Del Mar, Ca --  The Del Mar City Council will begin to hold public hearings to discuss what should be done to repay $3.2 million dollars owed for the purchase of the Shores property.

The loan was taken out to purchase the Del Mar Shores school campus in 2008 at a price of $8.5 million.  Friends of Del Mar Parks were able to raise an unprecedented $5 million for the down payment.

Del Mar, Ca -- "Happy Happens!"  So goes the new ad campaign launched by San Diego in an attempt to reign in a greater amount of tourism commerce.

The San Diego campaign is becoming increasingly more common as local cities enact funding destination marketing known as Tourism Business Improvement Districts.

The movement largely began in 1992 when the city of West Hollywood began a 1.5% tax of gross room rental revenue to raise an annual $1.1. million for tourism promotion.

Del Mar -- The city agreed to purchase 5.2 acres of excess public school property for $8.5M for use as a park and private school on the condition that all of the purchase price will be raised from the community.  

At the closing date, the fundraisers had $5M + in funds and said that they can raise the balance of the purchase price in 12 months.