Bay Area cities scramble to pass new pot rules ahead of Prop. 64

California voters went to the polls on Tuesday to decide on a crucial marijuana measure that's being closely watched by the rest of the nation.

If Proposition 64 passes, Californians will wake up on Wednesday to a state that does not criminalize adults, age 21 and older for using buying, possessing, and transporting limited amounts of pot for recreational use.

But in some cities, there will be limitations under a number of last minute local initiatives, including one that just passed in Sonoma on the eve of Election Day.

On Monday, the Sonoma City Council voted 4-1 for an immediate moratorium on outdoor cultivation of recreational cannabis.

This follows Palo Alto's move last week to also ban the outdoor grow of pot.

And in San Jose, the city council passed an ordinance to ban the growing, processing and selling of marijuana for commercial purposes.

These cities are among many local California jurisdictions scrambling to buy time until they can decide how to regulate a new industry, under Prop. 64.

Tim Cromartie, a lobbyist with the League of California Cities, says cities are taking a wide variety of actions to preemptively pass marijuana control ordinances of their own.

“The reaction of cities runs the gamut. This includes everything from allowing and robustly regulating such businesses, to banning them outright. Some jurisdictions have recently moved to ban outdoor commercial cultivation, due to public safety and nuisance concerns. Others are preparing ordinances to regulate and to tax commercial recreational marijuana businesses of various kinds,” Cromartie said.

Cromartie also notes that cities have months to create their own restrictions and don't need to take emergency action. But he says some are doing so out of an over-abundance of caution.

Here is a list of cities that have recently passed various types of pot moratoriums:

  • San Jose
  • Palo Alto
  • Campbell
  • Foster City
  • Hayward
  • Martinez
  • Berkeley
  • San Bruno