In 2018, Vista put a cannabis tax measure on the ballot. At the time, city leaders were worried about the city’s fiscal health. A tax on cannabis could help, they thought. But they had no idea just how much the tax would bring in.
Turns out, the seven percent tax on gross sales brings in more than more than $7 million a year.
“We went from a potential budget deficit outlook to having excess in the millions of revenue for our city,” a Vista councilmember told our Tigist Layne for her latest story.
Layne reports that the money has left the city in an enviable situation: trying to figure out what to do with the extra green. City leaders ended up capping the amount of money generated by the tax that goes into the city’s general fund at $4 million a year, which allowed them to pour some of the additional funds into special projects.
The city has since funded a variety of special projects with the dough, including a program that provides youth $1,000 scholarships to participate in sports, arts, camps, summer programs and other extracurricular activities. The cannabis tax money has also helped fund public works projects like increased street lighting and even a safe parking for homeless folks living in their cars.
Impact Report: Catch of the Day
Tuna Harbor Dockside Market is celebrating its 10-year anniversary this weekend. The open-air market is beloved by many who flock to the dock on Saturdays for the catch of the day.
But it wasn’t always this way.
Ten years ago, we wrote about how local fishermen were struggling to bring the fish market to life. They couldn’t secure the proper permits to hold the market on dry land, so they found a workaround: they were selling their haul from their boats while they were docked in the harbor.
Less than a month after our story was published, officials with the county and Port of San Diego announced that the fishermen finally had a permanent home. They had the permits they needed and thus the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market was born.
A decade later, Peter Halmay, president of the San Diego Fishermen’s Working Group, told Axios San Diego that our story played a vital role in the rapid about-face. “That lit a fire under the commissioners,” Halmay said.
Newly Homeless Once Again Outnumber Newly Housed
For the past 28 months in a row, the number of people becoming homeless in San Diego County has outpaced the number moving into homes.
The Regional Task Force on Homelessness reports that 1,351 people became homeless for the first time in July and 1,005 exited homelessness.
Harsh reality: Local efforts to combat homelessness haven’t kept up with the flood of people losing their homes.
Song of the Week
Lady Dottie and the Diamonds, “I Ain’t Mad At Ya”: What is there to say about “I Ain’t Mad At Ya,” other than it absolutely shreds? Lady Dottie does what she always does, but the Diamonds burst out of the gate with an almost feral garage rock tune delivered at breakneck speed. Everyone gets a chance to shine in this sub-three minute fireball that includes drum and guitar solos, organ flourishes and call and response vocals. Simply put, it’s perfection.
Read more about the Song of the Week here.
Like what you hear? Check out Lady Dottie and the Diamonds at Lou Lou’s Jungle Room at the Lafayette Hotel on Friday, Aug. 23.
Do you have a “Song of the Week” suggestion? Shoot us an email and a sentence or two about why you’ve been bumping this song lately. Friendly reminder: all songs should be by local artists.
In Other News
- San Diego State University has become a powerhouse in attracting research funding. During the latest fiscal year, the school brought in $230 million to fund research, almost $40 million more than the year prior. In the past decade, the school’s annual research funding has nearly doubled. (Union Tribune)
- San Diego County has launched a pilot program in Dulzura to retrofit homes and protect them against wildfires. (City News Service)
- More than $1.2 million in grants to develop clean energy will be distributed to 16 organizations throughout the county. (Union-Tribune)
- Mayor Todd Gloria spoke to the Union-Tribune about his yearslong relationship with Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, which he described as close but not so close that they ask each other’s advice on health issues. (Union-Tribune)
- Do you like dolphins? Well, San Diego’s got dolphins. And they jump. (ABC 7)
The Morning Report was written by Jakob McWhinney, Andrea Lopez-Villafaña and Lisa Halverstadt. It was edited by Andrea Lopez-Villafaña.
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