Desert Hot Springs Votes To Expand Hours Of Operation For Storefront Retail Cannabis Facilities

The Desert Hot Springs City Council last week voted to expand the hours of operation for storefront retail cannabis facilities.

“Chapter 5.50 and the Desert Hot Springs Municipal Code provides the regulatory framework for the operation of cannabis facilities including the hours of operation,” Christina Newsom, compliance director, said. “The proposed ordinance seeks to amend Chapter 5.50 and Chapter 17, to update operating hours to match that of state regulations for all retail cannabis facilities.”

The city’s current ordinance allows storefront retail cannabis facilities to operate from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. The new ordinance would allow them to be open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

Mayor Pro Tem Roger Nuñez asked for clarity on the city’s process of aligning its ordinances with changes from the state, to which Newsom said it depends on the change.

“It depends on what the amendment is, whether or not we want to match it, whether or not you know we are deciding to be more stringent or if it’s not something that would align with the vision of the city,” she said. “But, when that happens, we can bring an item forward immediately if we’d like to match state regulations.”

With no comments during the public hearing, Councilmember Russell Betts made the motion to approve the ordinance, which was seconded by Councilmember Gary Gardner. The motion was approved unanimously.

The ordinance will have to come before council once more before it can go into effect. A draft of the ordinance can be found here.

In other council news: The Desert Hot Springs City Council approved the temporary cannabis cultivation tax reduction ordinance. The ordinance goes into effect June 1.

You can watch a recording of the full meeting here.