Title
Receive status update regarding Board Referral No. 2021.12 seeking review of the Cannabis Program organizational structure
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
Receive status update regarding Board Referral No. 2021.12 seeking review of the Cannabis Program organizational structure
SUMMARY:
Referral No. 2021.12 seeks a review of the Cannabis Program organizational structure and operations related to land use and building permit processing as well as compliance inspections.
On August 24, 2021, the Board of Supervisors accepted staff's preliminary analysis which proposed a consultant prepared organizational study/recommendations and a pilot program to increase inspection quantity and efficiency. In addition Supervisor Phillips, the referring Supervisor, requested that County Counsel review the authorities cited by Agricultural Commissioner Henry Gonzales in an August 18, 2021 memo to Assistant CAO Nick Chiulos and Human Resources Director Irma Ramirez-Bough. County Counsel's review is underway and will be reported separately to the Board of Supervisors.
DISCUSSION:
Citygate Associates, LLC is under contract to perform the Cannabis Program organizational assessment and provide recommendations to the CAO and Board of Supervisors. Work by Citygate is well under way and, at this point, involves information gathering, reviewing County supplied documents as well as interviewing cannabis involved employees and County policy makers. Citygate is also beginning data analysis, working first to identify any initial gaps in the data or in the understanding of County processes and seeking follow up information as necessary. Citygate will provide a "mid-project" review to the CAO in November 2021 with a final report due by the end of December, 2021. Staff will arrange for a presentation of the Citygate recommendations in January 2022.
Regarding the cannabis inspection pilot program, the Board will recall that this involves daily ...
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