Eden's Golden Geese

Blame it on the fumes. 

Last month,  in annual tax money that had been falling into deeper pockets in San Leandro and Hayward. 

Scratch that. 

Our original number, based on data provided by the agency, unintentionally omitted the two biggest finds. Together, they boost the newly discovered annual tax revenue above $160,000.

Those golden geese? We Are Hemp and Garden of Eden. 

Together, the two medical marijuana dispensaries put Cherryland head and shoulders above Ashland and San Lorenzo in this spring's cash-in-the-couch-cushions bonanza.

There are a handful of other businesses also left off the list that may push the total yet higher. But nothing comes close to the new revenue from the clubs, according to Economic Development Director Bill Lambert.

"The pot clubs added about half," he said. 

If you missed our earlier story, the county has been working since last fall to recover sales taxes  from what it initially believed might only be a handful of local businesses that had been misallocated to neighboring communities.

In fact, hawk-eyed local volunteers discovered 30 such businesses. 

Taxes are the redevelopment agency's bread basket, the cash it uses to fund projects like the San Lorenzo Library and the Ashland Youth Center. 

In a community long divided over dispensaries, that's welcome news.