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Public commenters urge Berkeley council to enforce cannabis ordinance on permit transfers
Summary
Two public commenters asked the Berkeley City Council to prevent permit transfers and enforce a city rule requiring a licensed cannabis site to be operational before renewals. An attorney for Quality Roots said some approved operators never opened and should not retain city approvals.
Eric Clark, a local cannabis operator, told the Berkeley City Council on July 20 that he spent nearly $1 million and met the city's timelines to open his licensed facility, and urged the council to enforce the cannabis ordinance consistently.
"We can't forget the past where Berkeley came from 2020 to now," Clark said, adding that one approved operator had not become operational yet still appeared to have received a renewal. Clark asked the council to ensure that renewals and transfers comply with the ordinance requirement that a site be operational before a renewal is granted and to protect investments made by operators who followed city rules.
Craig Aronoff, an attorney representing Quality Roots, said his client met the financial and operational commitments in its application while a different approved operator did not. Aronoff said that operator had sought financing and partners after approval rather than arriving ready-to-operate, and argued the city should "hold those licensees accountable." He asked council to review whether a permit transfer should be allowed when the ordinance requires operational status.
Council did not take immediate action on the comments; Mayor Dean thanked the speakers for raising the issue during public comment. No applicant or staff response disputing the allegations was recorded in the meeting transcript.
Why it matters: The comments raise a question about consistency in permit renewals and transfers for locally regulated cannabis businesses, and call on the council to exercise oversight rather than leaving transfer decisions solely to staff. The issue could affect local operators' investments and the competitiveness of license awards.
What happens next: Clark and Aronoff urged the council to review the matter; the transcript records no follow-up motion or vote tied to their comments at this meeting.
