Erich Pearson, the owner of the only dispensary in our town, has worked diligently to prevent the Sonoma City Council from permitting our second dispensary. Mr. Pearson is adamantly opposed to any competition that would keep him from dominating the local market, even to the point of publicly defaming our advocacy group in front of the Sonoma City Council.

But, he does not limit his suspicious activities to the city of Sonoma.

Our letter to all Sonoma City Councilmembers regarding Erich Pearson’s failed attempt to gain an unfair advantage should he ever open a dispensary in Sausalito:

We would like to call your attention to this news article, “Critics call mysterious Bay Area pot proposal ‘evil genius’”, published by SFGate on September 27, 2023. (please scroll through the advertisements to read the entire article)

According to the story, Erich Pearson sponsored a tax initiative in Sausalito that appeared to many as an attempt to give SPARC an unfair advantage in the Sausalito cannabis space.

“Councilmember Joan Cox said that the measure was “evil genius” because it would tax existing delivery services, but future pot companies that open in the town could be exempt. That could presumably benefit a businessperson like Pearson, who could theoretically open a SPARC location in Sausalito after the retail ban is lifted and instantly have a business advantage.”

We remind that Mr. Pearson brought his own ballot measure to permit Sausalito’s first retail cannabis dispensary in 2022. That initiative was removed from the ballot after a Marin judge ruled it invalid because the measure’s two proponents, Paul Austin and Joseph Erich Pearson, were not residents of Sausalito.

We also recently apprised the city council of racist remarks made in public by the holder of two Sonoma County dispensary permits.

The citizens of Sonoma and the Valley deserve better. By issuing the RFP for the second dispensary, the community and the city will establish a healthier business environment that will benefit everyone, government and consumers alike.

Sincerely,

Gil Latimer, Founder, Sonoma Valley Cannabis Group

Cc: David Guhin, City Manager
Policy Group, Sonoma Valley Cannabis Group