Sonora, CA — Through a Proposition 64 state grant program, the City of Sonora will receive a combined $999,981 over a five-year period.
The money is designed to offset the impacts of legalizing marijuana in California.
The Sonora City Council voted on Monday to accept the nearly million-dollar grant award. Police Chief Turu Vanderwiel and Lt. Jennifer Hannula provided an overview of how the money will be spent.
Lt. Hannula stated, “It will allow us to add another officer that will be dedicated to the schools, with a K9 that is used for marijuana detection. It will also help with our tobacco retail stores and regulations (enforcement). The money is coming for funding the officer, but also for purchasing a new vehicle and purchasing a dog.”
The grant will also cover the costs of related training.
Lt. Hannula thanked the Tuolumne County Public Health Department for its assistance in acquiring the funding.
Adding, “They helped a lot. I supplied information, and without them, we would not have been able to get it.”
Mayor Ann Segerstrom called it a “wonderful and exciting opportunity.” Councilmember Mark Plummer praised the grant, but also raised questions about whether future grant money will be available once the existing money runs out. He cited concerns from the past about grant-funded positions, and city leaders indicated that they were hopeful that additional money would potentially be available after the grant period expired.
A little over $299,000 will be spent in year one to offset the one-time costs of purchasing the vehicle and K9.
It was noted that it has been 6-7 years since the city had its own School Resource Officer (Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office, however, currently has an SRO program).
