MONTEREY COLLECTS IT. SANTA CRUZ COLLECTS IT. WE DON'T.
San Benito County approved cannabis cultivation in 2018. The tax rate was set too high — no cannabis farmers could afford to participate. The county has collected zero revenue since. Measure D corrects the rate. Current rules stay in place. Farmers pay it — not residents.
Fund road improvements, law enforcement and fire protection.
Vote Yes on D • June 2, 2026
Why Vote Yes on Measure D
What Measure D Does
San Benito County has collected zero dollars in cannabis cultivation tax revenue since voters approved it in 2018. Measure D fixes the rate so the county can finally collect.
Up to $20M Annually by 2028*
*Based on San Benito County Auditor-Controller estimates
For road improvements, law enforcement and fire protection.
And Not a Dime from Residents.
Why It's on the Ballot
The San Benito Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to place Measure D on the June 2 ballot.
The county is currently facing a $25.7 million budget deficit* — and an independent audit found road repairs among the projects chronically underfunded.
No arguments against the measure were filed.
Voters in San Benito originally approved cannabis cultivation in 2018. This measure doesn't change that decision. No farmer could afford to participate and the county never collected a dollar. Measure D doesn't change cannabis rules in San Benito County. It simply fixes the rate so the county can collect revenue voters already approved.
What Changed and Why
The original cannabis tax was calculated per square foot. For outdoor farming operations at agricultural scale, that rate was unworkable — no farmer could afford to participate. The county set the rules but never collected a dollar. Zero Participation = Zero Revenue.
Measure D replaces the per square foot rate with a per acre rate — bringing San Benito in line with Monterey and Santa Cruz that are already collecting revenue every year.
The County collects nothing today.
Measure D changes that.
Vote YES on Measure D
June 2, 2026
Paid for by YES on Measure D • Committee ID #1490527 • PO Box 173, Paicines CA 95043