What began as a targeted effort to root out illegal cannabis cultivation in Sonoma County has quietly evolved into something far broader, according to new reporting. The program, originally designed to identify unlicensed grows in the region, has been repurposed as a mechanism for flagging minor building code violations — a shift that critics say represents a significant expansion of enforcement beyond its original mandate. The revelation raises questions about how local agencies use surveillance and inspection tools, and whether the original public justification for the program is still an accurate description of what it actually does.
Sonoma County launched the program to find illegal cannabis grows, but it secretly morphed into a wider search for minor building code violations.
