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Board grants appeal from Pillsbury Family Farms, allows permit to continue with conditions after disputed early cultivation and personnel issues
Summary
After a contested Planning Commission revocation, the Board of Supervisors granted an appeal from Pillsbury Family Farms in part, finding past deficiencies had been cured and ordering conditions including confirmation that a previously disqualified individual had left the company.
The Lake County Board of Supervisors on June 17 granted in part an appeal by Pillsbury Family Farms challenging the Planning Commission's revocation of Major Use Permit UP20-50 for outdoor commercial cannabis cultivation at 26102 N 16 Road (APN 001-030-36). The Planning Commission had revoked the permit based on two primary issues: cultivation before a state license was in place (observed in 2022) and the lack of a required background Live Scan for one listed officer, Justin Quayle.
Community Development Director Maria Turner presented the department's timeline to the board, saying the permit was approved on Jan. 27, 2022; that cultivation was observed in October 2022 before a state license application had been submitted; that a state license was issued in July 2023; and that multiple follow-up site-monitoring visits had also observed cultivation. Turner noted that staff issued a notice of intent to recommend revocation in April 2024 because of cultivation prior to a state license and ongoing lack of Live Scan documentation for one of the principal individuals.
Counsel for the permittee, Tal Saggiv, argued the early cultivation was "de minimis" and had been abated (snow damaged and removed) and that the business had been paying taxes in subsequent years. The permittee's team also supplied documentation that former officer/director Justin Quayle resigned after the revocation action and later obtained court-ordered reductions/expungements. The business submitted minutes, an amended corporate statement of information and other materials showing Quayle's removal from governance.
After hearing from public commenters and the permittee, the board said it found the totality of evidence supported curing the ordinance violations: plants observed in 2022 were abated and subsequent inspections found a state license in place; the disqualified individual had resigned and the company had provided corporate minutes and a newly filed statement of information showing the change. The board granted the appeal in part and directed staff to prepare findings of fact reflecting that past violations had been remedied. The board also required written confirmation to be submitted to Community Development that the formerly disqualified individual was no longer affiliated with the company; the county said it would accept documentation showing the corporate reorganization and the secretary-of-state filing as proof. The board instructed staff to prepare draft findings for formal adoption.
Why it matters: The board's decision restores the local permit while setting conditions to ensure county regulatory requirements are met and clarifying expectations for personnel changes and Live Scan compliance. The case highlights the tension between legacy growers who sought to transition into the regulated system and the county's enforcement of permit conditions.
Implementation: Staff will draft findings of fact and incorporate the conditions the board directed. If the board's forthcoming findings determine new or continuing noncompliance, the county retains authority to revisit enforcement.
