Grievances With the Gore's, Sonoma County's 'Royal' Family (Part 1)

Sonoma County Supervisor James Gore & his family hold a monopoly on the local cannabis & wine industry, and have not been forthcoming with the public

Elitist public servants often feel that the common people are beneath them, as clearly reflected in their lack of transparency to the stakeholders. Many conflicts of interests are present regarding the cannabis permitting and enforcement oversight within the County of Sonoma in relation to 2026 Senate Candidate, Sonoma County, CA Supervisor James Gore, his family and friends.

Mr. Jake McKee was appointed by his own brother-in-law, Sonoma County Supervisor James Gore to the County’s Fish & Wildlife Commission in 2017. The Commission has been largely involved in dictating policies around cannabis enforcement. Mr. McKee did not complete any statements of economic interest (Form 700’s) for all years served on the Commission. He has been under investigation with the FPPC since January 2023.

Mr. McKee publicly failed to disclose that he owns Wayfinder LLC, a land use consulting and permitting firm which specializes in the cannabis sector. Major projects include: cannabis cultivation, manufacturing, and retail applications. Mr. Mckee’s firm, Wayfinder LLC, is a consultant for his sister-in-law, Erin Gore’s cannabis corporation, Old River Road dba Garden Society.

Supervisor Gore proceeded to appoint his own sister-in-law, Ms. Erin Gore to the North Sonoma County Healthcare District Board.

Because of Ms. Erin Gore’s position on the Healthcare District Board, she is a designated filer, and must submit a Form 700 to the FPPC. She claimed that Gore May Bites, LLC is a ‘management & payroll’ company. However, this entity appears to be the edibles division of her cannabis corporation.

Additionally, she described Old River Road Inc. as a ‘benefit corporation for women’s products and education’. This was an odd description for a cannabis corporation.

She failed to disclose entirely that she is the co-owner of Healdsburg cannabis dispensary Garden Parc LLC dba SPARC. The FPPC has opened a case to investigate these omissions further.

To make matters worse, Supervisor Gore has been under investigation with the FPPC since May 2022. He omitted his wife, Elizabeth Gore’s income from Portfolia, commercial investment firm. The porfolio potentially contains interests representing the future of the cannabis industry.

It’s odd that The Press Democrat has not made a peep about these matters. Do the Gore’s serve the best interest of their constituents or themselves?