Pubdate: Fri, 23 Aug 2013
Source: Chico Enterprise-Record (CA)
Copyright: 2013 Chico Enterprise-Record
Contact:  http://www.chicoer.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/861
Note: Letters from newspaper's circulation area receive publishing priority
Author: Roger H. Aylworth

DEAL GIVES WATER AGENTS POLICE ESCORT WHILE GOING INTO MARIJUANA GARDENS

SACRAMENTO - An agreement has reportedly been reached between the 
Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board and the Butte 
County Sheriff's Office that will result in state water agents, 
escorted by sheriff's deputies, going into marijuana gardens to 
investigate pollution charges.

The agreement came out of a closed door meeting earlier this week in 
Sacramento between water quality officials, Butte County Sheriff 
Jerry Smith, representatives from Gov. Jerry Brown's office, and 
Assemblyman Dan Logue, R-Loma Rica.

In a telephone interview, Logue said Pamela C. Creedon, executive 
officer for the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board, 
agreed to let her staff go into the marijuana gardens to test soil 
and other things for pollution concerns.

At the same time, according to Logue, Sheriff Smith assured her that 
her staff would be safe.

"We are doing our best to assuage any concerns they might have for 
the safety of their staff members," Butte County Undersheriff Kory 
Honea told the Mercury-Register in another telephone interview.

Honea was not at the meeting but he said Smith, who is currently out 
of the area at a conference, told him "it was a very productive meeting."

"We think that we have come up with a strategy that can work in Butte 
County," Logue said.

He said he understood Creedon's concern about the "safety issue," and 
at the same time, he understood the frustration on the county side.

The whole topic came up for public discussion in early May when Butte 
County Supervisor Bill Connelly of Oroville, who chairs the board, 
sent a letter from the board to the Central Valley Regional Water 
Quality Control Board.

Connelly asked that members of the water quality staff play a role in 
helping to prosecute instances of serious pollution often associated 
with large marijuana gardens.

Creedon responded that she said she appreciated Connelly's concerns 
but sending her staff into these gardens would be dangerous and she 
was unwilling to do that.

Honea said the Sheriff's Office and water quality will still have to 
work out all of the details before any joint operation takes place.

Logue and state Sen. Jim Nielsen, R-Gerber, got involved after the 
letter exchange, and each of them set up separate meetings with all 
the parties to work something out.

"We have been able to solve the problem in Butte County. We have to 
address this on the statewide level," said Logue.

Logue said besides Nielsen and himself, Assemblymen Tom Ammiano, 
D-San Francisco, and Wesley P. Chesbro, D-Arcata, both have 
volunteered to be part of the task force.

The next, still-closed-door meeting is scheduled Sept. 4 in Sacramento.

"This won't be happening overnight. We want to make sure we do 
something and move forward. The future doesn't look good unless we do 
something," said Logue.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom