Monday, August 22, 2022
The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton
Volume 112 Issue 1
Unlicensed cannabis dispensaries thrive in Fullerton
WoMen’s Center still closed Details surrounding reopening date and location remain foggy. BORLEN CHANG Asst. Editor
ROSEMARY MONTALVO / DAILY TITAN Fullerton Top Shelf Dispensary located at 1100 E Elm Ave. in Fullerton is one of many illicit cannabis businesses located within the city.
SPENCER OTTE
common evasive tactic used by unlicensed dispensaries.
Editor
ANTHONY BAUTISTA SINCLAIR ANDRUSKA Asst. Editors
Though illegal within the city, several cannabis dispensaries operate openly in Fullerton. Most of these businesses are easily searchable online, and some are located only a few miles from City Hall. Fullerton Exotics, an unlicensed dispensary that operated at 922 Williamson Avenue since at least November of 2021, was declared a public nuisance by the city, had its power cut, and was declared unsafe for occupancy. Despite this, it was soon operating just a few miles away, at 110 Ash Avenue. This is a
“This happens over and over again. it seems like we’re just playing whack-a-mole, and to some degree we are,” said Mayor Fred Jung of Fullerton. Cannabis shops are a significant source of tax revenue for nearly 190 California cities, according to state regulators, but Fullerton is reluctant to legalize and regulate them. Last year, Santa Ana earned $20 million from cannabis-related taxes. Meanwhile, Fullerton is expecting a deficit of $5 million in the 2022-2023 fiscal year and is considering handing over its city fire department, founded in 1908, to the county to cut costs. Fullerton prohibited dispensaries within the city following the passage
of Proposition 64 in 2016, which made recreational cannabis legal statewide. In November 2020, the city adopted an ordinance that would allow several dispensaries to open, but rescinded it in February 2021 due to resident complaints. “I am just concerned we are trying to go along with what other people, other cities are doing, and Fullerton’s a very unique city, I’d like to keep it that way,” said Maureen Flynn-Becerra, who said she taught the anti-drug DARE program for the Fullerton Police Department. “What would we lose as a city, as families, as a community, by supporting an ordinance like this?” “People, Fullerton residents, care about getting our financial house in order, they care about fixing our roads and streets, and this is not
going to do that,” said City Council member Nick Dunlap. “The fact that there’s no residential buffer to some of the most, I think, at-risk neighborhoods in the city, is a complete disrespect to the residents of our city, and this is not something that I could support.”. In April 2021, the city launched a $72,000 pilot program to combat unlicensed cannabis shops, fining cannabis businesses and the property owners who lease storefronts to them. Although possessing cannabis is legal statewide, cities must create ordinances to set specific rules for related businesses. Regulations typically include rules about where and when these shops can operate. SEE POT
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Though the university’s administration said that it hoped that the WoMen’s and Adult Re-entry Center would reopen for the first week of classes, campus life will start without it and no exact location or reopening date has been announced. The center, which had existed since 1972, held frequent mental health workshops and seminars in Gordon Hall, abruptly shut down in December. After outcries from students and faculty, the university announced a reopening and redesign in the spring, but details have been scarce. Daily Titan first disclosed the closure of the center in January. With the reopening planned for this fall, university officials said it would be placed near the Diversity Initiatives and Resource Centers in the Pollak Library. “We wanted to make sure that it was in an area that was easily accessible to students,” said Ellen Treanor, CSUF’s chief communications officer. No specific date has been given, but Treanor estimated a probable reopening in mid fall, attributing the delay to renovations in the library. Exact hours of operations for the center are yet to be announced, but will likely follow the hours of the Pollak Library, Treanor said. Funding for the center will be provided via student fees and donations. Along with a new location, the center will get a new name -- also not yet determined. “It was originally called the WoMen’s Reentry center for women that were coming back to school. So I think the intention here is to have it focused more on all women identified students, rather than just people who are coming back after a hiatus from education,” Treanor said.
A look into CSUF’s $250 million makeover Four major construction projects are open, including new housing and a McCarthy Hall renovation, with a fifth coming up. Jessica Benda Asst. Editor Over $250 million was invested into Cal State Fullerton’s campus makeover, and the payoff is arriving. Massive projects like the new housing building, McCarthy’s second floor overhaul and freshly-done baseball and softball facilities are VISIT US AT: DAILYTITAN.COM
open to students this semester after months - or years - of construction fences. While some are still renovating, here is what to expect when coming back to campus. The Suites The $120 million Goliath of this year’s construction projects is buzzing with its inaugural students, who furnished their apartments and moved in last week. After a year and a half, construction has transformed part of Lot E into the Suites, a 600-bed housing complex tucked between the Gastronome and the Eastside parking structure. Apartments hold four bedrooms,
two bathrooms and a kitchen divided among eight students. On the first floor are two full-time staff apartments, each with two-bedrooms, residential life office spaces and a multipurpose room. The opening of the Suites paves the way for the eventual demolition of decades-old housing buildings Cypress, Sycamore and Valencia. Since the Suites are designed as its replacement, student housing gained only about 200 beds in total, said housing director Larry Martin. “Now we have different kinds of experiences for students so that hopefully, it can create a more rich residential experience for the 2,200
students now who are able to live here,” he said. Martin detailed how students start in the residence halls, then can transition into the Suites, and then finally land in an apartment with their own room. Martin called this a step toward the university’s master plan, which aims to convert a famously commuter school into a residential campus. In a major expansion, the plan details potential housing by the Titan Student Union. This summer, the department received more funding for affordable housing, Martin said. “Probably in three years or so, folks will see a few hundred more
beds available on campus, and then I think that will just continue,” he said, adding that as they receive resources, housing will likely move to other areas of campus. In the meantime, those that want to look inside the Suites can attend its grand opening on Friday at 10:30 a.m. McCarthy Hall’s second floor As the oldest building on campus, McCarthy Hall’s reputation mostly sits on rumbling elevators and aging classrooms, but its newly modernized second floor has a good shot at boosting its popularity. SEE PLAN
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