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Willows council approves retail cannabis dispensary license for Cali Love Willows, 4-1
Summary
The City of Willows approved a resolution granting a retail cannabis dispensary license to Cali Love Willows LLC for 157 N. Butte St.; the vote was 4-1 and the council attached conditions including a 2% gross-receipts remittance to the city and standard municipal conditions.
The Willows City Council on Aug. 26 voted 4-1 to adopt a resolution approving a retail cannabis dispensary business license for Cali Love Willows LLC to operate at 157 North Butte Street.
Staff member Joe Bentancourt reviewed the city’s multi-step local review process for retail cannabis applicants and told the council the applicant had completed the phase 1 and phase 2 applications, had passed an intensive background and compliance review, and had secured a conditional use permit from the planning commission on Aug. 5. Bentancourt said the applicant operates an existing dispensary in Weaverville and that owners have cultivation and nursery experience in Trinity County and Redding.
The application includes a security plan with a licensed guard during business hours, 24/7 alarm monitoring and interior and exterior video (16 cameras with a minimum 90-day retention), a plan for seed-to-sale tracking with Metrc, online ordering with in-store pickup and delivery consistent with Department of Cannabis Control rules, and a proposed remittance of 2 percent of gross sales to the city in addition to regular sales tax.
Council discussion focused on permit conditions and enforcement. Council asked staff to confirm insurance limits and to explain the city’s “certificate of authorization” process: Bentancourt said the city issues a certificate of authorization only after the applicant holds a city retail license, a conditional use permit and a California Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) type-10 state retail license; the council will not issue that certificate until the state license is final. Staff also said municipal enforcement of conditions would generally be complaint-driven, with code enforcement, building or fire officials addressing local violations and the DCC responsible for state-level regulatory compliance.
Applicant Steven Sutton spoke in support of the proposal, describing the business as locally owned, compliant with state and local rules, and committed to community engagement and local hiring.
The roll-call vote was: Council member Busby — aye; Council member Pride — aye; Council member Hanson — nay; Vice Mayor Thomas — aye; Mayor Evan Hudson — aye. The resolution passed 4–1.
Ending: The council approved issuance of the city-level authorizations subject to the conditions of approval; staff noted the city will not issue the final certificate of authorization until the applicant obtains the state retail (type 10) license and the city verifies required insurance and operational documentation.
