Ahead of next week’s meeting to vote on changes to the Santa Barbara County cannabis ordinance, the Board of Supervisors held a special meeting in Carpinteria to address residents’ concerns and frustrations.

Three of the supervisors met at Carpinteria City Hall on Friday afternoon where they invited Carpinteria residents to hear more about how cannabis farms have affected them.

“I lived in Carpinteria for 38 years, and it used to be a great place to live,” said Lionel Neff, who is part of the Santa Barbara Coalition for Responsible Cannabis.

In attendance were Supervisors Laura Capp, Bob Nelson, and Roy Lee – who represents that part of Carpinteria. The meeting attracted more than 50 people, most of whom supported a tougher ordinance.

The controversy over cannabis was enough that Supervisor Lee was able to use the frustration to fuel his campaign against former supervisor Das Williams. Lee ousted Williams, an unabashed cannabis supporter, in 2024 and was sworn into office in January.

Since Lee took office, he has aligned with Capps and Nelson to push for major changes to the cannabis ordinance. The two major changes are requiring carbon scrubbers and establishing an odor threshold.

Another example of growing tensions between cannabis operators and residents is a recent class action suit that was announced in early March. The new lawsuit will allow residents within a one-mile radius of specific farms to join together to sue.

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will discuss three different items on its agenda that will likely change how the county regulates and enforces laws for cannabis operators in the county.

Even though the ordinance will affect cannabis operators across the county, the supervisors asked the audience to focus on their experiences in Carpinteria.

The changes to the ordinance come after years of conflict between operators and Carpinteria residents.

The supervisors asked attendees to comment on what they thought about the odor threshold, the technology being used, and the matter of extensions for cannabis operators who may need more time to install equipment.

One of the complaints that the audience brought up was issues with the complaint system that is supposed to allow residents to alert the county to odors. Since the system was created, the county claims that it has received more than 3,700 complaints from residents.

“Nobody I know has bothered to file a complaint in years because it means nothing. You file a complaint and it goes into the ether,” said Ann Louis Bardach, a Carpinteria resident.

In her remarks, Supervisor Capps acknowledged that despite the best intentions, the system did not work.

“We fully (acknowledge) that the complaint system, 3,700 complaints, is broken, never worked,” Capps said.

On the issue of the odor threshold, many of the audience members expressed support for no odor at the property line. The board is considering an odor limit of 7 d/t, which would be measured using a device called a nasal ranger.

While many in the audience clapped at the mention of a limit of zero at the property line, others pushed back against the request.

Graham Farrar, the president of Glass House Farms in Carpinteria, pointed out that the county commissioned a report by engineers on the odor levels of cannabis. He continued by saying that the report recommended an odor level and the nasal ranger.

“I’m not an expert, and certainly no one certified me. I think that applies to most of the people in this room. The county did hire someone who is certified, who is an expert, and that was their recommendation,” Farrar said.

On the issue of extensions, many in the crowd said they do not want extensions for operators who need more time to install carbon scrubbers. The proposed timeline would require operators to install carbon scrubbers within 12 months of the supervisors’ vote.

In his comments, Lee told the audience that he does not support extensions. However, he admitted that the choice is not up to him and the supervisors as a group need to decide.

Other members of the audience expressed support for the cannabis growers and asked the board not to go too far in changing the ordinance.

Ben Wilmore, a Santa Barbara native, has been living in Carpinteria with his wife for 12 years. He said that he lives near a farm and does not mind the smell.

Wilmore added that cannabis operators do not use pesticides other farms use and that he was considering leaving at one point before the cannabis farms opened.  

“I would just hope that you don’t vote on something that would put them out of business, because we need them. We love having them,” Wilmore said.

In response, Capps confirmed that even though the supervisors are trying to address complaints from the community, they have no intention of driving anyone out of business.

In his closing remarks, Supervisor Nelson said the issue is complicated but called the discussion a luxury compared to where they started. He continued by saying that he believes that many of the complaints of the audience will be solved once operators begin installing carbon scrubbers.

Nelson also promised that if the new ordinance does not work, then the Board of Supervisors will return to the issue and address it again.

“That’s what we’re doing here today. We’re not stuck on old ordinances; we’re trying to solve problems,” Nelson said.