
With the goal of tackling three of San Diego’s biggest challenges, Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer will be joined on Monday, April 3 at noon by tourism, lodging and civic leaders to announce a proposed ballot measure to modernize and expand the San Diego Convention Center and, for the first time, create dedicated funding streams for street repair and reducing homelessness. The ballot measure would expand the convention center and create dedicated funding streams for street repair, as well as address homelessness in the city. Modernizing and expanding the convention center is key to creating jobs and growing San Diego’s tourism economy. Tourism is the third largest source of revenue for the City of San Diego and funds essential neighborhood services. The ballot measure would raise the transient occupancy tax (TOT) paid by tourists staying overnight in San Diego by up to 3 percent to fund the convention center expansion and fund hundreds of millions of dollars in street repairs and programs to reduce homelessness. Mayor Faulconer will ask the city council to call a November special election for San Diegans to vote on the initiative – which requires a two-thirds majority vote to pass.