TEHAMA COUNTY OKs POT GARDEN FEE

RED BLUFF -- It will cost medicinal marijuana growers $40 to register
their gardens with the county, after the Tehama County Board of
Supervisors approved the fee Tuesday.

Registration with the county Health Services Agency is among
requirements mandated by a controversial new ordinance that regulates
cultivation of medical cannabis in unincorporated areas. That law goes
into effect Thursday.

Valerie Lucero, executive director of the health agency, said
Tuesday's vote was 4-1, with Supervisor Charlie Willard dissenting.
Willard has opposed the ordinance, arguing that it puts too much
acreage off-limits to growers and is too limiting for people with
small parcels.

In developing the fee, Lucero did a cost analysis that included
employee salary and benefits, plus time required to process the
applications and departmental operating expenses. The calculations are
based on an estimated 100 premises registered per year.

"We have to be pretty detailed," she said, noting the fee must
strictly cover the county's cost and nothing more.

Lucero expects the form to be posted online by 8 a.m. Thursday, when
registrations will be accepted for the first time. However, she
doesn't expect an overwhelming response.

"The registration is not optional but it's very likely some won't
(register) until there's a complaint," she said. Typically, a
complaint will prompt investigation by the sheriff's office, which
will determine whether there's compliance with the ordinance. Only the
sheriff will have access to the information processed through Lucero's
department, she said.

No one in the audience came forward to object to the fee, either
during Tuesday's public hearing or two weeks ago when she first
proposed the dollar amount, Lucero said.