Board backs off immediate prohibition on hemp production
Riverside County supervisors split on whether to renew an immediate ban on cultivation of the marijuana derivative hemp in unincorporated communities, causing the measure to fall short of the votes needed for implementation, during its June 4 meeting. The supervisors did direct the executive office to draft a less restrictive ordinance.Four-fifths approval was required for the urgency ordinance to take effect, but with Supervisors Jeff Hewitt and Manuel Perez opposing Supervisors Kevin Jeffries, Karen Spiegel and Chuck Washington, the proposal failed.A similar urgency measure was approved by the board in March 2018, but that has since expired.Transportation and Land Management Agency Director Juan Perez approached the board of supervisors last month seeking an extension of the tempor