Amazingly, this year's Comic-Con International in San Diego convenes in 93 days. It'll be the fiftieth of these conventions and the fiftieth I've attended so to celebrate, I'm going to host 50 panels. Or less. Probably a lot less.
Anyway, that's not what this post is about. It's about how for some time, there's been a battle going on in San Diego over a proposal to increase the hotel room tax to pay for a proposed expansion of the convention center. Currently, the tax is 10.5% but under the new plan, it would go to as high as 15.75% in certain portions of the city.
Funds from the tax would enable the convention center to expand from approximately 800,000 square feet to about 1.2 million. Most of the increased space would be entirely filled by cosplayers dressed as Harley Quinn.
No, I'm being silly but the numbers are roughly correct. There was supposed to be a vote on the plan in November of 2020 but the City Council has just voted to move it to the March 2020 ballot. Comic-Con is currently signed to remain in San Diego through 2021. I have no idea how or if the earlier decision about the expansion will impact the extension of the current contract but it'll probably mean something.