Bird Valley Organics owners Terry Sardinas and Manny Alvarez moved from Florida to the Aptos hills in 2011 to tap into the burgeoning medical cannabis market.
Sardinas and Alvarez moved to a 20-acre parcel in Watsonville after realizing that new local rules under Proposition 64, approved by voters in 2016, would mean the end of their business. Sardinas and Alvarez moved to a 20-acre parcel in Watsonville after realizing that new local rules under Proposition 64, approved by voters in 2016, would mean the end of their business.
Out of the 750 or so growers who paid hundreds of dollars to put their names in a county registry of hopeful cannabis entrepreneurs during the legalization process, only a handful could meet the requirements. Many have been driven out of business.
As GT reported last week, Santa Cruz County Supervisor Ryan Coonerty says the county hopes to register 102 growers by 2021. That’s just 13% of those who threw their names in. “We really were very fortunate to get in, because out of 750 registrants, we’re one of the very few that are left,” Sardinas says. “I pinch myself every day.”
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