Eddie Alvarez (Photo courtesy of City of Santa Rosa)
A cannabis dispensary owned by Santa Rosa City Councilman Eddie Alvarez is facing closure for unpaid taxes, and for not having the proper permits. Code enforcement officers served a cease-and-desist order at the business, called The Hook, on March 15th. Alvarez doesn’t have a valid state permit to operate a retail business. Santa Rosa officials say Alvarez owes $380-thousand in state business taxes, which may have led to his permit getting revoked. Alvarez is now getting slapped with $500 fines each day and faces possible legal sanctions for defying a city order to close the business. City officials say this is the first time Santa Rosa has taken steps to close a cannabis dispensary. Alvarez already owes more than nine-thousand-dollars in unpaid city citations since mid-March.