BLUE FOLDER ITEM
Blue folder items are additional back up material to administrative reports and/or public comments received after the printing and distribution of the agenda packet for receive and file.
CITY COUNCIL MEETING
AUGUST 19, 2025
J.1 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS
• PUBLIC COMMUNICATION
From: Mark Nelson (Home Gmail)
To: CityClerk; James Light; Scott Behrendt; Brad Waller; Chadwick B. Castle; Paige Kaluderovic; Zein Obagi Cc: Kevin Cody
Subject: Public Comment - Pot taxes are tanking
Date: Wednesday, August 13, 2025 3:42:17 PM
CAUTION: Email is from an external source; Stop, Look, and Think before opening attachments or links.
As I noted at the meeting, the situation for weed tax isn't rosy anymore.
San Diego collected $12.8 million in local cannabis tax in the first 11 months of fiscal year 2025. (The city’s fiscal year ended July 31, but its accounting deadline isn’t until mid-August.) While $12.8 million may sound like a lot, it’s roughly half the amount of cannabis tax San Diego collected in FY2021. That year, the city collected $23.6 million.
In fact, San Diego collected less cannabis tax than it anticipated it would each year for the past three fiscal years, according to city treasurer records published in response to an NBC 7 public records request. source:
https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/investigations/san-diegos-weed-tax-revenue-takes-a-bighit/3881229/#:~:text=NBC%20Universal%2C%20Inc.- ,NBC%207%20Investigates%20found%20the%20city%20is%20set%20to%20collect,over%20the%20past%20four%20years.
From: Mark Nelson (Home Gmail)
To: CityClerk; James Light; Scott Behrendt; Brad Waller; Chadwick B. Castle; Paige Kaluderovic; Zein Obagi Subject: Re: Public Comment - Pot taxes are tanking
Date: Wednesday, August 13, 2025 4:04:56 PM
CAUTION: Email is from an external source; Stop, Look, and Think before opening attachments or links.
Using State data:
Cannabis Sales for LA County, PerCapita, x 60,000 to estimate RB Year
Total Revenue LA
County
Approx
Rev/Person
Est. RB
Revenue
2019
$
766,646,255.00 76.15079043 $ 4,569,047.43
2020 $ 1,392,275,815.00 138.8244907 $
8,329,469.44
2021 $ 1,664,164,991.00 166.9783311 $ 10,018,699.87
2022 $ 1,508,815,128.00 152.8655239 $
9,171,931.43
2023 $ 1,369,248,156.00 139.2320862 $ 8,353,925.17
2024 $ 1,187,588,296.00 120.5839521 $ 7,235,037.13
On Wed, Aug 13, 2025 at 3:41 PM Mark Nelson (Home Gmail) wrote:
As I noted at the meeting, the situation for weed tax isn't rosy anymore.
San Diego collected $12.8 million in local cannabis tax in the first 11 months of fiscal year 2025. (The city’s fiscal year ended July 31, but its accounting deadline isn’t until mid-August.) While $12.8 million may sound like a lot, it’s roughly half the amount of cannabis tax San Diego collected in FY2021. That year, the city collected $23.6 million.
In fact, San Diego collected less cannabis tax than it anticipated it would each year for the past three fiscal years, according to city treasurer records published in response to an NBC 7 public records request. source:
https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/investigations/san-diegos-weed-tax-revenue-takes-a-bighit/3881229/#:~:text=NBC%20Universal%2C%20Inc.- ,NBC%207%20Investigates%20found%20the%20city%20is%20set%20to%20collect,over%20the%20past%20four%20years.
You don't often get email from Learn why this is important From: Mark Nelson (Home Gmail)
Sent: Friday, August 15, 2025 12:20 AM
To: Valentine Gonzales
Subject: Fwd: Public comment - City Council Re: Closed & Complete - Case no. 50525 CAUTION: Email is from an external source; Stop, Look, and Think before opening attachments or links.
FYI only. The Council needs to push for an audit function of RBPWs CIP BRRs. ---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Mark Nelson (Home Gmail)
Date: Fri, Aug 15, 2025 at 12:18 AM
Subject: Public comment - City Council Re: Closed & Complete - Case no. 50525 To: City of Redondo Beach - Customer Service <[email protected]> Cc: <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, James Light <[email protected]>, Zein Obagi <[email protected]>, Paige Kaluderovic <[email protected]>, Scott Behrendt <[email protected]> The City needs some oversight on its CPRA processes, as well as, its CIP BRRs.
Let's be really clear. Soundwalls are limited to 14-feet tall in the State of California standards.
RBPWs made up height of 24 feet is taller than 14-feet.
Yes, the City can have partial credit for showing its incorrect work, but, how many OTHER CIP BRRs