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Ripon City Council opposes Manteca retail cannabis sales
medical marijuana dispensary weed pot
Ceres City Council members signaled they are open to possibly allowing various marijuana dispensaries like this one in San Francisco. Several members toured dispensaries in other cities and claim their preconceived notions were shattered. - photo by Contributed to the Courier

Among those opposing the Manteca’s City Council allowing storefront cannabis sales on Tuesday was Ripon’s elected municipal leadership.

A letter from Ripon Mayor Daniel deGraaf against allowing such sales in Manteca was read into the record during the meeting. Ultimately the Manteca council split 3-2 to allow storefront sales with Mayor Ben Cantu as well as council members Gary Singh backing the move and Charlie Halford and Jose Nuño and Dave Breitenbucher dissenting.

The Ripon letter, much like those that spoke in person against the plan, zeroed in on potential detrimental impacts and the message it would be sending to youth.

It underscores interaction between the two cities that is literally growing with Manteca in the position to loom as the proverbial 900-pound gorilla on a variety of development and cultural issues.

Already there are homes being built that are within Manteca’s city limits that are part of the Ripon Unified School District. More than 100 children that reside within the southeast city limits of Manteca already attend Ripon schools including Ripon High.

The spheres of influence — areas identified as being highly likely to be annexed to the respective cities in the future — already bump up against each other.

Manteca has a major business park and housing development that could break ground in the coming years between Austin Road and Highway 99 of which a third would be within the Ripon school district and eventually border future Ripon city limits.

The Ripon sphere of influence east of Highway 99 comes up as far as Graves Road that is to the north of the Austin Road interchange that is being reconstructed to eight lanes as part of a $54 million 120 Bypass/Highway 99 upgrade breaking ground next year.

Numerous planning decisions in the area — including the controversial Raymus Parkway aka Raymus Expressway — will ultimately impact Ripon.

Manteca’s neighbor to the west — Lathrop — initially rejected allowing retail marijuana sales in their community earlier this year before their City Council reversed itself to allow for one retail location.

The marijuana storefront sales ordinance is back before the Manteca City Council on Tuesday, Dec. 21, for a second reading.

Unless a council member changes their vote passage on Dec. 21 would mean the ordinance would go into effect by the end of January 2022.

                                                                                                                                                   

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com