Youth groups press supervisors to create a cannabis revenue fund and youth commission; board sets aside $250,000 for pilot

Scores of young people and community organizations urged the Board on June 16 to direct cannabis‑tax revenue toward youth services, prevention and leadership programs.

Speakers from the Impacto de Jóvenes coalition and local schools described high youth poverty rates in parts of the county, the link between opportunity and reduced juvenile arrests, and requested a specific allocation of unspent cannabis revenue to create a youth fund and a standing youth commission to lead grant recommendations. Several student speakers requested a pilot allocation of $80,000 per district or a county pilot totaling roughly $780,000 to support prevention, mental‑health and leadership programming.

Supervisors expressed support for the concept but differed on execution. Some favored routing funds through existing local nonprofit structures and grant processes; others preferred a district‑based allocation model. To keep momentum, the board agreed to reserve $250,000 from cannabis revenues for a youth pilot and to return with a recommended program design and application process. Supervisors also discussed using existing bodies (for example, the Santa Barbara youth advisory processes) as an administrative vehicle rather than creating multiple new structures.

The county will return to the Board with a proposal for how to administer the pilot, criteria for awarding funds, and a process to include youth voices in grant decisions.