More than $10 million to tackle illegal marijuana farms, short-term rental abuses, snow-play nuisances, and other concerns will be in the 2021-22 county budget.
Third District Supervisor Dawn Rowe, who represents the Morongo Basin Rowe, said, “This budget proposal is a significant step towards providing a solution to outlying desert and mountain communities that have been overwhelmed by tourism and overrun by illegal marijuana farms.”
Spurred by Proposition 64, which reduced illegal cannabis cultivation to a misdemeanor offense, the number of illegal marijuana farms in the county has exploded. Despite efforts by county code enforcement and Sheriff’s Department personnel to shut down these sites, they continue to increase at a rate that outpaces available resources.
“I have heard it said before that illegal cannabis cultivation is a victimless crime, but this is not the case in my district,” Rowe said. “This activity has significant impacts on our water supply with illegal wells and connections, in addition to the herbicides and pesticides that could very likely leech into our groundwater.”
The Board of Supervisors is expected to adopt the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins July 1, at one of its June board meetings.
