City Committee Considers Regulating Sales of Recreational Marijuana in Pasadena

Pasadena’s Economic Development and Technology Committee is scheduled to consider a city staff proposal to adopt an ordinance which would regulate the retail sales of recreational marijuana within Pasadena City limits at its meeting today.

If the Committee approves the proposal, the measure would move to the full City Council to consider prior to the state-wide vote on The Adult Use of Marijuana Act, Proposition 64 on November 8’s ballot.

Proposition 64 would legalize the recreational use of cannabis and estable a state regulatory and licensing system to govern the industry from “seed to sale.”

According to Pasadena’s Director of Planning and Community Development David Reyes, in addition to the state initiative, 46 cities will also have marijuana legislation on their ballots to determine whether retail cannabis businesses will be permitted to operate in their jurisdictions and/or how much to tax businesses and growers.

City staff is recommending the Committee approve and pass up to the full Council to consider an ordinance which would allow and regulate the sale of recreational marijuana in Pasadena, with limits similar to the current ordinance toward tobacco products.

“There are a couple things that I will be looking at,” Councilmember Tyron Hampton said, “and that’s keeping facilities like this away from residential neighborhoods.”

This ordinance would require a Conditional Use Permit for land use, limit retail stores to certain commercial and industrial zones 1,000 feet away from each other, schools, libraries, child day care facilities, parks, drug and alcohol treatment centers, mental health housing centers and churches, and consider implementing a total on the number of retailers citywide, according to the memo.

The proposed ordinance would also require a full criminal background check for potential store operators, prohibit past owners of illegal dispensaries to operate in the city and create operating standards for marijuana retailers. City staff recommends the city adopt an ordinance for commercial cultivation of marijuana will similar guidelines, according to the memo.

Hampton added, “I’m going to continue to protect our neighborhoods and keep our neighborhoods safe. That’s my number one goal, I was elected on public safety. We just have to make sure that we create policies that continue to keep our neighborhoods safe.”

If Prop 64 were to pass, the City would be required to repeal its ban on personal marijuana cultivation. Committee members could recommend a new ordinance that would allow outdoors cultivation only within the backyards of single-family homes and regulated indoors cultivation.

The other item to be discussed at the meeting is Pasadena’s minimum wage ordinance, which has been in effect since July. Through a series of increases, the City required employers with 26 or more workers to provide a minimum wage of $10.50 per hour, which increases to $12 and $13.25 per hour in 2017 and 2018, respectively. According to the memo, the goal is to reach $15 per hour by 2020.

The Committee is scheduled to engage in an overview of the ordinance’s enforcement, which includes educating employers to prevent violations and gathering back pay for underpaid workers according to the memo.

Recently, the City selected community-based organizations to provide outreach, education and training specific to the Minimum Wage Ordinance.