Re: “Big NIMBY shuffle”

An Open Invitation for Shredder to CTMBY in Creston

Shredder:

This is my personal invitation for you to Come to My Back Yard (CTMBY) and meet the citizens of Creston.

Mark your calendar for Wednesday, June 19, 2019. Come to our Creston Advisory Body (CAB) meeting held at the Creston Community Church,5170 O'Donovan Rd, Creston, CA 93432. The meetings starts at 7:00 pm.

At this CAB meeting, two proposed cannabis projects will be reviewed by the CAB board for community recommendation to the SLO Department of Building and Planning. The CAB is the only direct input we have on a cannabis project that impacts our community. Unfortunately, only Big Cannabis has had inputs to this point - the public has not had the same opportunities to shape the countys cannabis policies.

Its all about land use NOT cannabis use. You missed the essence of my May 26 letter to the Board of Supervisors and the process used by the Planning Commission and Department of Planning and Building.

In contrast to your editorial comments to my Board of Supervisor letter, your editorial missed the residential agriculture publics real issues with Big Cannabis. At this CAB meeting, you will actually see and hear Small Town America exercise its civic rights and provide our point-of-views on why we do not want Big Cannabis projects forced in our back yards. You might even gain insights to some of the facts from my letter that were discussed at the June 4, 2019 Board of Supervisors meeting regarding...

1) Eliminate industrial cannabis manufacturing on Agricultural Zoned Land. Chemical extraction of THC using ethanol as solvent and/or liquid carbon dioxide at high pressures is an explosion and fire risk. This is not farm to table, this is industrial chemical manufacturing.

2) Include residential dwelling units in the sensitive receptor definition and site restrictions. Homes and families should have the same set back safety restrictions of 1000 feet as schools, day care facilities and elder care centers from a cannabis project.

3) Keep the cultivation of cannabis indoors, and limited to sealed greenhouses that do not vent to the atmosphere. The Nuisance Odors from cannabis can not be managed with outdoor cultivation, therefore, in proximity to residential agriculture neighborhoods, require indoor cultivation technologies to mitigate this air pollution. Implement a set of strict density limitations for the number of cannabis cultivation sites that may be near each other in a neighborhood area.

4) Require compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act by ending undue exemptions to cannabis projects. Any business that constructs new buildings must go through an environmental study and if warranted an environmental report per state law. Big cannabis should not be exempt from following CEQA state law. There are currently two SLO county lawsuits specific to this issue.

Big Cannabis brings negative impacts to our residential agriculture community, health, safety, homes and families. Not just in Creston, but across San Luis Obispo County. Thats why we dont want to be forced to have Big Cannabis in our back yards. For reference and fact based information, check out slocannabiswatchgroup.org. Once you learn the facts - you will NIMBY too.

New Times San Luis Obispo should have you cover this story at the CAB meting and allow the Creston community to meet you in person. Perhaps we could all learn your real name? Out here in the country we like to get to know someone by their name - its just neighborly.

So join us at the CAB meeting on Wednesday, June 19 and CTMBY here in Creston.

Jim Wortner
Creston Area Resident (aka Small Town America)