2018 Primary Election

Voters approve cannabis tax

EL CENTRO — Imperial County voters on Tuesday approved taxes on cannabis-related activities proposed by the county.

As of the 8:12 p.m. Tuesday, with 75 percent of the votes counted, county voters favored imposing the proposed taxes with 68 percent of the vote while 32 percent opposed them.

The results are unofficial until the county elections department verifies the results in the next couple of weeks.

On Feb. 27, The Imperial County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution to establish general taxes on the developing industry.

The proposed taxes are 8 percent on retail sales, a 5 percent tax on the gross

revenue in manufacturing and a land tax for cultivation facilities.

As proposed, the land tax would start at $15 per square foot as of Jan. 1, and then rise to $20 per square foot in 2020 and $25 in 2022.

Revenue generated through the taxes will be placed under the county’s general fund and can be spent for unrestricted

general revenue purposes.

Although the county had the option to put in place an excise tax for a specific use, the idea was not deemed appropriate by the ad hoc committee that studied the possibility because an excise tax would have required a two-thirds majority vote rather than the simple majority required for a general tax.

Imperial residents take to the polls to cast their votes in the 2018 Primary Election on Tuesday at T.L. Waggoner Elementary School in Imperial. VINCENT OSUNA PHOTO

VINCENT OSUNA PHOTO Holtville resident Ruby Enriquez registers to vote during the 2018 Primary Election on Tuesday at Holtville United Methodist Church in Holtville.

VINCENT OSUNA PHOTO El Centro residents Julio and Lyli Rodriguez prepare to vote during the 2018 Primary Election on Tuesday at Central Baptist Church in El Centro.