The Agenda: Today’s AM Political Roundup

Good morning from Hillcrest.

• We’ll lead off with San Diego City Council’s creation of a task force to study medical marijuana issues, not least of which are zoning requirements. The city suspended licensing for medical marijuana distributors in July. Council asked to decide on zoning recommendations by the end of the year with the task force continuing for up to a year. CityBeat notes this taskforce isn’t the first to study medical marijuana and that the city has more marijuana businesses than it thinks.

Interesting news from CityBeat. Less than 2 percent of city construction contracts went to minority-owned businesses last year, which is down than the already small rates from previous years. The president of the Black Contractors Association of San Diego issues this salvo, saying the city, “is becoming more of a South African apartheid rule.”

San Diego News Network speculates on a possible push by Mayor Jerry Sanders to increase the hotel room tax to expand the Convention Center when the tax wasn’t approved to increase fire protection.

• In other news from  cities across the county, towing companies are asking for an investigation in National City following accusations that a mayoral assistant had a conflict of interest by working for a city-contracted rival. Oceanside’s City Council will discuss including 300 apartments or condominiums in a development plan for a 465-acre park property.
• Today’s opinion roundup: Scott Lewis goes a little deeper into the NFL commish’s statement that Qualcomm stadium could be renovated. The U-T applaudsthe city’s decision to seek new contracts for part of its information technology services currently performed by city-owned non-profit Data Processing Corp, but says the city could be doing more outsourcing.
• Finally, because we can, here’s a video of San Diego City Council President Ben Hueso singing mariachi:

— LIAM DILLON