6 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY OCTOBER 30-NOVEMBER 5, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com NEWS Monterey County holds the top spot statewide as the county with the most illegal cannabis destroyed during the last quarter, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office. On Oct. 21, they reported 76,166 pounds of allegedly illegal cannabis were destroyed with a value of more than $125.6 million, making up over half of the total illegal cannabis seized in the state over the months of July, August and September. Los Angeles was a distant second, with 16,340 pounds of illegal cannabis destroyed valued at $26.9 million. “The bigger you are, the harder they fall,” says Michelle House, Monterey County’s Cannabis Program Manager. She attributes a large part—if not all—of those numbers to a cannabis bust that occurred in July near Pajaro, at 1400 San Juan Road. According to planning records, Ladybug Farms, LLC was granted a use permit for approximately 715,000 square feet of medical cannabis cultivation in existing greenhouses, as well as approximately 6,000 square feet of non-volatile processing. House explains that illegal cannabis can appear a lot of different ways, including growing cannabis on a legal farm but not going through proper tracking mechanisms. The investigation into that site was led by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department in collaboration with the Unified Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce, a multi-agency taskforce under California’s Department of Cannabis Control. While House doesn’t investigate illegal activity, her focus is to ensure ordinances and the correct processes are met on farms trying to transition to legalization. “From seed to sale,” she says, “it has to be tracked.” Smoke Show A single cannabis bust accounts for Monterey County’s high ranking for illegal activity. By Katie Rodriguez The 50,000-square-foot cold storage warehouse at the Food Bank for Monterey County is looking sparse on Monday, Oct. 27. Normally filled with fresh produce in the summer, come fall agricultural companies that donate to the Food Bank move production to Yuma, Arizona and donations decrease. “I would call this just about empty,” CEO and Executive Director Melissa Kendrick says. In another part of the warehouse where non-perishable food is stored, she points to empty shelves. What used to take three to six months to deplete now takes four to eight weeks. The dearth of food could not come at a worse time as the federal government shutdown continues. As of Tuesday, Oct. 28, an estimated 50,000 people in Monterey County representing 30,000 families were in danger of not receiving their November CalFresh benefits, the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), once known as food stamps. There are SNAP reserve funds but the Trump administration claimed they were not legally able to use them. California and more than 20 other states filed suit on Tuesday, Oct. 28 against the administration, demanding the benefits continue. As Nov. 1 approached, officials at the Monterey County Department of Social Services were preparing recipients for the possible shutdown. “What we are doing is asking our CalFresh recipients to call 211 and check the food banks if they need food, because at this point we’re waiting ourselves to see what happens,” says DSS Deputy Director Annette Gallegos, referring to the phone number for information and referrals operated by the United Way Monterey County. Already in recent months the Food Bank has seen more people showing up to over 100 distribution sites in search of food. In some cases, sites run out. Since the beginning of September they’ve seen a significant increase in requests beyond the normal demand as seasonal agricultural workers head into a period of unemployment, Kendrick says. “It’s shocking to see how quickly the numbers are going up,” Kendrick says. “For those who we serve, they seem to be getting further and further behind because of inflationary costs.” The Food Bank serves approximately 60,000 families and 160,000 individuals each month. Inflation also impacts the Food Bank, which purchases a high volume of food. Early in the Trump administration, they lost 20 truckloads of protein and dairy they normally receive due to federal funding cuts. A grant to purchase produce from first-generation, independent farmers was ended. Kendrick says in general they’ve seen food costs go up 50- to 80-percent since the Covid-19 pandemic while the need among local residents has not decreased. Food Bank trucks advertise that the organization serves 1 in 4 children in the county, but that’s outdated—it’s more like 1 in 3. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Oct. 22 he is fast-tracking $80 million in funds to food banks ahead of the delays in benefits. Although CalFresh benefits are endangered for November, another U.S. Department of Agriculture program, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), will continue through the end of the month. CSU Monterey Bay students from the Green Cadre program and the softball team fill boxes with food at the Food Bank for Monterey County on Monday, Oct. 27. Bare Cupboards Lingering government shutdown imperils access to food for an estimated 30,000 local families. By Pam Marino A July 16 raid on a farm near Pajaro resulted in officers from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and other agencies seizing (and destroying) thousands of pounds of cannabis. “It’s shocking to see how quickly the numbers are going up.” DANIEL DREIFUSS DANIEL DREIFUSS
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