Yes it's Wednesday, but it's already time to make plans for National Pasta Day on Saturday.

☀️Today's weather: Coast — Sunny, high 73; Inland — Sunny, high 80

🎧 Sounds like: "I Love It" by Charli xcx, who's playing tonight at Viejas Arena. More concerts here.

Today’s newsletter is 1,111 words — a 4-minute read.

Your mailboxes and social media feeds are likely filled right now with ads about Measure B, a ballot measure to raise the county's sales tax by a half-cent to fund child care, the Tijuana River sewage crisis and other services.

Catch up quick: If it passes, advocates say the measure would bring in:

🏥 $161.5 million a year for health care programs

🌊 $96 million a year for the Tijuana River crisis

🧒 $93.5 million a year for child care and children's health and safety programs

🔥 $68 million a year for wildfire prevention and public safety

The big picture: Supporters say the measure would inject much-needed funds the county lost in federal funding cuts, while opponents say it would create a "forever tax" with no end, even if those federal cuts are reversed.

Arguments in favor: This funding is needed because the Trump administration's "Big Beautiful Bill" made massive cuts to the county's budget for funding these programs, Alex Wilcox, campaign manager for the Yes on B campaign, told Axios.

The other side: The measure's funding won't be needed if Democrats take control of the House this fall and the presidency in two years, Mark Kersey, president of the San Diego County Taxpayers Association, told Axios, raising questions of what will become of that revenue.

People are angry and don't want to give the government more money, Kersey said.

• "Taxing people who can least afford it so that they can then hope to receive government subsidies paid for by that same tax increase is just bad policy," he said.

Measure B is a "forever tax" with no sunset clause, so there's no opportunity for future voters to weigh in on keeping it around, he added.

• He said he'd be more likely to support it if it came up for another vote in 10 years.

Yes, but: Allowing the measure to sunset in 10 years would stand in the way of its goals, Wilcox said.

• "Including a sunset clause would be counterproductive," she said.
• And, she added, groceries, rent, utilities, prescription drugs and baby diapers are exempt from the tax.

Follow the money

Our libraries received five official book challenges in the last five years and made some changes as a result.

The big picture: No books were banned outright, making our city and the rest of the state an outlier from other parts of the country.

Zoom in: Here were the five book challenges received by San Diego's public library system:

• "You Know, Sex: Bodies, Gender, Puberty, and Other Things!" by Cory Silverberg and Fiona Smyth. It was challenged for being too mature for small children and the library agreed, moving it to the teen collection, supervising librarian Robyn Gage-Norquist told Axios.
• "The Very Best Plan" by Amanda Davis was challenged for describing marriage as being between a man and a woman. The library kept it because it met its collection policy criteria.
• "The Art of Hand Shadows" by Albert Almoznino was challenged for including a racist image. The library kept it for its historical value but removed it from the children's collection.
• "The Secret History of the English Language" by M.J. Harper was challenged over concerns about incorrect information. The library removed it because it had not been checked out in years.
• "Hasta que Alguien Me Escuche: Una Historia Sobre las Fronteras, la Familia y la Misión de una Niña" by Estela Juarez was challenged over concerns about incorrect information. The library determined the information was factually correct and kept it.

Zoom out

📷 There's now an anti-Flock majority on the City Council. Stephen Whitburn announced yesterday he's changed his mind about license plate cameras, giving opponents a chance to cancel Flock's contract.

• But they don't have a veto-proof majority unless a sixth council member joins them. (Voice of San Diego)

🚁 Police also want to launch drones to reach emergencies before officers. (10News)

🗳️ A dozen blank mail-in ballots were scattered along a road in Escondido.

• Election officials reported no signs of voter fraud and are figuring out what happened. (10News)

🏄 Surf history is on sale to help replace the Ocean Beach Pier.

• For $45, you can buy reproductions of a 1966 World Surfing Championships poster. (Times of San Diego)

One of two races for an open seat on the San Diego City Council is in District 2.

The big picture: Nicole Crosby, a deputy city attorney, is facing off against former Coronado Mayor Richard Bailey to represent the coastal district.

• Axios sent questions to both campaigns but only Crosby responded.

Axios: What is the biggest issue facing District 2?

Crosby: City leaders pushing half-baked solutions to complex issues. As President of the Clairemont Town Council, I spoke out against the reckless ADU policy that allowed corporate developers to build mega complexes on streets that don't have proper infrastructure, without any parking, and without enough trash cans.

• Similarly, the rollout of the trash fees has been disastrous, from the bait and switch to the recent debacle with over and underbilling 18,400 households in the district.

What would you do about housing and affordability?

Crosby: San Diego's current approach to density has let predatory developers and corporate investors crowd out the families this city is supposed to serve. I will fight for housing policy that puts residents first, not developer profit margins.

• We must address the 6,000 entire-home short-term rentals sitting empty half the time, which threaten local businesses and drive families away. I will push for common-sense reforms like a two-night minimum stay to protect our neighborhoods.

How should the city address its budget problems?

Crosby: Auditing contracts, scrutinizing leases, pursuing every available dollar.

How she differs from Bailey

Now's your chance to say how you really feel about your neighborhood.

• The San Diego Neighborhood Project was created by SDSU journalism professor Amy Schmitz Weiss to study San Diegans' neighborhood identity and connection with local news.

State of play: Take her short survey before the end of the month and you could win a $50 Amazon gift card.

• The results of the survey will be part of Schmitz Weiss' research on how communities and journalists can strengthen local news coverage, she told Axios.

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🥳 Claire is celebrating her running bestie, who crushed her marathon on Sunday.

👩🏻‍🍼 Kate is on parental leave.

This newsletter was edited by Geoff Ziezulewicz.