In the most dramatic move, the Assembly’s two licensing structure bills were merged into one bill at the request of the Assembly Appropriations Committee – even though each contains a different approach. Specifically, Assembly Bill 34, authored by Assemblymember Bonta (D-Oakland), failed passage; however, much of AB 34 is being incorporated into Assembly Bill 266, previously authored by Assemblymember Cooley (D-Sacramento). As such, AB 266 will now move forward, but will be dramatically restructured with Assemblymember Bonta being the lead author. RCRC is in the process of reviewing these amendments.
Finally, Assembly Bill 243, authored by Assemblymember Wood (D-Sonoma County), moved forward. This measure has two key aspects – one addressing better environmental enforcement of the cultivation of marijuana; and the other requiring certain counties to adopt ordinances requiring marijuana plant identifiers. The second aspect of this bill remains a concern for counties, and RCRC staff will continue working with Assemblyman Wood to address those concerns.
Source: Rural County Representatives of California