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Residents and former code manager press Cathedral City for enforcement against cannabis odor at Ramon Road facility
Summary
Residents and a former code enforcement manager urged Cathedral City council to enforce odor rules and consider shutting down Cat City Cannabis on Ramon Road after months of complaints and few citations.
Residents near Ramon Road told the Cathedral City City Council on March 26 that persistent cannabis odor from Cat City Cannabis has made life unpleasant and that code enforcement action has been insufficient.
Chris Thompson, a former code enforcement manager who spoke during public comment, said the business next to Outdoor Resort has been the subject of “hundreds of complaints” and that only one citation appears to have been issued. “After hundreds of complaints, the violations continue,” Thompson said. He urged the council to “please enforce the CUP and shut down Cat City Cannabis.”
A nearby resident who filed a written comment and several public speakers described weeks and months of strong odor and said follow-up enforcement has not produced visible penalties. The city clerk read two letters submitted for the record from Scott McDonald, who expressed concern about ongoing cannabis odors and asked the council to act, and David Koslow, who urged more transparency on public expenditures.
Council members acknowledged the complaints. Mayor Pro Tem Gregory said he would “investigate anybody I can to help solve the problems,” and Council members noted previous conversations among staff and outside parties. At one point Thompson told the council he feared that the apparent lack of enforcement could prompt lawsuits from affected residents if the city did not take action.
The council did not take a new formal enforcement vote during the meeting. Council discussion indicated staff and the city attorney have been involved and that code enforcement visits and at least one citation have occurred, but residents said the odor continued and demanded stronger remedies.
Residents and speakers asked the council to clarify enforcement steps and any legal constraints that have limited more aggressive action. The transcript contains back-and-forth about possible litigation risk and about staff assisting the business to comply; Thompson said that appearance of staff helping the business “sends the wrong message” when violations continue.
The council did not adopt new penalties or an immediate closure on March 26. Staff was asked to continue follow-up; no new motion or deadline was recorded on the transcript.
