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Needles City staff urges council to deny Purist USA's permit renewal appeal
Summary
City staff told the council Purist USA LLC's renewal application is ineligible because the listed owners had a state cannabis license revoked within the previous three years; staff recommended upholding the denial and pursuing enforcement while the council moves to closed session to consider the matter.
City staff recommended that the Needles City Council deny an appeal by Purist USA LLC of the city's decision to refuse a cultivation regulatory-permit renewal.
Senior Code Enforcement Officer Bernard Hatz told the council the hearing's legal question is narrow: whether the applicant meets eligibility requirements in Chapter 12A of the Needles Municipal Code. "The evidence demonstrates that the answer is yes," Hatz said, meaning staff concluded the administrative record supports denying the application because owners listed on the application had a state license revocation within the previous three years.
Hatz walked the council through the municipal-code provisions and ownership information, saying Section 12A requires that "neither the applicant nor its owners, officers, directors or operators have had a cannabis license suspended or revoked within the previous 3 years." He identified the property as 250 Balboa Place and the business owners listed in the application as Mercedes Hand and John Schneider, and said the Department of Cannabis Control revoked a state provisional distribution license on 02/25/2025.
Staff recommended the council "declare that the applicants, Mercedes Hand and John Schneider, owners and members of Purist USA LLC do not qualify" for a regulatory license and direct staff to take appropriate actions, including civil enforcement to prohibit operation without a license. The council recessed to closed session for legal consultation; the presiding officer said written findings and any final decision will be issued within 90 calendar days.
The article relies on the council hearing record and staff presentation; no formal public vote or final decision was announced at the meeting.
