Board moves to shift cannabis license review from sheriff to county staff, lowers fees in ordinance changes
June 10, 2026 | Santa Barbara County, California
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The Board introduced amendments to County Code Chapter 50 and a companion fees ordinance affecting cannabis licensing on June 9, removing certain licensing-review duties from the Sheriff’s Office and shifting them to county cannabis-division staff while preserving a sheriff compliance role for illegal operations.
Carmela Beck, the county cannabis program lead, told the board the proposed changes eliminate duplication—reassigning background-check processing and security-plan review to county licensing staff while retaining the sheriff’s enforcement and compliance functions. “These modifications are intended to reduce duplicative review and simplify the licensing process,” Beck said.
The fee ordinance presented at the same meeting removes a sheriff cost-recovery component and discontinues an annual membership fee to a now-dissolved California cannabis platform; staff said the revised schedule lowers fees for applicants and that hourly rates would be adjusted by CPI every three years. Supervisors expressed support but asked that enforcement capacity and odor-complaint response remain robust.
The board approved introduction of both the code amendments (first reading) and the fees ordinance, scheduling second readings for June 23.
Carmela Beck, the county cannabis program lead, told the board the proposed changes eliminate duplication—reassigning background-check processing and security-plan review to county licensing staff while retaining the sheriff’s enforcement and compliance functions. “These modifications are intended to reduce duplicative review and simplify the licensing process,” Beck said.
The fee ordinance presented at the same meeting removes a sheriff cost-recovery component and discontinues an annual membership fee to a now-dissolved California cannabis platform; staff said the revised schedule lowers fees for applicants and that hourly rates would be adjusted by CPI every three years. Supervisors expressed support but asked that enforcement capacity and odor-complaint response remain robust.
The board approved introduction of both the code amendments (first reading) and the fees ordinance, scheduling second readings for June 23.
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