Recently, there was public concern about two Tri-Valley men who were proprosing to build a cannabis farm in Livermore, California. The two then said their neighbors do not have fear that their business will bring crime to the area, use up all the well water or produce a smell.
James Thomas Halter, formerly ran a car repossession business off his Tesla Road property that will also house the 1.5 acre marijuana cultivation site. He believes the community will become safer. Halter, who holds a security guard license says “They are going to have a level of security in this neighborhood they’ve never had before. This is a safe place. This will be an incredibly safe place”.
Halter and his friend and new business partner, Frank Imhof, who is a member of the East County Board of Zoning Adjustments (ECBZA) that would approve the farm, actually proposed the cultivation site for Halter’s 4.36 acre property four years ago. The two funded a study released back in October that showed this will have no significant negative effects on the environment.
“The proposal for this cultivation site calls for 20 separate 1,000-square-foot hoop houses to grow mature plants and one 3,000-square-foot hoop house to raise mature plants. The plan includes the construction of four 10,000-gallon water tanks, an 8-foot security fence, lighting, video surveillance and parking” ( The Independent).
Imhof, the former President of the Contra Costa Alameda County Cattlemen’s Association, reported that he plans to hand over the reins of his current businesses to his son. The 60 year old farmer and rancher has been “growing 500 acres of wheat hay, raising 200 mother cows, hydroseeding, weed abatement, and paving and grading” (The Independent). He is looking for something new to do in retirement. Halter, who is 56, mentioned he is hoping to find a quieter way of life compared to his years of bail bond enforcements and car repossessions.
The officials at the State Department of Cannabis Control will decide whether or not to issue Halter and Imhof a license for the farm. Reports for the area are available for review at https://bit.ly/Indy_farm.