This bill is part of the 2021 Cannabis Bills section of our ongoing update on California Cannabis Legislation – see the full California Cannabis Law Legislative Update which includes information on cannabis bills from other years.
SB 59 (Caballero D) Cannabis provisional licenses: local equity applicants.
Existing law, the Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA), for purposes of the California Cannabis Equity Act, defines local equity program as a program adopted or operated by a local jurisdiction that focuses on inclusion and support of individuals and communities in California’s cannabis industry who are linked to populations or neighborhoods that were negatively or disproportionately impacted by cannabis criminalization, as specified. MAUCRSA requires the bureau to administer a grant program to assist a local jurisdiction with the development of a local equity program or to assist local equity applicants and local equity licensees through a local equity program, as specified.
MAUCRSA, until January 1, 2022, authorizes a licensing authority, in its sole discretion, to issue a provisional license if the applicant has submitted a completed license application to the licensing authority, including evidence that compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) or local cannabis ordinances is underway, if applicable, as specified.
This bill would prohibit a licensing authority from issuing a new provisional license to an applicant on or after July 1, 2022, unless the applicant is a qualified equity applicant, as defined by the California Cannabis Equity Act, and would authorize a licensing authority to reinstate a provisional license issued prior to July 1, 2022, to an applicant for the same activity previously licensed at the location. The bill would extend the repeal date of these provisional license provisions to July 1, 2028. By extending provisional licensure, the applications for which are required to be signed under penalty of perjury, the bill would expand the scope of the crime of perjury, and would thereby impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
This bill would declare that its provisions further the purposes and intent of AUMA.
Read more about California Cannabis Legislation – see the full California Cannabis Law Legislative Update.
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