Visalia City Council to reconsider marijuana sales ban

"Just because all your friends are jumping off a bridge, does that mean you should, too?"

That's what Visalia Mayor Steve Nelsen said on Monday as he doubled down on his resistance to bringing marijuana dispensaries to the city, even as other Tulare County communities have embraced cannabis products — and the windfall of cash from taxes and fees — to varying degrees.

Councilman Greg Collins, who requested the Visalia City Council give the issue another look, thinks the city could jump off that bridge into a pile of cash.

"Here's an opportunity to generate some additional funds for the city and be consistent with all our neighbors," he said.

Besides, pot is already flowing through the city's borders, Collins said. Neighboring dispensaries can legally deliver to Visalia addresses under state law, Visalia Police Chief Jason Salazar said.

"We're already seeing a fairly significant number of (marijuana) deliveries within our community," the chief said. "This (proposed ordinance) would probably provide a greater deal of control over it for us."

Does that mean a green wave is primed to come crashing through Visalia, as Tulare recently experienced?

It depends.

The council last visited the marijuana issue in June 2021, shortly after the death of Councilman Phil Cox and before Councilwoman Liz Wynn was appointed to the vacant seat.

At the time, the council was split 2-2 on moving ahead with a commercial cannabis ordinance that would permit dispensaries to operate within city limits, and so the motion died. 

Now, Wynn is likely to be the wildcard who will determine marijuana's fate in Visalia. On Monday, she signaled her tentative support for commercial cannabis, after requesting the police chief's input.

"Any ordinance is only as good as its enforcement," Salazar said, adding that illicit cannabis sales would likely remain a concern regardless of city policy.

For Councilman Brian Poochigian, "The devil is in the details." The city should have a cannabis tax structure in place so that the public can reap the benefits of legalized marijuana, he said.

"For me, if we do this, there would have to be a sales tax on top of it that goes primarily to public safety, parks and (recreation), and new buildings and maintenance," he said.

Nelsen and Councilman Brett Taylor remain opposed to the measure.

After recently updating the city's smoke shop ordinance, none of Taylor's constituents that he spoke to supported cannabis commerce, he said. City staff is working on a related ordinance that may ban flavored tobacco products within the city, the freshman council member said.

Taxes generated by so-called canna-business could help finance costly projects that the council has recently discussed, such as its long-planed civic center that tripled in price, or a proposed aquatics center that Collins has lobbied the council to approve.

Visalia City Council voted 3-2 to put the marijuana issue on a future agenda. City staff will present the pros and cons of amending the city's municipal code to permit cannabis licenses.

Details, such as how many permits would be up for grabs and taxes that the pot shops would pay, would have to be worked out during a likely months-long process.

Any cannabis decision would require a majority council approval.

Joshua Yeager is a reporter with the Visalia Times-Delta and a Report for America corps member. He covers Tulare County news deserts with a focus on the environment and local governments. 

Follow him on Twitter @VTD_Joshy. Get alerts and keep up on all things Tulare County for as little as $1 a month. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Police chief, Wynn could tip support for marijuana dispensaries and oversight