The Murrieta City Council, after listening to a presentation by a representative from the Western Riverside Council of Governments’ I-REN program, continued its moratorium prohibiting the establishment or expansion of more medical cannabis delivery businesses in the community at its Tuesday, Jan. 16 meeting.
The WRCOG representative explained how the I-REN, or Inland Regional Network, connects residents and businesses and local government to a wide range of programs to improve local energy efficiency during the meeting.
The I-REN encompasses how the networks can target power to hard-to-reach areas and disadvantaged communities by offering training, resources and other methods to reach the goal. Since 2018, WRCOG has partnered and worked with the Coachella Valley Association of Governments and the San Bernardino Council of Governments for the development of I-REN services. In doing so I-REN said it hoped to bring more energy to those areas. I-REN has a California Public Utilities District budget of $65 million through 2027 to assist local governments in these efforts, particularly in understanding and enforcing energy building codes that will bring better energy efficiency in those areas.
The council following a public hearing made a resolution to continue the 45-day temporary moratorium on the establishment or expansion of medical marijuana dispensaries for an additional 10 months and 15 days prohibiting the medical marijuana facilities and mobile medical marijuana dispensaries within the city limits of Murrieta.
The council also agreed to direct the staff to continue to study any modifications to the Murrieta Municipal Code to mitigate the conditions in the urgency ordinance and find them exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act.
The city’s development services director was further directed to report back to the council with his findings at least 10 days before the expiration of the urgency ordinance. City urgency ordinances can only be adopted for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health or safety and must show why it was called and be passed by a three-fourths majority vote of the council, which it was.
The council approved five items on the night’s consent calendar which included their meeting schedule and reviewed the monthly city investments.
The council reviewed their appointments to city subcommittees and the affiliated boards that can be found on the city webpages. There were few changes since Lori Stone is now the appointed 2024 mayor on some of the boards and subcommittees.
The council adjourned in memory of Murrieta resident Rosie Diaz, a local runner and family woman, who was hit by a vehicle and killed recently in a tragic accident in Murrieta.
Tony Ault can be reached by email at tault@reedermedia.com.