National City council approves longer storefront cannabis hours over public health objections

The City Council voted 4-1 to adopt an ordinance amending chapter 9.6 of the National City Municipal Code to expand operating hours for storefront cannabis retailers.

The council opened a public hearing on the proposal and heard in-person and Zoom testimony urging caution. Judith Strang and public-health advocates argued that businesses should operate under their originally proposed hours until the community can observe actual impacts, and Madison Rapp and others said extended hours could increase youth access, noise and impaired driving. One commenter urged a "wait and see" approach and asked law enforcement and staff to observe operations before any expansion.

After closing public comment the council moved to approve the ordinance; the motion passed by a 4-to-1 margin with Councilmember Yamani voting no. The record shows the motion was made from the dais and seconded; the official vote tally was announced by city staff.

Assistant staff noted there was no separate staff report for the ordinance and staff remained available for follow-up questions. The meeting record also includes written comments submitted in advance. Council discussion reflected the split between economic/regulatory flexibility and concerns about public-health consequences.

The ordinance will change city code to allow longer storefront operating hours; staff said the item will follow the normal ordinance implementation steps and enforcement practices. The council did not specify an effective date in the hearing record; follow-up implementation details were not provided during the meeting.