San Diego Ballot Measures: Nov. 8 Election

San Diego, Calif., on July 7, 2016. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

In the Nov. 8 election, San Diego voters will decide on one county and four city ballot measures, which could allow taxes on cannabis businesses, impose trash collection fees, and make changes related to the city’s building height limits, construction project rules, and use of parks and recreation centers.

Measure A: County Cannabis Tax

Measure A, if passed, would impose a tax on recreational and medical cannabis businesses in San Diego County’s unincorporated areas—except in cities where there is already such a tax. The tax would generate an estimated $3 million to $5.5 million, which would be used for government services, such as parks and recreation, health care, and fire safety.

The tax rates would be 6 percent for retail outlets, 3 percent for distribution, 2 percent for testing, 3 percent—or $10, which can be adjusted for inflation—per canopy square foot of cultivation, and 4 percent for other cannabis businesses.

This measure is supported by the Democratic Party, as well as Democratic county Supervisors Nathan Fletcher, Terra Lawson-Remer, and Nora Vargas. According to a presentation Fletcher gave on the issue, this measure would help the county establish a safe, regulated legal cannabis market.

Opposers include Former County Supervisor Dianne Jacob, former La Mesa Councilman Barry Jantz, the San Diego County Taxpayers Association, and the Republican Party of San Diego.

Measure A is problematic because “the unincorporated part of the county gets taxed, but there’s no guarantee that the money is used for the general obligations created in the unincorporated part of the county, and that’s unfair,” Haney Hong, taxpayers association president and CEO, told NBC7.

Measure B: Trash Collection Fee

Measure B would allow the City of San Diego to charge a trash collection fee for single-family homes and multi-family complexes with up to four residences on a single lot.

If it is passed, the monthly fee would not become effective immediately, as a study would have to be conducted to determine the city’s costs to provide the services, and the city council’s approval is required to impose it.

Supporters say the current system doesn’t benefit those living in apartments and condos since they have to pay for private haulers.

According to the ballot argument supporting the measure, its passage would “fix this broken and unfair system so San Diego can start delivering better services for all of us, like bulky item pickup and free replacement of broken trash bins,”.

Opponents of the measure say they already pay for their trash collection services through property taxes, and so passing a fee would be requiring them to pay extra.

“San Diegans already have one of the highest cost of living burdens in the nation and we should not be adding to the existing burdens of working families with this costly garbage tax,” opponents said in their ballot argument.

Measure C: Remove 30-Foot Height Limit for Midway District Buildings

This measure, if passed, would exclude the Midway-Pacific Highway Community Plan area of 1,324 acres from the existing 30-foot height limit for buildings in the Midway districts.

Supporters say this change would welcome more housing opportunities and restore a rundown neighborhood, while opponents are worried about the buildings blocking coastal views and increasing traffic congestion and density issues.

Supporters of the measure include San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, Councilman Chris Cate, and the Midway Community Planning Group. Their ballot statement claims the Midway District is not a coastal area and should not have been included in the Coastal Height Limit Zone established in 1972.

A measure identical to this was passed in 2020 but was taken back when a judge ruled in favor of opponents who sued the city and claimed that a proper environmental analysis was absent before the measure was presented to voters.

Opponents, including environmental group Save Our Access, have sued again to block Measure C, stating the city’s environmental impact report only measures the effect on views and not traffic, air quality, and water quality.

Measure D: Repeal City Ban on Project Labor Agreements

Measure D would repeal a decade-long ban that prohibited the city from requiring contractors to enter into project labor agreements—discussions between contractors and labor organizations to establish terms of employment—for construction projects.

Supporters claim the ban, established by 2012’s Measure A, would continue depriving San Diego of state and federal infrastructure funds, since such funding is not allowed on local construction projects in cities prohibiting such labor agreements. They say the lack of these funds contributes to public safety issues, such as poorly maintained roads that make it difficult for emergency personnel to quickly respond to critical incidents.

Measure D has received endorsements from Democrats such as Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.), Rep. Juan Vargas (D-Calif.), and Gov. Gavin Newsom—though it is rare for a California governor to back a local measure.

According to the opposing argument on the ballot, San Diego hasn’t lost any funding for this reason because the current ban contains an exemption allowing labor agreements on projects “when such bans would lead to the forfeiture of state or federal funding.” Opponents also believe this would discriminate against the majority of local construction workers who are not unionized.

Those opposed include Abdur Rahim-Hameed, president of the National Black Contractors Association, Al Abdallah, COO of the Urban League of San Diego County, and City Councilman Chris Cate.

Measure H: Child Care Services

Measure H would allow the county to lease its parks and recreation centers for child care services.

If passed, 42 recreation centers would be eligible for use, according to a recent survey.

Supporters say child care facilities are currently scarce to find, and, they say, over 74,000 children under the age of 5 in the San Diego region don’t have access to quality, licensed care.

Opponents are concerned that the measure’s language gives the “city manager” the authority to approve such facilities, which would end up being the mayor since the city no longer has a city manager. They are also uncomfortable about allowing the current or future mayors to be solely in charge of such decisions for valuable parkland.