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THE COAST NEWS
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MAKING WAVES IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
MARCH 25, 2022
SAN MARCOS -NEWS
OUSD forecasts . budget cuts
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Equity Committee draws residents’ criticism. 3 O’side police help prevent catalytic converter theft. 5 Surfing Madonna art project names winners. 5
Enrollment, THE
Bartlett files complaint over Maryott’s ballot title. 6 Encinitas candidates talk local control, character. 8-9 Oceanside planners approve ChemStation permit. 11
VISTA attendance issues NEWS may lead to deficit
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By Samantha Nelson
crease in expenditures will be more than covered by an additional $1.3 million in revenues that the city is collecting via application review fees from businesses who applied through HDL during the 2021-2022 fiscal year, according to Planning Manager Jennifer Gates. The expansion in funding through the contract was necessitated because the city received nearly ten times as many applications from businesses seeking licensing and cultivation
OCEANSIDE — The city’s school district may have to cut more than $8 million from its budget by 2023-24 if both enrollment and average daily attendance continue to decline. Earlier this month, the RANCHO Oceanside Unified School SFNEWS District board reviewed its second interim budget report, which identifies the district's current revenue and expenditures. The district had previously projected the average daily attendance (ADA) would be about 90.3%, but actual numbers are showing attendance has dropped to 87.86%, which will drastically decrease the amount of state funding the district will receive by about $20 million. The district’s end balance is expected to be $31.4 million this year, but that will drop to about $12.1 million the following year. Though the district is still set to receive $9.6 million in COLA revenue (based on cost-of-living increases), the drop in revenue from the ADA decline plus other expenditures are set to decrease next year’s balance. If these declines continue, the school district expects a $1.3 million deficit by the end of 2023. The district would then need to make more than $8 million
TURN TO CANNABIS ON 7
TURN TO BUDGET ON 7
Suspected DUI crash on I-5 kills Oceanside man. 11 Flower Fields in full bloom with new offerings. 21
Food & Wine Cheers: San Diego Gulls’ Pucks & Pints returns. 19
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DREAM WIN
TAYLOR FRITZ, who grew up in Rancho Santa Fe, hugs the BNP Paribas Open trophy after defeating Rafael Nadal, 6-3, 7-6 (5) Sunday to become the first American man to win at Indian Wells since 2001 and fulfill a dream to win his home state event. Story on 17. Photo courtesy of BNP Paribas Open
Encinitas to pay cannabis consultant extra $500K HdL hired to review more than 200 applications By Stephen Wyer
ENCINITAS — The Encinitas City Council has voted to approve nearly $500,000 in additional funding to a cannabis consulting firm to help review and process a higher-than-expected number of applications from busiTHE ENCINITAS City Council approved an additional nesses seeking cannabis $500,000 to consulting firm HdL Companies to help com- licensing and cultivation plete the city’s cannabis application process. Courtesy photo rights in the city.
By a 5-0 vote at a meeting on March 16, the council voted to approve an amendment to its agreement with HdL companies, a cannabis compliance organization hired by the city last year to assist in the development and review of the cannabis business registration and application process, and the creation of a marijuana sales tax on marijuana. Under the approved amendment, Encinitas will allocate an additional $470,250 in funding for HDL for a total contract value of $568,900. This in-
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