08 Apr San Pablo Council Approves Third Cannabis Dispensary, Despite Community Opposition

A rendering of the exterior of the proposed Embarc dispensary in San Pablo. (Screenshot captured by Samantha Kennedy / The CC Pulse)

By Samantha Kennedy

A third cannabis dispensary is coming to San Pablo, but soon-to-be neighbors aren’t happy about it.

Despite a strong showing of opposition by church members and those advocating for youth at a Monday meeting, council members unanimously reversed a decision by planning commissioners that will allow a new dispensary shop from Embarc to open at a former corner store. Council member Abel Pineda was absent.

The location, at the former 7-Eleven at 14501 San Pablo Ave., is near two churches and streets away from Contra Costa College, which was the source of most public commenters’ frustration.

Contra Costa College also houses Middle College High School, a sensitive location that is required to be 1,250 feet away from any retail cannabis business. City staff found that, because the buffer zone starts at the high school’s primary location, the shop is outside of the prohibited zone.

San Pablo’s buffer zone for schools is more than double the state’s requirements of at least a 650 ft. buffer.

“I’m here to speak for children, teens and young adults in the area of the proposed location who cannot speak for themselves — the next generation of adults who will use this proposed store because San Pablo normalized the use of cannabis when they were kids,” said parent and resident Leona Greenlow Turner. “How long will we hold our kids hostage to bring in revenue?”

The dispensary is the third approved location in the city since voters passed a 2024 ballot measure that placed a license tax on cannabis businesses. Council members last year then moved forward with three applicants — also including Off the Charts and STIIIZY — who could have a chance at approval for a retail location.

The tax is one of the ways officials are trying to generate revenue for the city, which faces a deficit.

Mayor Elizabeth Pabon-Alvarado, who engaged in a back-and-forth with dissenting residents while speaking, acknowledged concerns about youth and crime but said that the regulations on cannabis retailers help keep the area safer.

“If you’re buying weed on the street, then that’s where the danger is. Having a storefront that is regulated is a lot better,” said Pabon-Alvarado, adding that security measures would help prevent underage use. “The likelihood of our kids getting it is minimized.”

Lauren Carpenter, co-founder and CEO of Embarc, said that claims of the dispensary being accessible to youth or increasing crime were wrong.

“The reality is that is patently false,” said Carpenter about youth access.

Most neighbors, however, wouldn’t budge on their stance and several times interrupted council members’ comments, asking them to consider how their decision might affect their chances at reelection. Some poured out of the council chambers before a vote, but when it was clear the project had the backing to pass.

Planning commissioners initially denied the company a conditional use permit at its Feb. 24 meeting, following several community members voicing their opposition. Commissioners said that the retailer would harm the neighborhood’s safety and the general welfare of its residents.

Similar to Embarc’s location, attendees of the Islamic Society of West Contra Costa County pushed back against STIIIZY’s retail location nearby. Commissioners approved that project last month.

No timeline has been announced yet for when the Embarc and STIIIZY sites could open, but the Off the Charts store opened recently after being approved in late October.