Vista has amended regulations to allow cannabis cultivation in a commercial park.

Vista – The city of Vista is one step closer to allowing businesses to grow and grow cannabis in a 1,100-acre-industrial park.

After hours and sometimes controversial public hearings last month, Vista City Council voted 3-2 for a second reading of a regulation allowing three cannabis farms to operate in Vista Business Park near Sikamor Street. .

Mayor Judy Ritter and Deputy Mayor John Franklin objected to the proclamation after a June 7 ban on cannabis cultivation at Vista Business Park.

The regulation provides a lottery system for three applicants for the annual cannabis farming license.

The initial application for a special permit is more than $ 4,000; Renewal application is $ 329. Once licensed, cannabis businesses are subject to regulatory and financial audits, approximately $ 20,000.

Cannabis facilities in a business park should not be in line with other standards for children within 600 feet of businesses and buildings. Farmers can range from 500 square feet to 22,000 square feet for private permits. For an additional 22,000 square feet, several farms can be built on one site with different permits.

Several sections of the community spoke out against the expansion of the cannabis trade in Vista. However, some people agree that if the harvest is to move forward, it should be done in the light of appropriate social equality measures – a point of disagreement that turned the 4-1 vote into a final 3-2 vote.

The item will be presented to the Council again this summer. The council also discussed the creation of a cannabis-funded social equality account to compensate for the inequality of marginalized communities.

NAACP North County Representative Joseph Miller told the council that people in black and brown communities were “locked up, arrested for cannabis.” “Even cannabis is banned [business] Fairness. But at the same time, we must be wise about cannabis and its spread in the community.

During a public hearing, a request was made by Corana Contraras, a woman in the Council, and Kati Melendez, a second in the Council, a woman.

While Ritter generally opposes the expansion of the cannabis business – the council objected in February when it asked for workers’ ideas on cannabis farming – Franklin had good points in the licensing process.

As it is written, the city manager has been instructed to formulate application plans, rules and procedures. Acknowledging the council’s definition of “fairness” in cannabis business licenses, the council said it would create a process to ensure applicants who fall under the term “protected areas” would be more “pure.” Represented.

Franklin disagreed, adding that the city attorney and manager could not adequately interpret the council’s goals and determine who would fall into the “protected rooms” in Vista. Franklin does not want to sign a “blank check” – or at a public hearing – without a clear definition, even if he is not in the process of applying for at least one license to a protected class.

Councilor Joe Green, Contreras and Melendez believe that the city’s special use license application process ensures fair distribution among excluded operators.

Franklin asked his colleagues, especially Melendez, who said: Don’t you want to do that in front of the electorate and stand up for what you believe?

Melendez told Franklin: “It is important for me to fight for justice. “It’s not important for me to make sure that the details are right for me as an individual, and these are my choices.”

It is not necessary to return the cannabis breeding ceremonies to the council, as contractors will be instructed to prepare a divorce alongside the application process.

“As a question, I am a legal citizen. I am a 128-year-old Oklahoma Chokta, my wife is an American Cherokee, am I qualified according to your Department of Justice definition? ” Franklin asked for a contract. “There are some questions that need to be answered here. I’m surprised you don’t want to talk.”

Melendez said there is a fundamental historical context that cannot be covered by the entire council, and state laws and court cases can help determine a fair licensing process in Vista.

Prior to the summons, Franklin ordered the mayor to put the justice directive on the agenda for the next meeting.

Franklin said: “You know, there is no such thing as a” vote “because we want to talk.

Encouraged by fair discussions, Contraras said she would not deny anyone the right to vote as a councilor, and asked her co-worker to stand up for the truth.

“Anyone in this council has the ability to present anything on any agenda as a discussion or presentation, so it’s a bit of a Kabuki theater,” Contreras said. “It’s a little unnecessary.”

She continued, turning her back on the city manager’s ability to express “fairness.”

“The state of California, other cities, have a framework – I understand that the city attorney and the city manager and the secretary of our city can go through that framework – and there is legal proof of that,” Contras said.