Santee outlines local retail cannabis permit process; council to interview 16 applicants in July

Santee City Council held a special meeting June 11, 2025, for a staff presentation on the city’s Cannabis Business Permit Ordinance and the retail application process, including timelines, local standards and how city review will interact with state licensing.

City staff said the city received 16 retail permit applications during the Sept. 10–Oct. 24, 2024 application period and that those applications have progressed through three of four evaluation phases; Phase 4 interviews are expected in early July and the council will make final permit awards at its discretion. “The city council has full discretion over which applicants, if any, will be awarded a permit,” a city staff member said during the presentation.

The ordinance, adopted after staff work beginning in March 2021 and additional work by a council ad hoc subcommittee through March 2024, creates a one‑year cannabis business permit with annual renewal and allows up to four retail permits, including microbusinesses with storefront retail. City staff emphasized that the local permitting framework is intended to “set standards that reflect our community's values and priorities” and to be applied alongside state Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) requirements.

Why this matters: the local ordinance sets operating standards, buffer…