cannabisnews.com: Lake County Loses Pot Funds!





Lake County Loses Pot Funds!
Posted by FoM on July 05, 1999 at 20:54:59 PT
Costly error on grant application 
Source: The Press Democrat
Lake County's efforts to track down illicit marijuana growers have been hit with a major setback, thanks to an administrative mistake that has cost the county $175,000 in annual state funding for helicopter flights and other aggressive tactics.
The loss in state assistance, which paid for two full-time deputies to seek out pot gardens and arrest those who planted them, will cramp the county's marijuana eradication program, Sheriff Rod Mitchell said.While helicopter patrols will continue, although far less frequently, the county will lose critical resources and the focus of its efforts, he said. "I'm concerned about it. It will have an impact," he added.The county learned last week that it will not get the funding, which is funneled through the state Office of Criminal Justice Planning, for the first time in 10 years. For a small county with 63 sworn peace officers, the grant has proved to be a valuable addition to the budget each year.On Wednesday, Mitchell acknowledged his department had made a mistake that cost it the grant. In the county's grant application to the state, staff members accidentally omitted answers to one section of questions that accounted for 20 percent of how the state graded the application."It was just an error, a mistake. We overlooked that aspect of completing the project," Mitchell said. "Regardless of the fact I have staff do this, I am ultimately responsible for that and take responsibility for it."It was up to him to proofread the final application, Mitchell said. Staff members had prepared the answers and printed them but lost them on a desk, failing to add them to the application before it was rushed to Sacramento to meet the filing deadline.As a result, the application received an unusually low score from state officials and put the county's proposal behind the 15 that won funding. Sonoma, Mendocino and Humboldt counties will all receive the grants, but Lake and six others that applied will not.The Office of Criminal Justice Planning does not notify counties about shortcomings in grant applications until after the agency has rated them because it is a competitive process, according to spokeswoman Fran Clader."There's only so much money to go around," Clader said. The agency doles out $3.4 million a year for the program with counties receiving a maximum of $250,000 a year each.Unfortunately for Lake County, this summer's decision covers the next three years, meaning the county misses out on $525,000 total and won't have a shot at the same grant until 2002.The marijuana eradication grant helps pay for overtime costs, raids involving several law enforcement agencies and communication among the agencies about marijuana searches and arrests.According to state statistics for the 1998 calendar year, Lake County seized 14,440 marijuana plants, more than 52 of California's 58 counties. The county ranked 13th of the 58 in total marijuana suppression efforts, based on a performance score that considered the amount of pot located and the number of arrests made.Pubdate: July 1st, 1999By ANDREW LaMARPress Democrat Staff Writer http://www.pressdemo.com/local/news/57573.html
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Comment #1 posted by Dr. Ganj on July 06, 1999 at 20:16:44 PT
Head West, My Son, To Lake County!
Sure looks like Lake county is going to have its share of gold seekers next year! :-)Power in numbers, I say.Dr. Ganj
http://www.hightimes.com
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