The Lake County Board of Supervisors will take up the Boyles Fire in Clearlake this week. They’re expected to approve a declaration of emergency. The Lake County Sheriff’s office issued that declaration last week. It opens the door for additional state and federal assistance In other business, members will take up sewer rate increases for people in the Lake County Special districts in Lucerne and Kelseyville. The meeting starts at 9 tomorrow morning at the Courthouse. It is available on Zoom, TV Channel 8. and the city’s Facebook page.
The state says tax revenue from the regulated cannabis industry continues to drop. Second quarter figures show the state brought in 26 million dollars in taxes from 1 billion dollars in sales. The first quarter of last year saw 286 million in revenue from 1.3 billion dollars in sales. The decline continues a trend that began the year after cannabis was legalized. The industry blames unregulated, untaxed sales from the hemp market. Governor Newsom is proposing an emergency order to regulate intoxicating hemp. The cannabis industry says hemp products with high levels of THC are readily available. They’d like to see those products sold in dispensaries–and taxed–rather than over the counter in places like corner stores and gas stations.
