Has your mailbox been bombarded with mailers about Measure A lately? Ours too. Here's what the measure is all about.

The big picture: Advocates say the proposed tax on vacant homes would bring in millions to the city's general fund, but it's attracting sizable spending from outside organizations that want to stop it.

Catch up quick: Officially called the "Non-Primary Home Tax," Measure A asks voters to decide on taxing homes that sit vacant at least 182 days a year.

• The tax would cost owners of second homes $8,000 annually in 2027 and $10,000 every year after.
• Realtor groups say they are opposing the measure to protect homeowners from that tax, and the California Association of Realtors has shelled out almost $700,000 to oppose the measure, according to campaign filings.

Zoom in: The measure would apply to about 5,100 homes locally, Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera told Axios.

• It would exempt some situations, like when someone has moved into a care facility or is away for military service.

Yes, but: Shane Harris, a spokesperson for the No on Measure A campaign, said service members would still have to apply for an exemption.

• Hence the mailers warning the measure "could hit deployed service members."

Elo-Rivera pushed back, saying the measure clearly exempts service members and would only affect a small group of wealthy homeowners.

• "The tax is very, very clearly targeted at the much less than 1% of San Diegans who own empty second homes, primarily owned by people who are not even from San Diego," he told Axios.
• "Shane doesn't know what he's talking about a lot of the time, but especially on this, and you can quote me on that," Elo-Rivera added.

Friction point: Harris also said the measure could require more staff to handle enforcement and that it would violate privacy when determining which homes are sitting vacant.

• "Are you going to break privacy to prove that someone is living in their home 182 days a year?" he said.

But Elo-Rivera said the city already knows which homes would fall under Measure A, because their owners took a federal tax exemption.

The other side: State and local Realtor organizations oppose Measure A because it could end up taxing more than just those 5,100 homes, said Richard D'Ascoli, CEO of the Pacific Southwest Association of Realtors, which is against Measure A.

The bottom line: The controversy around the measure will likely continue to fill our mailboxes and ad space until the election in June.

More details

The June 2 primary is coming up, and you have a lot to decide.

Why it matters: More than a dozen statewide elections will alter the political landscape in California.

• The top two vote-getters in each primary race advance to the November general election, regardless of party affiliation. (For a full list of candidates, check out California's official voter information guide.)

✍️ Governor: The wide field of candidates (61 in total!) to replace the terming-out Gavin Newsom include San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, former Biden official Xavier Becerra, former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, Republican political commentator Steve Hilton, billionaire philanthropist Tom Steyer and others.

Zoom in: San Diego County residents will also vote for U.S. Congress representatives, State Assembly representatives, Superior Court judges and County Treasurer-Tax Collector.

• Some will see San Diego County Board of Education and Board of Supervisors candidates on their ballots.
• San Diego residents will vote on Measure A (vacant homes tax) and City Council candidates in Districts 2, 4, 6 and 8.
• While all congressional representatives are also up for reelection, the race for the 48th District is open and attracting the most attention and money.

The full list

🍀 Cannabis outlets can't use leaves in their signs now that the City Council passed a big package of 134 land-use tweaks.

• Other changes include making it easier to build wireless antenna farms, loosening rules for Old Town sidewalk cafes and banning storage centers on parts of El Cajon Boulevard and University Avenue. (Union-Tribune)

🧑‍🏫 Teachers are worried about Gov. Newsom's plan to wait longer before flagging English-learning students who need extra help.

• He wants to change the definition of at-risk students to include only those who have not reached English proficiency within six years. Teachers say that's too late. (inewsource)

♻️ Blue bins are on their way. Some Rancho Bernardo homes started getting new recycling bins as the city rolls out updated containers. We're all supposed to have them by July. (UT)

🗑️ In other trash news, county trash inspectors are going around lifting bin lids in unincorporated areas to make sure people are sorting trash properly.

• Bad bins get an "Oops Tag," not a fine. (NBC 7)

Our concert scene is stepping up in the next few weeks.

🎶 P!nk at Petco Park. The pop superstar takes over downtown with a stadium-sized show Friday.

🌊 Yungblud at Rady Shell. On May 20, the genre-blending rocker brings high-energy alt-pop to the waterfront stage.

💃 Kesha at North Island Credit Union Amphitheater. Kesha brings a glitter-filled pop show to Chula Vista May 23.

🎉 Pitbull at North Island Credit Union Amphitheater. Mr. Worldwide performs May 29 with a nonstop run of club hits.

🎺 Los Lobos at Belly Up. On May 30, the East L.A. legends bring their blend of rock, Tex-Mex and blues.

🎼 Rod Stewart at North Island Credit Union Amphitheater. The rock icon delivers decades of hits on June 12.

More jams

The Zoo and Lou's Records are looking like the ones to beat as our Best Merch bracket continues to the Final Four.

• All week we've been asking you to vote on your favorite local swag.

Take our poll to decide who should head to the championship.