H.B. marijuana dispensary cancels disputed fundraiser for police foundation

A marijuana dispensary in Huntington Beach that planned to hold a fundraiser Sunday for the city’s Police Department foundation said Thursday that it has canceled the event as the city prepared to go to court to stop it.

The Surf City Collective at 19142 Beach Blvd., which says it distributes marijuana to help people with medical ailments, announced Wednesday that it would present a Cannabis Festival to coincide with the end of the U.S. Open of Surfing on Sunday.

In an email Thursday, however, the dispensary wrote that it will cancel the festival after being visited by police.

“We will comply, as we do not want to express aggressive resistance,” wrote Lisa Zambrano, a volunteer at the collective. “However, we are attempting to spark a dialogue between the City Council and our patient base. We want to communicate that what we do is help our patients take back control of their health in safe, effective ways.”

Police Chief Robert Handy said the dispensary has been cited by code enforcement in the past and that “the city is in the process of trying to shut them down.”

Although the dispensary said it will cancel the festival, police officials plan to go to court Friday to pursue a temporary restraining order to ensure it does not occur, Handy said.

“The last thing we want is a head fake,” City Atty. Michael Gates said.

The eight-hour festival in the collective’s parking lot was to feature carnival games, a dunk tank and medical marijuana advocates. Proceeds were to be donated to the newly formed Huntington Beach Police and Community Foundation, according to the collective.

“We are constantly involved in local Huntington Beach charities and fundraisers, so we just want to express our love and appreciation for the city,” Zambrano wrote. “It is saddening to see that we cannot be given the chance to throw this event for our patients and raise money for the Huntington Beach Police Department.”

William Blair, president of the Police and Community Foundation, said Thursday that the collective didn’t notify him about the fundraiser and that the nonprofit would not accept donations from businesses deemed to be operating unlawfully.

In May, the City Council adopted a zoning code clarification to make it clear that marijuana dispensaries are illegal in Huntington Beach.