Cathedral City imposes 45‑day moratorium on new cannabis approvals after surge in odor complaints

Cathedral City adopted an interim urgency ordinance on an emergency 45‑day moratorium that pauses approvals for new cannabis licenses, conditional use permits and operations that would expand cultivation or processing, Mayor Ross and the council voted unanimously. The council also left exemptions for limited situations already in the pipeline.

The moratorium was introduced by Andrew Firestein, Director of Community and Economic Development, who said the city’s existing cannabis regulations date to 2017 and are located in Title 5 (licensing), Title 9 (zoning) and Title 13 (enforcement). "I'm Andrew Firestein, your director of community and economic development," he told the council before summarizing an increase in odor complaints tied to cultivation and processing sites across the city.

Why it matters: Firestein told the council the city logged about 38 cannabis odor complaints in the first three months of 2024 and more than 900 complaints over the remainder of that year, including 501 in December 2024; he said January 2025 complaints had already exceeded December's total. City staff said the complaints are citywide but concentrated around Deep Palm Drive and Ramon Road, with additional complaints near Perez Road, Kiley Road, Bankside Drive and Sunair Plaza.

What the ordinance does: The urgency ordinance halts approvals for new licenses, new conditional use permits, cannabis lounges and events, and any permit that would increase or intensify cannabis operations. Exemptions written into the draft ordinance allow: (1) changes in ownership that do not increase operations; (2) permits that do not increase operations (for example, minor tenant improvements or non‑expanding repairs); (3) renewals of existing local cannabis licenses; and (4) applications that were complete and submitted by the city’s 4:30 p.m. deadline on the day of the meeting (those complete submittals may continue to be processed and approved).

City staff and the city attorney emphasized how the deadline and exemptions would apply. The city attorney told the council, "You do have discretion to change that language," noting council could choose to allow continued processing but withhold issuance of final permits during the moratorium. Firestein said, as an example, a facility on Ramon Road with two buildings and a CUP for the second building could complete work on the first building and seek that certificate of occupancy, but construction and licensure of the second building (which lacked a local cannabis license) would be frozen by the moratorium.

Public comment: About two dozen residents and industry representatives addressed the council. Several long‑time residents and RV park guests described persistent headaches, coughing and a decline in quality of life they attributed to cannabis odors. Michelle Sharon Collier, a Desert Sands resident of 36 years, told the council, "Enough is enough. Please, I beg of you, don't play games with our lives. Don't keep giving this business the chance to keep doing business until they can fully stop polluting and poisoning our air." Other speakers representing the cannabis industry and a local trade group supported a narrowly tailored moratorium that would not cover retail, distributors, lounges or testing facilities, and asked that complete applications already in the queue be allowed to proceed.

Next steps and timeline: Firestein said the moratorium is an initial 45‑day urgency measure the council may extend twice by the same vote and findings for a total of up to two years under state law. Staff will use the moratorium period to research possible zoning and code changes, refine odor‑control standards, consult the Cathedral City cannabis task force and planning commission, and pursue public engagement. Firestein told the council staff would return with a strategic plan for the council’s Feb. 26 meeting.

Vote and disposition: Mayor Pro Tem Gregory moved approval of the emergency ordinance and it was seconded; the motion carried unanimously. The council instructed staff to compile additional data and return with recommendations on Feb. 26.

Context and limits: Firestein and other staff repeatedly stressed that vested entitlements (approved CUPs and building permits) complicate how new standards could be applied to projects already approved or in construction. Staff said they are collecting coded patrol logs, inspection records and police observations to inform next steps but did not present a definitive schedule for enforcement or retroactive application of new requirements.

What remains unresolved: Staff and council repeatedly noted they have not yet solved the odor control problem at specific businesses and that further study is required to define code changes, setbacks, and whether new odor‑control permits or monitoring requirements should be imposed. Several speakers asked that the city make material safety data sheets and the hazardous materials management plan publicly available for facilities; staff said they would follow up on outstanding records requests.

Ending: The council framed the moratorium as a first step to protect residents’ quality of life while staff examines zoning, conditions of approval and enforcement options. Officials urged continued reporting of odor incidents so staff can collect data to support any code changes and enforcement actions.