Faith & Family Farms to Pay $120,000 in Civil Penalties for Cannabis Licensing Violations

SALINAS, California - Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni announced on January 28 that

her Cannabis Enforcement Unit has resolved a case against Faith & Family Farms, LLC, a licensed

cannabis cultivator located at 22730 Fuji Lane, in unincorporated Monterey County. This case resolves

allegations that the company used unlicensed transporters to distribute their cannabis products, and that

they failed to include all of their product in the state’s cannabis track-and-trace system. Under the terms

of the stipulated judgment, Faith & Family was ordered to pay $120,000 in civil penalties and is subject

to injunctive relief prohibiting future violations of state and local cannabis laws.

Cannabis cultivation is a highly regulated industry in California. State and local laws govern the

cultivation, harvesting, transportation, and sale of cannabis. To prevent unlawful diversion into the illicit

market, cannabis is tracked from “seed to sale” through the state's mandatory track-and-trace

system, Metrc. All licensed cannabis businesses are required to accurately record their activities

in Metrc and to only conduct business with other licensed businesses.

On December 20, 2023, Monterey County investigators and inspectors conducted a routine inspection at

22785 Fuji Lane, a property licensed to Monterey Botanicals, and observed employees of Faith &

Family loading cannabis clones onto a tractor trailer owned and operated by RP Trucking, an

unlicensed transporter. When questioned by investigators, a manifest and receipt were created that did

not correspond to the plants loaded onto the truck. The manifest was fraudulently provided

to investigators. Further investigation revealed that the cannabis clones being loaded were not tracked in

the Metrc system, as required by law. Investigators then reviewed Faith & Family’s Metrc manifest

history, which revealed repeated instances in which Faith & Family used unlicensed transporters to

transport cannabis, in violation of law.

This case was investigated by District Attorney Investigators Damon Williams and Leo Gomez, and

Monterey County Cannabis Program compliance inspector Paul Mattox. The Monterey County District

Attorney’s office remains committed to enforcing cannabis regulations and prosecuting unlicensed

activities as well as unfair competition in the cannabis industry to ensure a level playing field for

licensed businesses.

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Fatal 3 Vehicle Accident Involving Wrong Way Driver on Highway 101 Outside of King City on January 10

A fatal multi-vehicle collision happened on Saturday night, January 10 at 9:51 p.m. on northbound Highway 101 outside of King City. According to the King City CHP a 2016 Toyota Tacoma driven by 65-year-old Paul Lee Cooper of Otis, Oregon was heading the wrong way going southbound in the northbound lanes south of Jolon Road, while a 2006 Toyota Corolla driven by 33-year-old Dinora Maribel Gomez of Salinas was heading northbound on Highway 101 south of Jolon Road in the #1 lane and a Honda Accord driven by 36-year-old Ignacio Sangerman of King City was also traveling northbound on Highway 101 south of Jolon Road but was in the #2 lane. Due to Cooper's level of impairment his vehicle went the wrong way on Highway 101 going directly into the path of Gomez' vehicle causing the rear of her car to crash with the front of the vehicle driven by Sangerman. Cooper was arrested, sustaining major injuries and was transported to Natividad Medical Center in Salinas where as of January 12 is...

Monterey County DA Releases Preliminary Information Concerning an Officer Involved Shooting Incident that Occurred Outside of Soledad on December 16

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King City City Council Announces Selection of José Arreola as New City Manager

January 7, 2025-Following an extensive recruitment process, José Arreola has been selected by the King City City Council to be its next City Manager. Arreola will replace Steve Adams, who is retiring after serving in the position for the past 10 years. Arreola was selected from 31 applicants and 8 finalists for the position. The King City City Council will formally consider the proposed city manager contract at its meeting on Tuesday night, January 13. Arreola's first day on the job is scheduled to be February 23. José Arreola has a distinguished career of serving the community with a particular commitment to youth. He has worked for the City of Salinas for 12 years as their Community Safety Program Manager, Community Safety Administrator and Assistant to the City Manager. Among other responsibilities, Arreola has led several programs to eliminate gang violence which aligns well with the City of King’s efforts and priorities. Prior to that, Arreola worked as an Educa...

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