NS-2972 - Amending and Adding Certain Sections to Articles XIII, XII, and VII of Chapter 21 of Santa Ana Municipal Code Pertaining to Ownership Transfers, ...

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with the transferor for the payment of the full amount of the transferor's business license tax liabilities and shall likewise become jointly and severally liable along with the transferor for future penalties and/or interest charges as may be applicable as set forth in sections 21-83, 21-84, and 21-85 until all business license tax liabilities are satisfied. (f) Certificate of nonliability. Upon application of a commercial cannabis business owner/operator who is terminating their business, or a transferor, or a successor, for a certificate of nonliability, the collector, after conducting an audit therefore, as he or she may deem necessary, shall issue the certificate of nonliability if the owner/operator's, transferor's, or successor's business license tax liabilities have been satisfied. If any business license tax liabilities remain outstanding, or if additional business license tax liabilities have accrued subsequent to the date of application, the collector shall give notice to the operator/owner, transferor, or successor of the applicable amount which must be fully paid as a condition of issuing their respective certificate of nonliability. Where a transferor's business license tax liabilities have been partially or wholly paid by their successor to the collector pursuant to subsection (e) or partially or wholly satisfied by their successor's action of withholding and depositing amounts with the collector pursuant to subsection (d), no certificate of nonliability shall be issued to the transferor without the prior written consent of their successor. Section 10. Section 21-142 of Article XIII of Chapter 21 of the Santa Ana Municipal Code, is hereby added to read as follows: Sec. 21-142. Vertical and horizontal integration of commercial cannabis business licensees —Defined. The terms vertical integration and horizontal integration as used in this Article shall have the following meanings: Vertical integration shall refer to cannabis businesses operating at different points in the same supply chain from cultivation to retail sales, as long as they share at least 80% underlying common ownership, regardless of form of business structure, and are engaged in interparty sales and/or transfers of goods. Horizontal integration shall refer to cannabis businesses operating at the same point in the same supply chain, as long as they share at least 80% underlying common ownership, regardless of form of business structure, and are engaged in interparty sales and/or transfers of goods. For purposes of this Article the term "cannabis businesses" shall include medicinal marijuana collectives/cooperatives as defined in section 18-611 and commercial cannabis businesses as defined in section 40-2, but shall not include commercial cannabis businesses engaged in testing facilities or testing laboratory businesses. Section 11. Section 21-80 of Article VII of Chapter 21 of the Santa Ana Municipal Code is hereby amended to read in full as follows: Sec. 21-80. - Same —Not conclusive; audit of books. Ordinance No. NS-2972 Page 20 of 25