Title
Consider adopting a resolution authorizing the Monterey County Cannabis Program Manager to execute a grant agreement with the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development to receive grant funding in the amount of $150,000 to conduct an equity assessment to identify marginalized segments within Monterey County and groups of individuals most impacted by economic disparities and cannabis arrest/conviction rates which will inform the creation of a local equity program.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
1) Adopt a resolution authorizing the Monterey County Cannabis Program Manager to execute a grant agreement with the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development to receive grant funding in the amount of $150,000 to conduct an equity assessment to identify marginalized segments within Monterey County and groups of individuals most impacted by economic disparities and cannabis arrest/conviction rates which will inform the creation of a local equity program; and
2) Provide direction to staff as appropriate.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
As presented at the Cannabis Standing Committee on January 22, 2020, Program staff made the application for the Tier-1 grant on March 5, 2020. This type of application is for the funding of an equity assessment used to inform the creation of a local equity program. A local equity program would foster equitable ownership and employment opportunities and ensure the cannabis industry is representative of the county's population by supporting populations and communities that have been negatively or disproportionately harmed by cannabis prohibition and the War on Drugs.
Program staff have identified a resource with experience in policy analysis and program evaluation to conduct the equity assessment: Dr. Kim Judson and Dr. Ignacio Navarro from the Institute for Community Collaborative Studies (ICCS) of California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB). Dr. Ignacio and Dr. Kim Judson from...
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