SANTA CRUZ COUNTY — Robin Bolster-Grant is leaving her post as the county’s cannabis licensing manager, County Administrative Officer Carlos Palacios announced Friday.
A 16-year employee of the Santa Cruz County Planning Department before being named in August 2017 to oversee the development and implementation of ordinances implementing cannabis cultivation and manufacturing, Bolster-Grant led a four-person office tasked with creating jobs, working with industry on regulatory compliance, upholding environmental regulations and mitigating neighborhood impacts.
Prior to being named cannabis licensing manager, Bolster-Grant was admitted to the California State Bar.
“I will never forget the work my team did to successfully implement this historic change in public policy,” said Bolster-Grant, a Watsonville resident. “The county family has been great to me, but I have never had the formal opportunity to practice law. Now is the right time for me to move on to the next phase of my career.”
According to GreenTrade Santa Cruz, Bolster-Grant is the third person to leave the Cannabis Licensing Office since it was formed as a department in 2016.
“Robin oversaw a crucial period during our transition to a regulated cannabis market in Santa Cruz County,” Palacios said. “Over that time, her work with the Board, industry representatives and the public became a model for bringing parties together to foster the development of exceptional public policy.”