SLO cannabis business owners play multi-million dollar shell game

By KAREN VELIE

Cannabis business owners in San Luis Obispo County are swapping properties and retail outlets worth millions of dollars as they fight to keep licenses and stay in business. And they continue to court public officials and employees following a federal investigation into bribery and tax fraud.

Helios Dayspring, a local marijuana mogul, transferred ownership of his retail cannabis shops to his girlfriend, Valnette Garcia, in 2020, before he pled guilty to tax fraud and bribery charges. In October, city staff canceled approval for the Natural Healing Center cannabis shop because Dayspring had not disclosed the bribery or the fraud during the application process.

That was not legal, Attorneys Randall Fox and Mark Beck argued in a meeting with SLO City officials. “Dayspring has no connection” with the retail store they said. Beck also described Dayspring’s bribes as “gratuities” given to “show appreciation.” Dayspring pled guilty to paying $32,000 in bribes to then-San Luis Obispo Supervisor Adam Hill for favorable votes on his cannabis business interests

Valnette Garcia

But, city attorney Christine Dietrick replied that Dayspring was currently involved in directing work at the site. She said he was creating a security plan for the business.

Fox defended Dayspring’s involvement saying he owns the property through SLO Broad LLC.

“He owns the building and he is obligated to complete the building and turn it over to NHC,” Fox said.

Dayspring, however, just recently purchased the property at 2640 Broad Street from several owners of Megan’s Organic Markets.

On Dec. 9, 2019, utilizing a $1.5 million loan from Dayspring, the property was transferred into CCKL Broad LLC, with members Levi Seligman, Keith Sweeney and Christopher Wright.

Dayspring purchased the property for $4.2 million on Sept. 15, 2021, with Levi Seligman signing the grant deed.

Seligman and Sweeney are owners of Megan’s Organic Markets, one of the three approved marijuana shops in SLO, according to city records. One of Dayspring’s former partners, who is not being named because of safety concerns, contends Dayspring also owns a portion of Megan’s Organic Markets

In the past, Dayspring has often been the primary owner of a project, even though formal paperwork does not indicate so. Dayspring has a long history of using limited liability companies in a scheme to conceal ownership stakes and under-report his income from cannabis sales. Dayspring has purchased real estate in employees’ names and later transferred the properties over to one of his companies, property records show.

While he spent millions on property, Dayspring claimed he made approximately $50,000 a year, employees said. The FBI and the IRS raided Dayspring’s home in March of 2020 and he pled guilty to the tax and bribery charges in Oct. 2021. He was to pay $3.4 million to the IRS, and cooperate in the government’s ongoing investigation, as part of a plea agreement.

Seligman, Sweeney and Wright are also partners in a marijuana grow near the top of the Cuesta Grade, along with Mitch Woolpert. Even though several agencies voiced concerns about their Green Gold Organic Collective project, it sailed quickly through the SLO County approval process.

Caltrans staff questioned the growers’ plans to access the property from the east side of Highway 101, near the top of the grade, on a fire road owned by the U.S. Forest Service.

“Currently, this driveway access is a designated fire road with a locked gate; Caltrans has no plans to remove the gate and convert this location into a full access public connection,” according to Caltrans correspondence to the county. “At this time, Caltrans would not issue an encroachment permit for work within our ROW at this location that would support the intensification of land use.”

The Santa Margarita Advisory Council asked the county to “request a sign-off from the U.S. Forest Service for use of the road prior to final approval of the project.”

Even though federal laws and county regulations prohibit cannabis cultivation “on sites that are surrounded by federal land or on property where the only access to a site is through federal land,” the SLO County Planning Commission approved the project on July 9, 2020.

Mark Woolpert, the owner of the property, said a neighbor is permitting them to access the cannabis farm through their property, an assertion the neighbor said is not true.

In an odd twist, the county lists Mark Woolpert as the owner of the Mt. Lowe Road property, with Heidi Harmon owning a percentage, which Mark Woolpert said was an error. Mark Woolpert said he knows two Heidi Harmons, the former mayor of SLO and a former employee, and that neither are involved in the property ownership or the pot farm.

Former-mayor Heidi Harmon did not return requests for comment. Mark Woolpert’s former employee denied any ownership of the property.

Former SLO Mayor Heidi Harmon and Helios Dayspring

On her financial disclosure forms for 2018, former-mayor Harmon reported three donations from affiliates of Dayspring’s Natural Healing Center, eight from affiliates of Megan’s Organics Market and four linked to the third winner of a SLO pot shop permit, SLO Cal Roots.

On the form, Harmon reports donor Christopher Wright, an owner of the Green Gold grow and former owner of the Natural Healing Center SLO property, lives at 473 Bernardo Avenue in Morro Bay, which is also the mailing address for the Green Gold cannabis farm.

Harmon reported receiving donations that coincided with a Dayspring fundraiser, from both Bonnie and Jamie Saucedo with an address also at 473 Bernardo Avenue in Morro Bay. The Saucedo’s daughter, Marissa Saucedo, is an owner of SLO Cal Roots.

After CalCoastNews questioned money Harmon received during the days surrounding Dayspring’s fundraiser, she filed an amended 460 report that no longer included the Bonnie Saucedo and Jamie Saucedo donations.

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