$4 MILLION in Fines for Someone Else’s Cannabis Crime – California
$4 MILLION in Fines for Someone Else’s Cannabis Crime – California
In 2018, after a wildfire destroyed their Southern California home, Corrine and Doug Thomas did their best to find a silver lining and turn that nightmare into a dream: They packed up their remaining possessions, and—along with one of their two autistic adult sons—bought a modest home nestled in Northern California’s fabled redwood forests. The home, which is perched on a hill over the Avenue of the Giants highway in Humboldt County, was a perfect fit for their family and included a large barn out back for Doug’s workshop.
Unfortunately, the Thomases’ dream quickly turned into a terrible new nightmare.
Just six days after moving in, they received a notice from the county fining them $12,000 per day because the previous owners had used the barn to grow cannabis over two years before the Thomases bought it. The county, which requires a lengthy permit process for demolitions, gave them just ten days to tear it down. Panicked, they hired a building engineer, who estimated that the demolition would cost more than $180,000—which was money they don’t have. As of today, they have accrued more than $1 million in fines.
By the county’s reasoning, anyone with a greenhouse, cleared garden, barn or any other structure that could be used to grow cannabis is assumed to be growing cannabis and fined at least $10,000 per day. Humboldt accuses property owners of cannabis-related offenses without any proof or process. The county rarely bothers to conduct even the most cursory investigation. If the inspector had visited the Thomases’, for instance, he would have found an empty barn with a few tools. But Humboldt’s inspectors have admitted that they frequently rely on satellite images alone to issue fines.
The Thomases, like hundreds of other Humboldt property owners, are victims of the county’s so-called “abatement” program, which levies crippling fines based on unfounded, scattershot allegations that property owners are growing cannabis without paying the county for a permit. Once fined, owners face a legal labyrinth to prove their innocence. In the Thomases’ case, for instance, they’ve waited more than a year for the county to schedule a simple hearing to plead their case. Even as the Thomases waited for a hearing, the daily fines continued to accrue.
That is why, today, the Thomases—along with a group of other Humboldt property owners—have partnered with the Institute for Justice (IJ) to file a class-action lawsuit to put an end to the county’s unconstitutional practice of levying outrageous fines against innocent individuals.
“Humboldt is fining innocent homeowners millions of dollars for crimes they didn’t commit,” said Jared McClain, an attorney at the Institute for Justice. “The Constitution guarantees that everyone is innocent until proven guilty. But in Humboldt County, inspectors have turned that principle on its head and are fining innocent homeowners based on crimes the county has no proof of and hasn’t even bothered to investigate.”
Like the Thomases, Blu Graham knows the pain of Humboldt’s abusive abatement program firsthand. Blu, who is also part of the lawsuit, is a backcountry guide and volunteer firefighter. He and his wife own a local restaurant in Shelter Cove, California, which is known for its homemade hot sauces. They were having a hard time getting the exotic peppers locally, so Blu decided to build two rudimentary greenhouses and started to grow them himself.
When the county inspector was reviewing satellite images, he saw Blu’s new greenhouses, assumed they had to be for cannabis cultivation, and gave Blu ten days to remove them, along with a rainwater-catchment pond he’d built for fire safety, or face $10,000 daily fines. Incensed, Blu drove into Eureka to appeal the fine, where county officials insisted they knew he was “not just growing asparagus.” With nearly $1 million in fines hanging over his head, Blu waited more than four years for a hearing, which the county mysteriously scheduled just before Blu filed this suit.
“If the county inspector had asked to swing by, I would have been happy to show him inside my greenhouses. I’ve got nothing to hide. It was just a bunch of peppers,” said Blu. “But instead, I had to wait years for a hearing. The County eventually gave up on pretending they had proof I grew marijuana but wouldn’t give me a permit for my house unless I settled.”
The lawsuit, which represents the interests of all Humboldt property owners still subjected to the county’s abusive abatement procedures, argues that fining property owners for crimes they did not commit, without even a cursory investigation, is a clear violation of their constitutional right to due process. Furthermore, it argues that $10,000 daily fines for permitting violations are unconstitutionally excessive and that owners have a right to have a jury decide whether they really violated the code to grow cannabis illegally.
Filmed on a Canon C70, R5C, and a DJI Mavic Pro 3.
California is shit. Moved last year. The most corrupt state in the union.
Sounds like legalization of drugs for mentally weak people is going swimmingly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5BL4RNFr58&ab_channel=JamesBrownVevo
Sounds like Humboldt is trying to land grab.
Are we surprised that’s what the American government do these people sit in the office and spend your tax dollars on themselves and if you speak up against them they will come and get you using any means unless your from Ukraine the government has no use for you and as Biden said half the country are terrorists so he sends millions to kill Russians this story is repeated across america in different ways its disgusting they just want to abuse and abuse
Now that cannabis is legal more people are getting busted than ever (more rules to follow). The more laws you create, the more criminals you produce. It’s not about LEGAL, it’s about FREEDOM.
Want to see more on this county. Watch murder mountain.
Did anyone notice all the homeowners are white too.. is that just a coincidence?
This is a MASSIVE money grab by Humboldt county officials! It’s outrageous and terrifying. Who’s in power in that county that wants to ruin innocent lives, money grab and force people out should be the question asked. I’m glad that IJ is going after them! #HumboltCountyCA #HumboltCountyThievery #HumboltCountyMoneyGrabbers #TerroristHumboltOfficials
California is such a freaking joke
This is what happens when a country is run by corporate
These fines 100% won’t stand in court.
Unbelievable, that’s your democratic leaders and you probably helped vote them into office and the POWER !!!!
When politicians need more money for the budget they, look to the civilian population for ways, to extort more out of their fellow countrymen. And California is arguably the one of the most taxed by obscure laws enacted by corrupt politicians who only care about money.
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Humboldt making the rounds again for corruption…smh
Corruption to the core. How do the county code enforcement officials sleep at night? Insanity!
Time to smash the State.
This is nothing more than the state going after a property grab.
I don’t understand. This county has been behaving this way for decades. Why haven’t they just voted them out of office and replaced them with resident friendly representatives, leaders and law enforcement?
This is all part of a land grab.
Follow the money…check the "stakeholders" for all property development companies listed in the area…
Chances are, some elected and/or unelected bureaucrats’ names will pop up.
Simply put: a land-grab.
What a stupid country.
Civil RICO?
California hates America. It’s nothing more than a cesspool of poop
Well what happened?
The government is bat shit crazy!
Typical California bullshit
The tickets are bad. The 1984 style survelience is worse.
I see a lot of wooded land where nobody will find a "code enforcer" for days to years.
No wonder they staple the notice to gates instead of hand-delivering their government-based crimes…
Any updates?
2nd amendment time! "To prevent a government from becoming tyrannical." These people are sheep. They need to be "sheared" of their property if they don’t stand up for their freedom!
Question: Did the Nazis ever do anything like this? No, I guess they never thought of this. I guess Nazis didn’t have the kind of evil, scheming, minds as law enforcement in Humboldt.
Commiefornia is an absolute cesspool of political corruption, government overreach and tyrannical law enforcement.
Ditch the liberal politicians. They love to raise taxes and it seems that a lot of the funding never goes where it should and seems to go unaccounted for. They also create and enforce long lists of new laws and ordinances. You need to vote in some constitutional conservatives. As a conservative, taxes are low, laws are few, you keep your freedom of speech which includes the right to criticize government.
And if they rightly sue the bullies, the tax payers are responsible for compensation. And simply, it’s the tax payers fault this is happening at all. We know they’re soulless and we keep giving them money. Quit supporting abuse, hold on to your lunch money.
And qualified immunity is a good thing?
Find out where those code enforcement officers live. And do what the taliban and cartel do. Thank you
This made my blood boil.
This is so ridiculous, I’d be surprised a federal court (let alone the Supreme Court) would not be in favor of the plaintiff of the suit. This sounds almost like something inside an Onion article or some prank article, yet this is all 100% true.
Until this mockery of a judicial system can quit punishing us for having self authority we hold our lunch money. There’s no sense in paying to be bullied.
As with all government, this process smells of plausible deniability – they are purposely making sure they do not know the facts. And then they can claim qualified immunity as they did the "best with the given information".
Lawsuits lawsuits lawsuits. Scumbag unconstitutional money grab. Why did ANY of these people do anything except going straight to a lawyer?
Welcome to California. I don’t taint that nonsense would “fly” here in Texas.
Not only are the fines unreasonable, but the lazy and unprofessional attitude with which they carry themselves, it’s unbelievable. Does code enforcement seriously not think that if challenged they will not lose in a cort?! On top of that the court of public opinion is one of the most powerful courts in the land! It can have people removed from office and other people incarcerated!
🤣 California is a mess
Now I understand why people take govt officials hostage and want to speak to the press.
I have a suspicion that even after this is resolved those people will continue to vote Democrat. Liberals hate private land ownership and seek totalitarian control. This is the sick world of the left.
This is the same government that is fighting Russia for a basketball player getting arrested for cannabis oils she was smuggling in Russia. That shows how much they care about ordinary American citizens only the rich get support from our government. The ordinary American gets robbed and our stuff stolen from the police and the court system.
Everyone should be able to grow whatever they want on their own land including cannabis.
California, enough said