The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is a rogue agency that is apparently impervious to any oversight. For years, if they had an option, then they choose the most destructive one; and, although they hide behind their environmental credentials, their actions do not encourage environmental goals on the land. My neighbor, per bureaucratic writ, must now remove a pond that has in fact become a benefit to the surrounding wildlife; and the removal will create significant environmental impact but the CDFW does not care about that.
They regularly use intimidation and implied threats to corral citizens onto unnecessary and expensive pathways; the effort and expense is ruinous to the small farmer. As regulators, they are incompetent. They use their State power to levy extremely coercive fines, throwing on endlessly increasing penalties in such a way that the citizen can never catch up. They are using the legal system and the laws to grind down the little guy. None of the people that they attack have the resources to defend themselves. And it clearly seems that they enjoy this process. Top of the list, at least locally, what with their determined hate for cannabis growers and what appears a concerted effort to power that effort, are bureaucrats and agents that have been drinking the Kool-Aid over at CDFW for at least the last eight years. An example is an interaction that I witnessed at a farm. The farmer had more than a dozen officials inspecting their farm at the beginning of their licensing process. The owner had been to the side discussing their well with a Water Board agent and the agent assured them that the well was non-jurisdictional which means that they did not need any special permission to use and could, in fact, use the water anyway they chose to.
While talking, the owner noticed the CDFW speaking with their consultant in an animated discussion while pointing repeatedly to their main blue line spring. We joined them where the gestulating agent told him he would need to decommission the spring (which he knew could be, and is now, non- jurisdictional). He said it was already cleaned up (the agent could have looked, the spring was 50 ft away); he already knew it was an issue. But no, the agent had to pull him aside and tell him, threaten him, that if he tried to use the spring, then the agent would shut down his well (and of course his farm and his homestead). The Water Board guy was shaking his head no and later approached the owner and told him that the CDFW could not shut down his well. That agent engaged in outright manipulation, and outright intimidation.
Another time, with that same agent; they clearly stated that they hated firs and would see them all destroyed – so much, for protecting our forests and wildlife.
I simply do not understand how they can project such determined hate. They are damaging legal farmers, their families and their communities. It is not “oh, that’s just regulation, man up, everyone has to deal with that,” it is more than that.
And when they destroy everything, it’ll be, “oh, we were just enforcing the law-its not our fault,” or “we are just protecting our environment” or “I guess they couldn’t handle it, what a shame.”
CDFW has engaged in egregious abuses of power; agents sabotage the projects they are on….every consultant knows this and is terrified by the agencies incompetence and prejudice. The CDFW tell you they hate growers and have come to destroy “our” kind. One example after another; first they would OK the project’s rock purchase but then after it is purchased and applied, they come back and state it is the wrong rock. This is after they had already agreed to the rock – thousands of dollars gone. Then in this typical pattern of intimidation, they told my neighbor that they wouldn’t sign off on the LLSA if they used their spring. They had already agreed to not use the spring and, in fact, had taken the spring box out. They attempted to deny the use of a non-jurisdictional well, which they have no authority to do (you know law enforcement and state agents are not required to tell you the truth?). Most recently, they decided to force my neighbor to create a creek where none has ever existed – thousands of dollars gone. They forced all of us to do studies over and over in an attempt to undermine relocation sites – thousands of dollars gone. They lied repeatedly about projects being finished and then changing their mind – thousands of dollars gone. They have shown up in the last 6 months when my neighbor was close to done and added project items well after the four years of their being settled – thousands of dollars gone. Added a pond, then a greenhouse and then a building to the project. They actually bullied and intimidated staff into working for CDFW and, in effect. not the farmer. They scared them; a State agent carrying a gun.
This is not hyperbole. This is the truth. The CDFW is intent on destroying cannabis in California. A set of their agents certainly are.
I do not doubt that even revealing this information will put a target on my back.
Did I mention the hate?
These people want to preside over the Fall of Cannabis in California.
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Steve Dodge owns Homegrown Farms and partners at Humboldt Growers Network. Besides The Cannabis Show, he is on substack (https://nevergiveup.substack.com/and talking old.substack.com) and Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/home_grown). Well, almost on. Steve hosts the Cannabis Show on www.kmud.org every Monday from 5 to 6 PM. Been in the biz since 1978. His farm comes equipped with Gizmo, the black cat and Leda, the really big Rottweiler.
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Photo credit: Steve Dodge
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