Dear Neighbor,

Mark your calendars for my upcoming State of the City Address happening at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 10.

We're bringing the speech to you via livestream, making it easier than ever for San Diegans to keep up with progress on the City’s most pressing issues.

The State of the City Address is a direct line to the work we have undertaken over the past year, and what we have planned for the year head. It provides insight into our past achievements, challenges and future plans.

Our city has achieved many significant milestones in 2023, and the State of the City Address is a moment to celebrate accomplishments and acknowledge the hard work of our City staff and community – and to talk about the job that’s still ahead. 

As always, it’s an honor to serve as your Mayor.  

City Launches First-Ever Cannabis Social Equity Program 

To promote equity in the local cannabis industry, the City of San Diego is launching our first-ever cannabis equity program.

The Social Equity and Economic Development (SEED) program will work to ensure greater access to the cannabis industry for individuals impacted by the war of drugs, which caused lasting inequities in our African American, Latinx, and Indigenous communities.

After hosting several forums and providing opportunities for community members to provide input, we have created the SEED Program to focus on establishing a more equitable permitting process for businesses wanting to enter the cannabis industry.

The SEED program will permit 18 new cannabis outlets operated by Social Equity Applicants in more locations with reduced distance requirements from certain uses such as parks and libraries. Six SEED permits will be issued in the first year of the program through a lottery system for eligible applicants. 

The criteria to qualify for the SEED Program as a Social Equity Applicant include: 

Individuals, immediate family members or legal guardians who have a past conviction or arrest for one of these cannabis crimes: Sale; Possession; Use; Manufacture; Cultivation.

And must meet two of the following criteria: 

• Be a current or former resident of the City of San Diego who has lived in the following community plan areas for at last 5 years cumulative residency between 1980 and 2016: Barrio Logan, Linda Vista, Southeastern San Diego, Encanto Neighborhoods, Greater Golden Hill, Greater North Park, City Heights, College Area, Eastern Area, San Ysidro. 

• Have a household income below 80% of the Area Median Income in either the preceding year or current year of submitting an equity verification application or eligible to get financial aid through a program like: CalFresh; MediCal; CalWORKS; Supplemental security income; Social Security disability. 

• Lost housing in San Diego through eviction, foreclosure, or subsidy cancellation after 1994. 

• Attended school in San Diego County for at least five (5) years between 1971 and 2016. 

• Placed in the foster care system between 1971 and 2016. 

The Department of Race and Equity will provide grants to support Social Equity Applicants with paying for licensing and regulatory fees, legal assistance, and funds to lease space. 

Training and education will also be provided for community members seeking to understand systemic racism and interested in creating opportunities that produce more equitable outcomes that remove racial/ethnic disparities. 

There is no single policy that can dismantle the history of racism, but this program will allow us to provide equitable ownership and employment opportunities to communities who have been disproportionally impacted by a lack of financial resources because of generational disparities. 

This February, City staff will present the SEED Program to the Planning Commission, and then to the full City Council in the spring.

Installation of New Pure Water Pipeline at Miramar Reservoir Begins 

The City of San Diego is preparing to install a new underwater pipeline at its Miramar Reservoir as part of the Pure Water Program.

This will be the final segment of a pipeline project that will convey purified water from the North City Pure Water Facility, located off Eastgate Mall, through 8 miles of pipeline to the reservoir.

Pure Water San Diego is the City’s phased, multi-year program that will provide nearly half of our water supply locally by 2035.

Pure Water will use proven purification technology to clean recycled water and produce safe, high-quality drinking water. 

Read more about the latest Pure Water news on Inside San Diego.