Cathedral City Admits Mistakes in Cannabis Zoning Amid Ongoing Odor Complaints
- Jason Beck
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
05-01-2025
Fred Roggin
For months, residents in Cathedral City have raised concerns over the powerful odor coming from a local cannabis cultivation facility. Complaints have ranged from “awful” to “unbearable,” with many calling on the city to take action. But until recently, the city’s response has been seen by many as evasive.
Despite conversations with the mayor, the city council, and the city manager, residents say they were met with a game of hot potato—officials pointing fingers without offering real solutions. When the city finally announced a moratorium on new cannabis facilities, residents argued it did nothing to address the current issue affecting their neighborhoods.
But now, a shift.
On April 23, Cathedral City’s Director of Community and Economic Development, Andrew Fierstein, acknowledged the problem publicly.
“We need to look at zoning. We need to look at where we are permitting cannabis uses, particularly cultivation and manufacturing,” Fierstein said. “We should not site those in close proximity to areas where we have sensitive receptors. It's okay for us to admit that we’ve made mistakes. We can change that. It may not change the landscape as it is today—those businesses will remain as long as they’re in business—but in terms of how we permit new cannabis businesses, we should not permit cultivation and manufacturing in the PCC zone district.”
That admission—“we made mistakes”—marks the first time city leadership has publicly acknowledged zoning missteps that allowed cannabis cultivation near residential areas.
Residents say the statement validates what they’ve been saying all along: the smell is real, the impact is real, and the city's permitting decisions are to blame.
While the city’s future policy may evolve to prevent similar issues, those living near the current facility say the damage is already done—and they want more than words. They want action.
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