With an 8-1 vote Tuesday, the City Council put a nine-month hold on the application and permit process for medical marijuana dispensaries, bringing everything to a standstill. City Councilman Darrell Fong was the only dissenting vote, citing concerns that proximity of dispensaries to schools and parks is not adequately addressed in the ordinance. The freeze left some dispensary operators and medical marijuana patients concerned for the future of dispensaries and of the ability to access medicine. The Sacramento Press asked people for their opinion of the current state of limbo that medical marijuana dispensaries are in. Reactions from Sacramentans ranged from mild to animated – one thin

Instead of pursuing an ordinance to allow special permits for medical marijuana dispensary operations in the county, local business owners learned Thursday that county officials are taking steps to reinforce the current ban. “The Board of Supervisors is headed in a direction to reinforce a stance that the county does not permit medical marijuana dispensaries,” Leighann Moffitt, principal planner with the Sacramento County Planning Department said Thursday. A new section of the county zoning code is being proposed that specifically prohibits activity that violates federal or state law in any way. Moffitt spoke to local business owners as a featured guest at the Arden Arcade Business Coun

No new taxis will be allowed in Sacramento for the next two years, after the City Council passed a moratorium on new cab permits in a 7-2 vote Thursday. The moratorium was the first, and less-contentious, of two proposed ordinances related to the 450-500 taxis operating in the city. The other ordinance, which has yet to come to council, would require taxi companies to have a central dispatching station, which has come under fire from some taxi drivers. To read more, click here. Dafna Gauthier, business permit manager for the city, told the council that staff recommended the two-year moratorium to give them time to study the taxi market, and that there is a “general consensus” that there

A proposed urgency ordinance to regulate medical marijuana dispensaries within the county was voted down by the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors June 22, but the issue is far from dead in the water. Representatives of dispensary owners are speaking out in support of regulation that recognizes medical cannabis as a legitimate industry that is here to stay. Max Del Real, a lobbyist for the Sacramento Alliance of County Collectives (SACC), a medical cannabis trade association, spoke at the board meeting in June in opposition to the failed ordinance. “The county had proposed an ordinance that would essentially close down all of the dispensaries in the county,” Del Real said. “They had

The City Council will decide within the next few months whether to stop issuing new taxi permits, and the council’s Law and Legislation Committee will take more time to decide whether central dispatching systems should be required for taxi companies. “If approved (by the City Council), no new taxicab vehicle permits will be issued or renewed,” said Dafna Gauthier, business permit manager for the city. This will limit the number of cabs, she said, referring to the moratorium. “There seems to be a consensus that there are too many taxis in the downtown area,” she added. That was one part of a proposed ordinance city staff has been working on since last October. The city’s taxi fleet was

Sacramento police will now have “another tool to address criminal behavior” as it relates to underage drinking, according to City Councilman Robbie Waters. The City Council unanimously passed an ordinance Tuesday that will fine adults who host parties with underage drinking within the city anywhere from $250 to $25,000. They will also be charged with a misdemeanor. The “social host liability ordinance” will hold people accountable for sanctioning underage drinking, said Derrick Lim, manager of Neighborhood Services/Special Events within the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation. Lim said a civil penalty can also be administered for those in violation of the ordinance. Similar ordin

Editorial Note: The following Sacramento Press story contains incorrect figures. It was reported that the city's medical marijuana dispensaries would pay $54,000 in fees. The $54,000 was the sum of two fees that should not have been added together. Joy Patterson, the city's principal planner, provided the correct information Wednesday. Patterson said that depending on the medical marijuana dispensary, a fee of either $39,600 or $33,000 will be paid in the application process for the first year of operation. We apologize for the error and a followup story on the fee breakdowns will be posted later this week.  The city’s existing medical marijuana dispensaries can become legal businesses.

Next month city leaders are expected to discuss allowing the city’s 39 medical marijuana clubs to apply for permits to run their businesses legally in Sacramento. The legal language of the draft medical marijuana ordinance was released Friday afternoon. City Council members will discuss the ordinance at their Nov. 9 meeting. The draft ordinance states that only the 39 current registered shops can apply for permits. But it leaves open the possibility that the City Council can decide to set new limits on the number of shops in the future. “City Council may choose to reevaluate at a later date,” according to the document. Medical cannabis dispensaries would have to pay several fees as part

An ordinance to limit mobile food vendors to a total of 30 minutes in one spot in the city won’t go into effect until 2013, but groups are already working to fight it during the mandated review process. Joshua Lurie-Terrell, founder of yumtacos.com, is working to get the ordinance overturned when it comes up for City Council review. The ordinance was passed in 2008 and has a five-year window before it will come under review before going into effect. No new mobile food vendors have been allowed to open since 2008. “Several truck owners told me it takes 15-20 minutes to get ready before they’re able to cook, and then they have to do all that in reverse before they move,” Lurie-Terrell sai

The 39 medical marijuana shops in Sacramento are on their way to becoming legal. The Sacramento City Council voted 8-0 to draft regulations for current pot dispensaries to legally operate with city permits. Councilman Ray Tretheway was absent from the meeting. Notably, Councilman Robbie Waters, who formerly served as a Sacramento County sheriff and city police officer, voted in favor of a path toward legal and regulated medical marijuana shops. Waters noted that he had originally approached the issue from a “cop view.” Michelle Heppner, a special projects manager for the city, explained after the meeting that the City Council intends to allow 39 medical marijuana dispensaries in Sacrame

 The next car crash you get into could be more costly than you think. Especially if you’re not a Sacramento resident. The City Council Law and Legislation Committee decided today to put the measure on the Aug. 5 council agenda. The goal of the proposed fee is to collect between $600,000 and $1.3 million, allowing the city to reopen one of the browned-out fire stations by next year, according to Sacramento Fire Department Operations Deputy Chief Lloyd Ogan. Council members Robbie Waters, Lauren Hammond and Sandy Sheedy voted for sending the measure forward, while Councilman Steve Cohn voted against it on the grounds that he would like more details. As it currently stands, when drivers w

Changes to the City of Sacramento Water Conservation Ordinance go into effect on December 9, 2009. The changes to the ordinance include: □ After daylight savings time ends, watering landscapes and car washing is permitted one day a week, Saturday or Sunday only. Customers may choose which day to water or car wash on. □ Customers who utilize drip irrigation are permitted to water their landscapes using the drip irrigation system at any time during the day, on any day of the week, including during summer months. □ Limitations to how many times a violator may take the Water Conservation Class within a 24 month period to waive fines. “The City of Sacramento reminds all of its customers that c