Arroyo said that the board is trusting each county department head to articulate their reasoning for exemptions to the hiring freeze, “because you’re the expert in your department.” She added that the same discernment will be required when it’s time to make the difficult decisions. 

“I will be trusting you as the expert to determine where those cuts need to be made,” Arroyo said.

The board approved Honsal’s request unanimously.