The council tabled an administrative hearing request by Sozo Health, Inc., which sought to appeal a city administration ruling denying renewal of a marijuana license. The request to table was approved after Councilmember Jonathan Lafferty reported that he had convened a roughly three‑hour fact‑finding meeting attended by city attorneys, building and public service staff, and representatives for Sozo Health.

Lafferty said the meeting was intended to collect facts, not to act as a judicial hearing. He told the council both sides agreed the appeal mechanism was not the immediate issue and that attorneys for the city and for Sozo are working toward a negotiated resolution that would take steps other than an administrative hearing. Lafferty said he will submit cleaned and redacted notes of the meeting to the council for review.

Public comment earlier in the meeting included a resident, Laurie Harris, who opposed renewal of Sozo Health’s license and described ongoing neighborhood odor and concerns about compliance; Harris urged council to deny the license renewal. The council did not make a substantive ruling on the license at the meeting but tabled the appeal so the parties could exhaust negotiated steps outlined by council and attorneys.

Action and next steps: the council voted to table the administrative appeal; city and Sozo attorneys will continue negotiating a resolution and the council will receive Lafferty’s fact‑finding notes once prepared.