Pubdate: Sun, 17 Apr 2016
Source: Ukiah Daily Journal, The (CA)
Copyright: 2016 The Ukiah Daily Journal
Contact: http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/feedback
Website: http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/581
Author: Justine Frederiksen

WINE, WAVES & WEED? ECONOMICS EXPERT ADVISES UKIAH TO PLAN FOR POT TOURISM

With recreational marijuana legalization looming, a local economic 
expert advised Mendocino County business leaders Friday to position 
the area to become known for "wine, food and weed."

With recreational marijuana legalization looming, a local economic 
expert advised Mendocino County business leaders Friday to position 
the area to become known for "wine, food and weed."

"Because if you don't, someone else will," Robert Eyler, economics 
professor at Sonoma State University and director of the Center for 
Regional Economic Analysis, told the group gathered at the Ukiah 
Valley Conference Center April 15 for the 2016 Agriculture Business 
Coalition Economic Outlook.

"People will be looking for a place to eat five-star food, drink 
five-star wine and smoke five-star weed," Eyler continued, explaining 
that Mendocino County could easily become that place, as long as it 
planned ahead and got in front of the wave.

The wave he was referring to, of course, is the pending statewide 
legalization of recreational marijuana, an issue that many expect to 
come before voters again soon.

However, Eyler said the recent passage of a $15 state minimum wage, 
completed in lightning-fast fashion by legislative standards, could 
foreshadow what will happen with marijuana.

"There's a lot less talk about putting marijuana on the ballot now," 
Eyler said. "They may decide after the success with the minimum wage 
increase that they didn't need to put it before the voters."

And once recreational marijuana becomes legal, Eyler said, a thriving 
underground industry may become day-lighted overnight.

"Then the question is, can Mendocino become to weed what Napa became 
to wine?" Eyler said. "Because if it doesn't get ahead of the curve, 
it's going to get left behind."

While it wasn't clear if any local tourism officials attended Eyler's 
talk, Ukiah Mayor Steve Scalmanini and City Council member Kevin 
Doble were in the audience.

Scalmanini said tourism in general, not necessarily pot tourism, is 
definitely on the city of Ukiah's radar lately as the City Council is 
preparing to have its third discussion Wednesday regarding whether it 
wants to pay to have a feasibility study done for a higher-end downtown hotel.

Attracting businesses and industry of almost any kind is a 
near-constant goal for Ukiah and Mendocino County, and Eyler asked 
the group Friday if it felt that the relatively low housing costs in 
the area is enough to attract businesses to the area.

Most felt that it wasn't quite enough, since Ukiah and other 
Mendocino County cities still don't have many of the amenities that 
cities in Sonoma County can offer.

Eyler then pointed to Healdsburg, and how that city, which has a 
smaller population than Ukiah, recently had two companies, one with 
100 employees and one with 200, relocate there because of the quality 
of life it offered.

"You can provide the same quality of life," Eyler said, likely 
referring to a rural area surrounded by vineyards and recreational 
opportunities like the Russian River and hiking.

"I disagree with us having the same quality of life," said Ross 
Liberty, founder of Factory Pipe. "Visitors come here and see 'The 
Walking Dead' homeless we have and don't want to move here."

Other attendees pointed to the lack of housing and inadequate 
broadband infrastructure as definite reasons why businesses would not 
want to locate here.

As if to provide one more incentive for action, Eyler pointed out 
that neighboring Lake County might be perfectly poised to attract the 
new wave of tourism as well.

"Lake County is the biggest question in California right now," he 
said. "Whether it will evolve socially and culturally, or de-evolve."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom