San Diego Convention Center Expansion Project back on schedule to begin construction in 2014, with 2017 completion date.
In a ruling issued today, judge Ronald Prager ruled that the funding mechanism for the Convention Center Facilities District that was set up to fund the $520 million Convention Center expansion project is legal and the project can proceed as planned.
At issue was whether the hoteliers could legally vote to essentially raise taxes that they charge on hotel guests outside of the city’s existing transient occupancy tax, which currently sits at 10.5%. Two separate attempts in 2004 to raise the TOT both failed, despite the 2004 measure earning nearly 62% approval of the voters. State law at the time required that any measure proposing to raise taxes of any kind required the approval of a full two-thirds of the voters in order to become law. The second ballot measure in November 2004 earned over 58% approval of the voters.
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