Cannabis revenue for Sacramento youth programs? Here’s our recommendation on Measure L

Few populations have suffered more for the missteps and failures of adults over the course of the pandemic than young people. After learning losses and developmental setbacks due to extended school closures, few disagree we must dedicate resources to Sacramento’s youths, particularly young people of color in communities that have long suffered from a lack of investment.

Sacramento has a chance this fall to finally remedy its woeful track record of erratic funding for programs and initiatives that support the city’s youths. Measure L, Sacramento’s latest attempt to address this shortcoming, would dedicate 40% of the city’s cannabis tax revenue to fund those efforts, generating roughly $10 million annually — and potentially more in future years as the nascent legal market expands.

Sacramento voters should support Measure L to help rectify years of political opposition to consistently funding youth programs. More important, Sacramentans who have long opposed these efforts need to understand the benefits of creating more opportunities for young people whose economic and social circumstances put them at a disadvantage.

Under Measure L, the city would amend its charter to establish a “children’s fund” to support youth development and violence prevention programs. The services would benefit homeless and foster youths, fund after-school programs and provide career pathways. The measure also describes opportunities to support mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment and early intervention programs for people under 25, which can only further the city’s efforts to stem crime.

Measure L requires oversight by a nine-member commission appointed by the City Council, which would review the commission’s recommendations and have the final say on spending decisions. Every five years, the commission would be tasked with drafting a strategic plan in conjunction with the Sacramento Youth Commission. The city manager’s office would assess the plan twice every five years and scrutinize expenses annually.

“The money can go to current city programs to expand them or create new projects, and it can also go to, of course, our nonprofit and community-based organizations,” Youth Forward community organizer Monica Ruelas Mares, a senior campaign official, told The Bee’s Editorial Board. “All of those entities that apply and receive funds are subject to audits.”

While there is no organized campaign behind the opposition to Measure L, critics argue that it amounts to counterproductive “ballot box budgeting” and would needlessly add to the city’s bureaucracy.

In an interview with the Editorial Board, City Councilman Jeff Harris and former Mayor Heather Fargo said Sacramento is already funding youth programs, pointing to recent spending increases helped by COVID relief money. But much of that spending consists of one-time expenditures and restoration of parks funding that was slashed 40% more than a decade ago.

Harris, who has opposed previous youth measures, also voiced concerns about the city’s financial health. Sacramento officials are projecting a general fund deficit beginning in the 2023-24 fiscal year, a shortfall that could reach $64 million in four years as pension obligations increase. But the assertion that dedicating such a modest portion of a new revenue stream will harm the city’s ability to balance its budget is a stretch.

If Measure L seriously threatened city resources, it’s doubtful that the city firefighters union would support it, as it does. And the city police union would likely be opposing the measure instead of remaining neutral.

“Every year I’ve been mayor, come midyear — even during COVID — we’ve always had new money,” said Mayor Darrell Steinberg, a Measure L proponent. “I’ve dealt with deficits before (as a state senator). It’s not fun. If we have to (make cuts), we will.

“But this (measure) will ensure that young people have some protection in that process and debate as well. Our bond rating only gets hurt if we allow a budget to be imbalanced over time, and we’re not going to do that.”

An investment in young people is one worth making. Measure L provides an opportunity to expand and bolster youth services that will directly benefit Sacramento’s children for generations.