The city council of National City held a public hearing April 6 where it considered amending sections of city code in a step toward allowing medical marijuana dispensaries and medical marijuana cultivation in some parts of the city.
Title 18 of National City zoning includes two sections that prohibit the use of cannabis. Both are inconsistent with a new ordinance that would allow the city to regulate commercial cannabis.
City Manager Brad Raulston said staff recommended amending section 18.30.340 on medical marijuana dispensaries and 18.30.345 on medical marijuana cultivation so they would be consistent with a proposed new ordinance, section 9.60 that would allow the city to regulate commercial cannabis.
He also said the planning commission did not recommend making the amendments.
Two public comments were issued, both critical of city council.
Resident Joan Rincon brought several city council members to barely-concealed giggles upon saying she “popped a bottle of Martinelli’s sparkling cider and celebrated” when then the planning commission “stuffed this zoning proposal down the city management’s craw” while seeing through what she believes are excuses from city management reasoning why they must open the door to dispensaries.
“One of the excuses is that the city will be sued if it does not approve cannabis. The truth is that you will be sued anyway as Chula Vista, Imperial Beach and every other city have started licensing, as pot shops will attest. Most everybody who gets turned down for a dispensary permit, sues,” Rincon said.
She also laughed, she said, at what she called a second excuse for approving cannabis: the idea that it will bring in money for the city.
“I had a good laugh reading the HDL Cannabis Consultants report in early 2020 where they went on and on about the hundreds of thousands of dollars per year you could expect from each dispensary license, then, a few pages later in the same report said not to expect more than $2,000 per year from each licensee,” Rincon said.
HDL is an independent auditing, operations, and revenue analysis company used by governments and public agencies to analyze fiscal outcomes.
Rincon closed by saying the city would be better off financially if elected leaders spent less on public relations and marketing projects.
Ted Godshalk asked city council to “acknowledge and encourage oral and written testimony from businesses and residents of the west side of I-5” who he said would be unfairly affected by any change in zoning.
“Homeowners and apartment owners on the west side have historically been dumped on and neglected by the city of National City. This neglect and any plans to further impact them are social equity and environmental justice issues. You need to tell your staff that you care about all residents equally,” Godshalk said.
With the claim that National City needs more housing in the back of your mind, he said to the council, you should demand protection of every single home you have now.
There were no questions from members of the city council.
The motion to fulfill the ordinance passed 4-1; council member Ron Morrison, who said he was “reiterating objections” from previous meetings gave the sole dissenting vote.
