City of
Redondo
Beach
Cannabis Management Services
May 12, 2022
SUBMITTED BY
HdL Companies
120 S. State College Blvd., Ste 200
Brea, CA 92821
hdlcompanies.com
CONTACT
David McPherson
T: 714.879.5000
E: [email protected]
1 Proposal for Cannabis Management Services
for the City of Redondo Beach May 12, 2022
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. COVER LETTER ........................................................................................................................... 2 II. PROPOSED SCOPE OF SERVICES ................................................................................................ 3 III. COST .......................................................................................................................................... 6 IV. OPTIONAL SERVICES .................................................................................................................. 7 V. EXPERIENCE AND RESOURCES ................................................................................................... 7 VI. REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................ 15
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I. COVER LETTER
May 12, 2022
Mike Witzansky
City Manager
City of Redondo Beach
415 Diamond Street
Redondo Beach CA 90277
Re: Proposal for Cannabis Monitoring and Compliance Services Dear Mr.Witzansky,
Thank you for the opportunity to submit this proposal for cannabis management services for the City of Redondo Beach. The enclosed scope of services provides for HdL to review the City’s draft cannabis ordinance, provide a draft cannabis tax ordinance and ballot measure, develop an application process and cost recovery fees, provide attendance or presentations at up to 3 City Council meetings, and additional hours of general consulting as needed or requested by the City.
HdL is recognized as the industry leader in the development, implementation and enforcement of cannabis management programs for local governments in California. We have partnered with over 175 California cities and counties on cannabis-related programs, including ordinance development and review, community outreach and education, merit-based application and permitting processes, cost recovery studies, compliance inspections, financial audits, fiscal analyses and law enforcement training.
Our cannabis team has unmatched expertise, with more than 65 years’ combined experience in the development, implementation and enforcement of cannabis regulatory and tax programs.
Our team members have conducted over 18,000 cannabis compliance inspections and financial audits in California, Colorado and Nevada, and have reviewed, scored and processed over 3,500 cannabis business applications in the last six years in California. HdL Companies works solely with public agencies and has no private-sector clients in the cannabis industry.
We look forward to the opportunity to partner with the City of Redondo Beach in developing a strategy which meets your program needs. If you have any questions or require additional information, please feel free to contact me by email at [email protected] or David McPherson at [email protected] or by phone at 714.879.5000.
Sincerely,
Andy Nickerson
President, HdL Companies
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II. PROPOSED SCOPE OF SERVICES
The City of Redondo Beach currently prohibits the establishment of commercial cannabis businesses. Over the past year, the City has conducted community outreach to determine the amount of support for removing this prohibition and for allowing cannabis businesses within the City limits. Based on this community input, the City has been developing a draft ordinance that would allow a specified number of cannabis businesses with specific provisions for zoning, distance from sensitive uses, and other regulatory requirements.
At the same time, an industry-backed citizen’s group has circulated and ballot measure that would allow and regulate cannabis businesses under different provisions. The measure has gathered the necessary number of signatures and will be placed on the ballot in March of 2023 for consideration by the voters.
The City is requesting that HdL Companies provide a proposal to assist with analysis of the citizens’ initiative and development of the City’s draft ordinance and regulatory program. The specific services being requested include all of the following:
Review the City’s draft cannabis regulatory ordinance and provide recommendations for revisions as necessary.
Review the citizens’ initiative and provide a report analyzing the potential regulatory and fiscal impacts and comparing and contrasting the initiative with the City’s draft ordinance. Prepare a cannabis tax measure to be placed on the ballot in March of 2023. Develop an application review and selection process for cannabis business applicants. Conduct a cost-recovery fee analysis for the initial application and permitting process. Provide attendance and presentations at up to 3 meetings of the City Council. Provide additional hours of general subject matter expertise to be used as needed.
To expedite these services, it is anticipated that any agreement pursuant to this proposal would be processed as an amendment to the existing agreement between the City and HdL for other non-cannabis services.
The service objectives are described in greater detail below.
Objective 1: Review the City’s Draft Cannabis Regulatory Ordinance HdL shall review the City’s draft commercial cannabis regulatory ordinance to ensure that it is consistent with State laws and reflects industry best practices. HdL will work with City staff to identify local concerns and priorities, including land use issues and sensitive uses, and to ensure the ordinance includes appropriate regulatory processes and mitigations as necessary to protect the health, safety and welfare of the community. HdL’s review will also ensure the ordinance allows the City to specify the number and types of businesses to be permitted, application and renewal procedures, location requirements, site security measures, inspections and enforcement protocols, operational procedures, and other requirements specific to each allowable type of cannabis business.
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Objective 2: Develop Draft Cannabis Tax Ordinance
HdL shall develop a draft commercial cannabis tax ordinance to generate City revenues from licensed cannabis businesses. The ordinance will set maximum tax rates for each type of cannabis business permitted by the City and will allow the City Council to set the rates as desired up to the maximum rate. The ordinance shall also specify the schedule and procedures for remitting taxes and shall allow the City to conduct audits of cannabis businesses to ensure they are reporting and remitting the proper amounts.
HdL shall also provide the ballot resolution as necessary to place the tax measure on the March 2023 ballot and shall provide revenue projections as required for the ballot statement.
Objective 3: Application Process Development
HdL shall design an application process that includes review, scoring, ranking, interviews and assistance with final selection of cannabis business permittees. The process shall be tailored to provide merit-based ranking or a lottery where appropriate or required for awarding a specified number of permits and to provide a quality assurance standard for those business types where there is no such limit. The process shall include evaluation criteria consistent with state law and the City’s ordinance, to ensure that applicants have addressed all requirements before being allowed to move forward to the permitting process. Our process can be designed to accommodate a variety of final selection methods:
First come / first served: Applications will be reviewed and scored in the order they are received. All applications scoring above a minimum baseline will be allowed to move forward to the permitting process, until the maximum number of permits available has been reached.
Lottery: All applications scoring above a minimum baseline will be entered into a drawing from which applications will be selected at random, consistent with the number of permits available. Those applications selected will be allowed to move forward to the permitting process.
Merit based: All applicants will be ranked according to their score. The top-ranked applicants will be recommended to move forward to the permitting process, consistent with the number of permits available.
HdL will advise the City on the most appropriate process for its needs, depending upon the number of permits available and the anticipated number of applicants. HdL shall provide all necessary application forms, as well as procedures, guidelines, indemnification forms, background information releases, and other required documents and shall ensure that all information desired by the City is incorporated into the cannabis business application form and procedures.
Objective 4: Cost Recovery Fee Analysis
HdL will conduct a fiscal analysis to determine appropriate application and permitting fees. The analysis shall consider the costs of all City staff time, overhead, fringe benefits, consultants and 5 Proposal for Cannabis Management Services
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any other services associated with each step of the cannabis permitting and regulatory process, including both initial application processing and annual permit renewals. HdL staff has experience developing cannabis regulatory fees and doing a “fit gap” analysis of staff responsibilities and time allotted to this program to establish appropriate fees for the City’s level of oversight and enforcement of the regulatory process.
Objective 5: Attendance, Support or Presentations at Meetings or Workshops HdL shall provide attendance or presentations at up to 3 meetings of the City Council to help inform discussion and development of the City’s cannabis reprogram. It is anticipated that these meetings may include presentation and discussion of the ballot measure impact analysis, the first reading of the draft cannabis regulatory and tax ordinances, discussion of cost recovery fees or application processes or other purposes as desired by the City.
The use and scheduling of these meetings would be determined in consultation with City staff.
This objective assumes that all meeting attendance would be virtual. Physical attendance would incur an additional travel charge.
Objective 6: Technical Assistance and Subject Matter Expertise HdL will provide up to 20 hours of general consulting to be utilized on an as-needed basis at the City’s request. Such assistance may include technical assistance, subject matter expertise, education, monitoring of changes to State laws and regulations, participation in conference calls, responding to staff inquires via phone and email, reviewing staff reports to the City Council, assisting with responses to inquiries from the public, or other issues yet to be determined as requested by the City.
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III. COST
The proposed services are broken down into specific line items in the cost table below. This proposal does not include any additional items that are not contemplated by this scope of services. Any additional services requested by the City will be billed at HdL’s hourly rate.
Prices are valid for 90 days from the date of this proposal to allow time for consideration and negotiating a service agreement. Once under contract, prices shall be honored for the first full year, with successive years subject to an annual increase based upon the Consumer Price Index for the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim region.
Scope of Service Objectives Estimated
Cost
Objective 1: Review the City’s Draft Cannabis Regulatory Ordinance $7,500 Objective 2: Develop Draft Cannabis Tax Ordinance $7,500 Objective 3: Application Process Development $3,750
Objective 4: Cost Recovery Fee Analysis
For initial application and permitting process
$7,500
Objective 5: Attendance or Presentations at Meetings or Workshops Assumes 3 remote meetings @ $2,000 each
$6,000
Objective 6: Technical Assistance and Subject Matter Expertise Assumes 20 hours at $250/hour
$5,000
Travel (if and as needed for meeting attendance) $300 per day TOTAL NOT TO EXCEED $37,250
All City costs other than Objective 2 may be fully recoverable from applicants or permittees Drafts and Final Work Products
All work products assume one initial draft for review and comment, one iterative draft to incorporate any desired changes, and one final draft for presentation or publication. Additional drafts requested by the client may result in additional charges at HdL’s hourly rate.
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IV. OPTIONAL SERVICES
Application Reviews, Merit-Based Ranking and Interviews HdL staff will conduct an initial screening of all applications for completeness based upon an objective checklist of required documentation. This initial screening shall allow for some limited discretion in determining whether submitted documents are substantively complete but shall not otherwise consider the quality of the submissions. Applications deemed incomplete will be disqualified and those applicants will not be allowed to submit any supplemental information.
Applications which have been deemed complete will move forward for a full review, including scoring and merit-based ranking. Applicants must provide detailed information on how they plan to meet the required criteria. An applicant’s point score shall be based on their demonstrated ability to meet or exceed minimum requirements in each category. Scoring shall be in conformance with the Scoring Rubric included as Attachment A to this proposal.
Reviews shall include narrative comments that identify both strengths and weaknesses of each application as well as any deficiencies or areas of concern. Reviews shall be adequately detailed to inform the subsequent interview process but shall not contain any recommendations for approval or denial, other than a numerical score.
Proposed actions described in the applications shall be considered binding conditions of any resulting permit. Failure to meet or comply with any such requirements after a permit has been granted may subject the applicant to penalties and/or revocation proceedings.
HdL will design and conduct an interview panel for all applicants that receive passing scores.
The interview panel shall consist of designated City staff, assisted by a subject-matter expert from HdL serving as facilitator. Interviews shall be one hour long, with a half hour between to allow for reaction, discussion and note taking by the panel. Interviews shall be scheduled for successive days, where possible, with 5 interviews per day.
Supplemental Background Checks
HdL can provide background checks of all owners, principals, managers and employees of cannabis businesses. Our background checks supplement the State-required Live Scan fingerprint check, which will only disclose Department of Justice (DOJ) records regarding arrests or convictions. California’s licensing agencies are only allowed to consider convictions for certain “red line” offenses such as serious or violent felonies, or certain felonies involving fraud, minors or drug trafficking, as automatic disqualifiers before granting or denying a license.
Our supplemental background checks expand upon the Live Scan information to identify other factors that local governments may wish to consider before granting discretionary business licenses or permits. These considerations may include other felony offenses, misdemeanor convictions, arrest records, civil judgements, restraining orders, the terrorist screening database, the national sex offender registry, delinquent child support payments, bankruptcies, employment and credit records, and more. Our search includes up to 5 variations on the subject’s name and will alert if additional aliases are found which might warrant further investigation.
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Our comprehensive background process checks the subject’s name and social security number against over 200 million databases nationwide, including all of the following1:
7 yr. unlimited county courts and criminal records search Social Security, name and address comparison
DMV search
National Criminal Court report
National Sex offender registry
Federal criminal history
State Department of Public Safety
State Department of Corrections
Terror watch list
Bankruptcy, lien and judgments
Delinquent child support payments
Employment credit report
o Financial summary
o Personal information comparison
o Address comparison
o Employment comparison
o Credit bureau report / credit history
o Public records search
Any felony convictions that would be automatic disqualifiers pursuant to B&P 26057 (Violent and Serious Felony Convictions) must be confirmed through the Live Scan process. The degree to which other records may be used to inform the approval or renewal of a local business license or permit is subject to local ordinance requirements.
HdL offers separate rates for owners, principals or managers of cannabis businesses and for regular employees or line staff. We also offer a lower rate for annual renewals after the initial background check has been completed. Our rates include an HdL-designed employee identification badge with the city or county logo which meets all State regulatory requirements.
HdL provides an online portal for applicants to submit their application and authorization for background checks and all necessary documentation. Applicants provide their payment directly to HdL through the portal, so there is no cost to the City.
Prices valid as of the date of this proposal and subject to change without notice. 1 Renewals and background checks for employees include a lesser level of investigation.
Background Checks Owner, principal
or manager
Employee or
line staff
Initial background check $300 $100
Annual renewal $100 $75
Reissue lost or stolen badge $10 $10
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V. EXPERIENCE AND RESOURCES
Company Profile
Founded in 1983, HdL is a consortium of three companies established to maximize local government revenues by providing audit, compliance, economic development, consulting services and software products. Its audit and consulting services include sales, use and transaction taxes, property taxes, transient occupancy taxes, and a Cannabis Management Program. The firm also provides a variety of enterprise software processing tools for business licensing, code enforcement, animal control, building permits and tracking/billing of false alarms. HdL’s systematic and coordinated approach to revenue management and economic data analysis is currently being utilized by over 500 agencies in six states. The firm currently serves 49 counties, 311 cities and 132 transactions tax districts in California.
HdL’s key staff has extensive experience serving local government and many have previously held positions in city management, finance, planning, economic development or revenue collection. HdL is a Corporate Partner of the League of California Cities and California State Association of Counties and works extensively with the County Auditor’s Association of California, California Society of Municipal Finance Officers (CSMFO) and California Municipal Revenue and Tax Association (CMRTA) on anticipation and planning of programs to strengthen local government revenues.
This close understanding of local government needs coupled with extensive databases and advanced methodology provides for the most relevant, productive and responsive revenue recovery; forecasting; and economic services available.
Our team of professionals has over 65 years of direct experience establishing and implementing cannabis regulatory and taxation programs, including establishing land-use regulations, permit processes, staffing plans, and cost recovery fees; structuring cannabis business tax fees; regulatory compliance; financial audits; and law enforcement training. Our team has conducted over 18,000 cannabis compliance inspections and investigations in California, Colorado and Nevada.
Key Personnel
David McPherson, Compliance Director
David McPherson works with local agencies to prepare them to mitigate regulatory issues surrounding Proposition 64 and SB 94. Prior to joining HdL, David served 28 years in local government for the County of Orange and the cities of Newport Beach, San Jose and Oakland. David’s experience as a law enforcement officer, compliance auditor, and tax administrator has provided him a wealth of experience that makes him uniquely qualified to manage HdL’s Cannabis Management Program. While working for the City of Oakland, he became the first Tax Administrator in the country to successfully tax, regulate and audit medical marijuana businesses. David has over 10 years of experience working with cannabis regulatory programs.
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David is one of the state’s most recognized experts in cannabis regulatory policies, compliance implementation and tax policies. His unique knowledge in horticulture, processing and dispensary operations while working for the City of Oakland has made him one of the pioneers in creating a Cannabis Management Program. He uses his experience to assist local and state agencies in developing cannabis policies for regulation, compliance, auditing and economic development. He worked closely with the League of Cities on the development of the Medical Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MCRSA) and helped shape SB 94, the Medicinal Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA).
David provides technical support on cannabis-related matters to the League of Cities, the Police Chief’s Association, Rural County Representatives of California and the California State Association of Counties. In addition, David is working collaboratively with the Department of Consumers Affairs, Department of Food & Agriculture, Department of Health Services and the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration on the implementation of best practices for regulating the cannabis industry for local agencies.
David received his Bachelor’s Degree in History from California State University, Fullerton and his Master’s Degree in Public Administration from California State University, Long Beach. While at Long Beach, he was named “Future Urban Administrator of the Year”.
Matt Eaton, Deputy Compliance Director
Matt Eaton is the Deputy Compliance Director at HdL and plays a critical role in implementing the Cannabis Compliance Program for local agencies. Prior to joining the firm, he was a progressive law enforcement professional with 30 years’ experience conducting criminal/regulatory investigations, and corporate/individual background investigations.
While working as a Supervisory Investigator at the Colorado Department of Revenue in the Marijuana Enforcement Division (MED), Matt managed criminal investigators and civilian staff in the Denver Metro and Longmont field offices. During his six-year tenure at the MED, he conducted approximately 10,000 criminal investigations and compliance reviews, including regulatory and financial investigations. He is a subject matter expert on track and trace systems and understands the complexity of reviewing data to ensure businesses are in compliance with state and local regulations. Matt was responsible for planning, developing and implementing report and field inspection protocols for the agency. He also played an instrumental role in recommending changes to current regulations and identifying essential language for new legislation in Colorado. Matt is well known for his ability to maintain working relationships with cannabis industry leaders and external stakeholders in resolving issues.
Matt received his Bachelor of Science Degree from Biola University and maintained Police Officer Service Training (POST) certification for over 30 years in California and Colorado. He has also served as an adjunct instructor teaching law enforcement principle related to criminology, correctional processes, procedural law, interviews, interrogations and criminal evidence at AIMS Community College in Greeley, Colorado.
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Ajay Kolluri, Deputy Director of Policy and Audits
Ajay Kolluri is the Deputy Director of Audits and Operations for HdL’s Cannabis Division. Ajay is responsible for overseeing the cannabis audit team and the daily operations of the division, which includes special projects such as community outreach, surveys, grant solicitation, revenue analysis, cost recovery fee studies, contracts, budgeting, and marketing. Ajay previously served as Program Manager for the Office of Cannabis Oversight (OCO) at City of Long Beach. Working within the City Manager’s Office, Ajay was responsible for the licensing, regulation and enforcement of all commercial cannabis activity in the City, with one of the largest legal cannabis markets in the state. During his tenure with the OCO, Ajay oversaw the issuance over 200 cannabis business licenses, generating over $10 million in annual revenue for the City. Ajay has experience in all aspects of cannabis oversight, including public health and education, planning and zoning, building inspections, enforcement, social equity, fee development, economic analysis and revenue projections.
Prior to overseeing the OCO, Ajay worked in public finance, serving as Budget Analyst for the Department of Financial Management in the City of Long Beach. Ajay holds a Bachelor’s degree in business economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a Master’s degree in public policy from the University of Michigan.
Mark Lovelace, Senior Policy Advisor
Mark Lovelace has 16 years of broad experience in public policy, community engagement and advocacy and is recognized as a leader in advancing the statewide discussion of medical and recreational cannabis as a policy issue in California.
Mark served on the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors from 2009 through 2016 where he was instrumental in developing a comprehensive approach to regulating cannabis, including a voter-approved tax on commercial cultivation and an innovative track and trace pilot program. Mark established and co-chaired the Medical Marijuana Working Group for the California State Association of Counties (CSAC) and helped draft CSAC’s legislative platform for cannabis issues. Mark pioneered the first regional summit on cannabis issues in 2015 which helped guide the development of SB 643 and AB 243, two components of the Medical Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MCRSA).
Mark has worked extensively with public agencies and statewide associations on cannabis issues, including CSAC, Rural County Representatives of California, the Association of California Water Agencies, the North Coast Resource Partnership, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the State Water Board, the North Coast Regional Water Board, the Bureau of Cannabis Control, State legislators, and others. He has led numerous presentations, workshops and panel discussions on cannabis issues and has been a sought-after speaker on the topic for government agencies, community organizations and industry groups.
Mark received his Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Design from San Jose State University. Prior to his time on the Board, he worked for many years as a respected advocate on land use, planning, development and environmental issues. 12 Proposal for Cannabis Management Services
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David Ross, Senior Compliance Inspector
David Ross is a Certified Fraud Examiner with 7 years of experience conducting gaming and non-gaming audits and investigations of tribal gaming facilities. David’s experience includes conducting forensic accounting investigations into cash larceny, expense reimbursement fraud, check fraud, credit card fraud, payroll fraud, wire fraud, insider trading, construction fraud in addition to litigation support.
David previously worked as Surveillance Officer and Internal Auditor for the Shingle Springs Tribal Gaming Commission, where he was responsible for analyzing financial statements for a facility with revenues exceeding $20 million per month. David also analyzed internal controls and established policies and procedures to ensure compliance with federal, state and local regulations. In addition, David conducted surveillance reviews and investigations into criminal activity including check and credit card fraud, skimming, money laundering, drug activity and other violations.
David holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Vanguard University in Costa Mesa and a Master’s Degree in Finance from California State University San Bernardino. He is a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.
Michelle Shaw, Compliance Inspector
Michelle conducts onsite inspections, examinations and other actions to monitor compliance with established standards for local licensed cannabis businesses. Prior to joining HdL, she was a Compliance Specialist Officer at a large, multinational bank where she managed, validated and oversaw the effectiveness and accuracy of numerous compliance issues within the consumer retail space. Throughout her eight years of experience at the bank, she performed assessments of affiliate businesses to determine compliance/non-compliance of their processes and procedures pursuant to bank standards and state regulations.
A graduate of Cypress College, Michelle holds a Foundations of Banking Risk certificate from the Global Association of Risk Professionals and a paralegal certificate from the Southern California College of Business and Law.
Jeff Burris, Background Investigator / Compliance Inspector Jeff Burris has over 28 years’ experience as a Law Enforcement Professional. Jeff began his career with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office before moving to the Ontario Police Department, where he advanced to Corporal, Police Detective and Sergeant before retiring as a Lieutenant.
Jeff worked various investigative assignments during his career, including both criminal and non-criminal investigations. While working as a Police Detective Jeff conducted personnel background investigations for sworn, non-sworn, administrative, and confidential employees.
These investigations included criminal checks, credit checks, prior employment verification, personal reference verification, driving records, pre-polygraph questioning, neighborhood canvassing, and oral interviews. His assignments also included annual State audits for regulatory compliance.
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Jeff received his Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Management from the California State University in Long Beach. Jeff has completed numerous specialized training courses in investigative techniques, including a course in background investigations by the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (CA POST), and is a former member of the California Background Investigators Association (CBIA).
Elizabeth Eumurian, Audit Supervisor
Elizabeth Eumurian is the Audit Supervisor for HdL. Her primary role is to oversee and review the audits conducted by team members to assure accuracy and consistency. She also conducts financial audits, evaluates cannabis applications and conducts background checks.
As part of the audit program, she will be conducting and preparing analytical information through the CATS™ program to prepare Tax Analytical Remittance Reports (TARR) summaries to evaluate under reporting or anomalies in the remittance of tax payments to local jurisdictions.
Elizabeth previously worked as a senior auditor in the entertainment industry. In this role, she executed testing procedures for targeted audit programs, analyzed findings and prepared audit and compliance reports. She also has experience working for a large financial institution analyzing data for reporting anomalies and performing internal audits. Elizabeth has recently done work for Blythe, California City, Coachella, Cotati, Desert Hot Springs, Long Beach, Mammoth Lakes, Moreno Valley, Perris, San Bernardino, and Vallejo.
Elizabeth earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in History from California State University and holds a certificate in CannaBusiness from Oaksterdam University.
Odette Mikhail, Auditor
Odette Mikhail conducts cannabis revenue audits at HdL. Odette previously worked as a senior auditor at public accounting firms. In this role, she executed testing procedures for audit and review engagements, identified accounting issues, reviewed internal controls, and prepared financial reports and statements. Odette earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and Business Administration from Ain Shams University in Cairo, Egypt.
Tao Lu, Auditor
Tao Lu works as an Auditor for HdL’s Cannabis Management Team. Tao has two and a half years’ experience as an accountant with an emphasis in information technology and food manufacturing industries. He also has public audit work experience at RSM China. Tao was born and raised in China. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting and Finance from Syracuse University in New York before relocating to Southern California with his family. 14 Proposal for Cannabis Management Services
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Valerie Carter, Auditor
Valerie Carter works as an Auditor for HdL’s Cannabis Management Team. Valerie has over 5 years of public sector work experience focusing on public policy, auditing and revenue tax implementation. She was a Tax Auditor II for the City of Oakland’s Revenue Management Bureau and an Assistant Management Analyst for the City of Berkeley’s Transportation division. Valerie earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Cal Poly Pomona, with an emphasis on Finance, Real Estate, and Law.
Eric Magana, Auditor
Eric Magana works as an Auditor for HdL’s Cannabis Management Team, conducting revenue audits of licensed cannabis businesses to ensure they are accurately reporting their revenues and remitting the proper amount of fees or taxes. Prior to joining HdL, Eric worked as a Loan Specialist for the U.S. Small Business Administration, where he processed over 5,000 business loans and grant applications. Eric holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Administrative Studies from University of California at Riverside.
Teresa Schneider, Compliance Inspector
Teresa Schneider conducts regulatory compliance inspections for HdL. Teresa served for 28 years with the Montclair Police Department, including 12 years in the Background Investigations Unit. In this capacity, Teresa was responsible for conducting background investigations of all City business license applicants, as well as all sworn and non-sworn positions within the police and fire departments and of civilians requesting access to police department records.
Theresa previously served 4 years in the U.S. Army’s nursing program at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. During this time she attended college at the University of Kentucky and Austin Peay State University. After receiving an Honorable Discharge in 1990, Teresa was hired by the Montclair Police Department. During her 28-year career, she worked numerous assignments, including patrol, K9, detective bureau, court liaison, volunteer coordinator, and red-light automated enforcement. Teresa received many awards throughout her career, including Officer of the Year.
Kristi Lervold, Administrative Assistant
Kristi is the Administrative Assistant for cannabis team. In this role she supports individual team members, coordinates internal processes, and assists with client requests, contracts, billing reconciliation and invoicing. Kristi’s 18-year career includes ten years as the administrative assistant to HdL’s CFO, handling various operational responsibilities and supporting financial functions, as well as experience in the occupational health industry, facilitating services for federal, state, and local government clients. Kristi holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Business Management with a minor in Business Administration. 15 Proposal for Cannabis Management Services
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VI. REFERENCES
City of Oxnard
Kathleen Mallory
Planning & Environmental Services Manager
Phone: 805.385.8370
Email: [email protected]
City of Port Hueneme
Tony Stewart
Director of Community Development
Phone: 805.986.6520
Email: [email protected]
City of Thousand Oaks
Patrick Hehir
Assistant City Attorney
Phone: 805.449.2170
Email: [email protected]
City of Maywood
Jennifer Vasquez
City Manager
Phone: 323.562.5721
Email: [email protected]
County of Ventura
James Importante
Program Management Analyst
Phone: 805.654.5088
Email: [email protected]