Butte County

[ButteCounty Guy]

This is the first article I've seen where the fact that the code violations were found during a "flyover" is confirmed. Hopefully at some point the cost of enforcement will be computed and the helicopter hours will be included.

http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20150919/NEWS/150919670

 

[CanniDo Cowboy]

This is the first article I've seen where the fact that the code violations were found during a "flyover" is confirmed. Hopefully at some point the cost of enforcement will be computed and the helicopter hours will be included.

http://www.gridleyherald.com/article/20150919/NEWS/150919670

As I said, I spent hours going thru the Shasta County Budget. Butte has the same thing. Yearly expenditures for all county depts - where the money comes from and where it goes - is easily found at any county website as it is public information.

The reason I decided to look into county spending all started with a helicopter flyover. It flew over mine and 3 other neighbors properties located end to end along the same road. All 4 properties average 1 to 4 acres. The copter came from out of nowhere, flying way below the 500ft FAA minimum. It flew from end to end of the 4 properties in a tight, paperclip-like pattern twice. It hovered momentarily (apprx 10 seconds or so) over the middle property owners vegetable garden as if trying to decide what was there and then disappeared. In all, the helicopter covered the 4 properties in less than 2 minutes. Coincidental or not, just as the copter was leaving, a small Cessna was noticed , flying a straight east to west direction about 3 to 400 feet directly above the copter.

In this business, you get familiar with the copters flying above and their behavior. Usually no big deal. CHP, Newschopper, Life Flight, CDF - on and on. This one WAS DIFFERENT. No agency I.D. markings and no time to get a tail number. Beige with 2 green stripes along the length of the tail, it came in fast and was gone just as quick. Generally, if its LEO, he WANTS you to know he's there and he's found you.

When all this happened, there was no doubt in my military mind that the 4 properties had been flown- specifically. And I was 110% sure we all were going to get a visit - if not immediately. After several days of nothing and no one, I started actually getting pissed. Why the need for the helicopter? The properties are less than 12 miles from the sheriff's office. Code Enforcement or LEO or both could have drove out, investigated all 4 properties, stopped at 7-11 for donuts on the way back to the shop and it all would have taken less than 2 hours and all for a lot less cost than a chopper, donuts included. Yea, I know, aerial photos are everything but damn, someone just spent a big chunk of chopper $$ to take pics of 5 goats, 4 horses, a junked out chevy truck and a garden full of tomato plants...

So, I got curious about that damn chopper. I googled every state agency from Fish and Wildlife to State Forestry trying to find it. Nothing. And then I came across a helicopter leasing company in Red Bluff which at one time held a LEO/county contract with Tehama County. Bingo! At that point, I went to the county budget to find out how much the lease was and whether it was monthly, yearly or by the flight. To no surprise, the chopper cost isnt there. Well, it might be there but my guess it would be buried under 'Equipment Rental". And it doesnt say who leased it- LEO, Code Enforcement etc.

So, someone gave the OK to spin up a chopper, violate the rights of 4 property owners, find nothing and had to cut the helicopter leasing company (if it was leased) a check for at minimum of several thousand dollars. If it wasnt leased, the cost of the flight was still as much or more. Ya know, at some point, if you do either enough times with the same negative results, its only a matter of time before someone has to start cookin the books...cc

 

[jrmedic]

"Cookin the books" is built into this fraudulent system from the get in 1913.

Nice research CC

 

[tankerton]

sunfire- butte has conceded that they aren't getting anyone's garden down this year. They have changed tactics, "reach out and touch someone" they are trying to ticket as many people as possible but no entry to property and fine at gate. They have not had any abatement hearings yet and even after we do there is a 20 day self abatement period before they can go to a judge for abatement order. Yuba is gunning to abate 12 days after you receive violation. She is in superior court trying to slow them down but this is different from your lawsuit

 

[tankerton]

Big bust in Cherokee today. I have been watching the sheriffs new copter search and rescue all these plants from the woods all morning.

 

[Sunfire]

Lmfao @ "donuts included" ahhahaha!

I could swear ccp codes stated you have the right to a hearing in front of a fair and impartial hearing before they disturb property rights. Idk if fines are included in such a disruption.

 

[Yes4Prop215]

damn sucks to hear yuba is trying for 12 day abatements, thats scarier than butte.

there had to have been a bust recently in oro bangor yesterday because SEU was out in full force and even Snellings was with them, they all parked at lakeside and went into oroville tacos. thats funny because i like the oroville taco people they all HATE measure A, them and Jo's liquors next door have both told me that the owners are very pissed and are worried about their october trim season revenue being much lower than last years. both businesses support the growers they are friends and try to patronize them if you can!


cannido i applaud you for that investigative work! wish i had more time to look into buttes, maybe we can just get ryan olsen at chicoer on that I've been chiding him to look into the money for months. we the people of butte deserve a straight answer on their costs, i really want to go to the next BOS meeting and demand that information be released.

 

[CanniDo Cowboy]

What the below article isnt saying is that the helicopter is also being used on the more local grows because Code Enforcement is having a difficult time accessing private properties. Similar to the intersection traffic violations camera system, now that we're down to the 4th quarter and the season is on the line, theyre just take photos, writing citations and stickin it on your gate. No time to waste questioning tax dollars spent or who might actually be legal...

http://www.redbluffdailynews.com/ge...forcement-now-able-to-reach-more-remote-areas

You have to understand the county mentality - to bolster public support of any struggling program, sometimes you just have to bump the numbers a bit...OK, sometimes a lot. Snellings stood up and at a meeting not long ago and claimed Butte had ticketed for over a million dollars in potential fines. Bumpity bump bump. At the same time, he also claimed less the $85,000 had been collected...He didnt, however, mention how much of the $1,000,000 in fines might be thrown out of court or how much additional taxpayer dollars it will take to process that amount of fines/cases, win or lose.

$1,000,000 out-standing- $85,000 in the pot. Butte's version of a mostly retarded Ponzi scheme - "Innocent or guilty it's all the same, just keep writing them violation tickets boys, that's where the money's at..." cc

 

[Sunfire]

Cannido is 100% correct in my opinion. I jist took part in this conversation with Rick today, we're you there too prop? we were talking about how they don't care about potential lawsuits they just want to write as many tickets and fines as possible and they think they are invincible.

 

[ButteCounty Guy]

Information/misinformation

Information/misinformation

damn sucks to hear yuba is trying for 12 day abatements, thats scarier than butte.

I was in Yuba County today. A friend was happily beginning his harvest and told me that he wasn't in a hurry because the Yuba County ordinance had been overturned two weeks ago. It was in the newspaper he said. I don't follow all of the counties and what's going on there, but there are certainly differing opinions about the latest facts.

 

[tankerton]

I was in Yuba County today. A friend was happily beginning his harvest and told me that he wasn't in a hurry because the Yuba County ordinance had been overturned two weeks ago. It was in the newspaper he said. I don't follow all of the counties and what's going on there, but there are certainly differing opinions about the latest facts.

Yeah it's called uninformed and don't give a shit. YUBA ordinance definately wasn't overturned

 

[furrywall11]

it's called ignorance is bliss lol

 

[ButteCounty Guy]

He might be wrong, but he was sure happy.

He might be wrong, but he was sure happy.

it's called ignorance is bliss lol

I suppose that's the bliss.

Another bothersome part of the present situation: I was at a grow that had been tagged by CE two days ago. It was in escrow. Unless there is a decisive win by the right to grow people, it seems that a grow that was tagged this year, is a really poor candidate for a place to grow next year. Won't the county drones begin their religious crusade against demon weed by going after known grows first? They'll have the addresses on file. Its almost just a boring administrative process to go after the already tagged properties. The CE guys can just work on creating a list of new properties on their way to extermination of personal rights. I think I would forfeit my deposit.

 

[Yes4Prop215]

haha man pretty sad going back through the earlier days of this thread last year and how things have changed. went from being a pro-grower county where our plant counts legally allowed us to grow more than some spots in the triangle, to the the most strict anti marijuana county in NorCal.

there was an article in eastbayexpress recently, titled Winners and Losers of marijuana regulation (a b266,643)

one of the losers said "big farmers in butte"
"Some Conservative counties with mega farms, such as butte, will likely never permit commercial cultivation. Fess and taxes from the industry will be used to target outlaws."

So are they saying that tax revenue from little shitbag Casey O Neill and hezekiahs farms in Mendo will be spent on enforcement in ban counties like Butte and Shasta?

 

[Mountain Sprout]

Money from permitted licensed ops will fund enforcement on unlicensed grows over 500 square feet. 500 feet is lame. Overgrow.

 

[Yes4Prop215]

but does it spread from county to county? i was under impression that mendo tax revenue would go to keep mendo outlaws in compliance. spending mendo tax revenue to crack down in shasta and butte is bad, does anyone know what the specifics are?

 

[Sunfire]

Money from permitted licensed ops will fund enforcement on unlicensed grows over 500 square feet. 500 feet is lame. Overgrow.

Lmfao no one is going to be a primary caregiver for 5 people dude, even an RN can't handle more then 2. You pretty much have to live with the people, whip their asses, feed them, and out em into bed.

We will all get 100 IF THE GOVERNOR SIGNS THE BILLS BIT HE HASN'T YET!!!! this is a great sign, keep calling his office and faxing him and blow that shit up!

 

[Mountain Sprout]

I didn't read anything in the bills saying that the state license money will stay local. The counties can tack on any fees they think necessary for any reason such as enforcement (if they choose to permit licensed grows at all). The bills give any fines to the busting agency so that gives local pigs incentive. Rich investors in 1 acre grows are depending on enforcement to force patients into dispensaries to pay $20+ dollars a gram and so far the investors have gotten the state to do what they ask.

 

[Sgtstadanko707]

haha man pretty sad going back through the earlier days of this thread last year and how things have changed. went from being a pro-grower county where our plant counts legally allowed us to grow more than some spots in the triangle, to the the most strict anti marijuana county in NorCal.

there was an article in eastbayexpress recently, titled Winners and Losers of marijuana regulation (a b266,643)

one of the losers said "big farmers in butte"
"Some Conservative counties with mega farms, such as butte, will likely never permit commercial cultivation. Fess and taxes from the industry will be used to target outlaws."

So are they saying that tax revenue from little shitbag Casey O Neill and hezekiahs farms in Mendo will be spent on enforcement in ban counties like Butte and Shasta?

Was that the article that quoted the expert Doug lamafia saying no weed smoker can hold a steady job and poy turns people into zombies. But he is all for the pills and booze.

 

[Sgtstadanko707]

Fuck we are stuck with 50-150sq feet here in butte. I would be stoked with 50sq ft.