Santa Barbara County is located on the Pacific coast about 100 miles northwest of Los Angeles and is part of the Greater Los Angeles area. The county is home to a number of major towns and cities, including Santa Barbara, the county seat, Carpinteria, and Goleta.
The county is known for its beautiful beaches, rolling hills, and Mediterranean climate. The region is home to a diverse population, with a mix of Hispanic, European, and other cultural influences. The area has a rich history, with early Native American settlements dating back thousands of years. It was later explored by Spanish colonial missionaries and eventually became part of Mexico before being annexed by the United States in the mid-19th century. The county is home to a number of landmarks, including the historic colonial Mission Santa Barbara, the Santa Barbara County Courthouse, and the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). The region is also known for its wine production, with several wineries located in the county. As of 2021, the population of Santa Barbara County is estimated to be around 454,000 people.
Commercial cannabis is legal in Santa Barbara county, and it has one of the largest cultivation industries in the state. Cultivation in this county is more highly centralized than anywhere else in the state, with the vast majority of farms being owned and operated by large corporate vertically integrated brands. Santa Barbara County is truly the home of high-volume commercial cultivation in California. This centralization is concerning because of the highly debt-dependent nature of these large cultivation companies- a debt default by even one of these large groups could severely reduce the amount of cultivation in the county, slashing local tax revenue and sending ripples throughout the state market.