Wednesday, June 25, 2014

6/25/14 City Council open thread

The current city council has continued prior councils' practice of not providing written summary minutes of council discussion, but only "action minutes" which state the outcomes. Encinitas Undercover will provide a forum for observers to record what occurs at each council meeting.

Please use the comments to record your observations.

44 comments:

  1. Annoying voices.

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    1. Hey, you woke me up!

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    2. Community Gardens volunteer served with restraining order over city hall confrontation? When is school district project's calendar date for Planning Commission? And will he sing? Or go to Sing Sing?

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  2. My favorite part of these meetings is listening to the public speakers.

    During oral communications, I appreciated Al Rodbell, Mr. Waldorf, and Donna Westbrook. Waldorf commented on the City's overpaying for Pacific View, the former Mossy Property and the former Hall Property. The City is not getting reasonable appraisals. In the case of Pacific View, Waldorf questioned whether the city arrived at the purchase price by adding the two appraisals together? There was a lot of applause from the audience.

    The lower appraisal for PV was reasonable, because it was in the current time frame, in the public/semi-public zoning, and used local comps. Integra Realty Systems, which also gave a bad appraisal report on the former Mossy Property, used Los Angeles Comps, to throw off the Pacific View curve. Integra seemed to be chosen by Gus Vina to give an overly high appraisal.

    I was very happy with James Waldorf Inc's appraisal for Pacific View. Mr. Waldorf seems to be a man with a great deal of common sense, knowledge in his field,and integrity. I would recommend him to anyone looking for an honest appraisal report. We also appreciate that he has been willing to address Encinitas City Council at least two times, as a public speaker. I hope, in the future, our City will carefully consider and follow Mr. Waldorf's cost-saving recommendations and his solid advice.

    Donna Westbrook also spoke re three items on the Consent Calendar and to the public hearing on the Lighting and Landscaping assessments. We're glad she's back. Also, we're glad staff was given direction to come back with better visuals on its staff reports, in the future.

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  3. Our dedicated citizens are our truest leaders. If only council could hear them through slimeys and staff's obfuscation. Mayor Donna come on down. Your kind of voice is what is so needed to affect real progress. Thanks Donna, I can't help but exclaim 'go get them' when you approach the mike and you never fail to be right on target. These are the people our city should be listening to instead of hired, for profit, out of towners' that care not a whit about community and community we have in abundance with those who week after week give of their time for this community.

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  4. Oh Donna/Oh Donna/I had a girl and Donna was her name/since she left me /I never been the same... Richie Valens

    Mayor Donna? LOL

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  5. Donna is great. Everything she said needed to be said.

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  6. No Sheila wearing her tie died hippie shirt ?? No?? Thank God.

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    1. Sheila's comments and experience are appreciated, too. But no, she wasn't there this week. Thank God you weren't there, either, 9:27.

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  7. I agree w 10:26...

    Let's keep the voted off old councilmembers silent. They blew their chance.

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    1. Over the years, there have been many council members who have served only one four year term. That does not mean they "blew their chance."

      Easy for you to sit there and be an anonymous, armchair critic, 6:16. Sheila Cameron accomplished a great deal.

      Unlike other ex Council Members and Mayors, Sheila still plays an active role in our community, through attending and participating in discussion at many Council Meetings. She has been a good friend to many individuals, and to our community, despite what you oh-so-obviously want to believe, 6:16.

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    2. I think it's fine for Ms. Cameron to give her input, but I don't like the way she goes about it. Each time she speaks to the council, she tells them exactly what they should do. I find this inappropriate and a little bit ego minded on her part when she keeps reminding council she has been in their seat. I think we get it by now. Just make suggestions Ms. Cameron and stop with the dictatorship. It's not very becoming.

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    3. 4:42 PM
      The pretty please with sugar on top method hasn't worked with this council. Nor does the hat in hand or on bended knee worked with the council. Telling the council straight out that they should follow a certain course isn't dictatorship.

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    4. I also appreciate Ms. Cameron's strong, decisive input. And I agree, "the pretty please with sugar" technique hasn't worked.

      When someone speaks from experience, and a long history with the City, and has given far beyond her four years in elected office, Council would be wise to listen.

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    5. SC is direct and for the citizens. To address a council that is largely asleep, if not in a perpetual coma, is a difficult task.

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    6. My point is that once you start telling someone how to do their job, they immediately tune you out. I like the approach Julie Graboi uses and I think she is a good example to follow. She doesn't dictate, but gets her point across nicely. A little civility goes a long way.

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    7. I don't like Cameron's pointing her finger. The council are not school children.

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    8. Need I say, Shaffer is pointing fingers again in her self-important weekly update.

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    9. 9:05 Probably for good reason.

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  8. Anyone else notice without Vina's goon presence, the Council members actually speak and ask questions? Second time in a row now.

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  9. We all dream of slimey gus not being there and for the time being lets enjoy his vacation on his being absent. If only it were permanent.

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  10. We can all enjoy gus' vacation and imagine him being gone permanently while he is out of town. If only it were permanent.

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  11. Council is too stupid to fire a crappy city manager. They will probably give him a raise.

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  12. Some in attendance and watching at home thought Barth, Shaffer and Kranz were petty in not approving both reoccurring events scheduled for February, the Cardiff Kook Run scheduled for 2/1, and the California 1020, for 2/15. Staff recommendation for Agenda Item 10G was approval of both runs.

    Lisa Shaffer, as usual, jumped in before any other Council Member, asking questions, first why the route was changed for the Cardiff Kook Run. Although there were no public speakers who had submitted slips for Item 10G,, there was someone in the audience who was called forward by the mayor, to answer questions about the Cardiff Kook Run.

    There were no complaints after the special event for Cardiff Kook Run. There were no complaints re the 1020 Run, but there were some questions about the partial highway closure, before the Cardiff Kook Run, no complaints, after.

    Someone else in the audience shouted (not through the PA system) that the Cardiff Mainstreet Association had not "received confirmation" yet, this year, that there would be a monetary contribution to the City, as there was last year. Muir made a motion to approve both special events, the Cardiff Kook Run and the California 1020.

    Shaffer made a substitute motion to bifurcate the two items, which motion carried unanimously.

    Barth moved to approve the Kook Run, Kranz seconded. The vote was unanimous to approve the Kook Run.

    Gaspar moved and Muir seconded to approve the 1020 Run. Lisa Shaffer said she didn't see there was any benefit to the City; she said it would have a negative impact as a disruption, that the race was mainly in Solana Beach. Gaspar said she felt that these kinds of events helps to get people out, exercising, showing camaraderie.

    Kranz said he thought the two races were too close together. He said he wouldn't be supporting the motion, that he didn't support closing the streets for runs only two weeks apart (although there were no public speakers objecting). The motion failed, with Kranz, Barth and Shaffer "pushing their weight," voting no.

    More petty politics on the part of the "new majority." It was small minded to base this decision on staff's and Council's failing to confirm the 1020 contribution to the Cardiff Mainstreet Association. There is no evidence that the event organizers would not have contributed, as they did in the past. The fact that no one was present from that non-profit indicates they could have been unaware of the agenda item, when special events for which 2,000 or more people are to be present, are normally approved in August. Were the groups notified, apart from the online publishing of the agenda, that their items were scheduled before Council? Many people are on vacation, including our City Manager, at this time of year.

    Again, we thought it was petty of Barth, Shaffer and Kranz not to permit that second 101 Run, which includes Del Mar and Solana Beach, because there wasn't a commitment, ahead of time, to give the City $10,000, as it had before. Barth, Shaffer and Kranz are looking desperate for funding, when they were so cavalier about overpaying for Pacific View.

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    1. The 10/20 race rep was there and knew that the agenda item was that night and when. There was No indication that the 10/20 group was going to contribute anything.

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    2. The city is run by DEMA or whatever they call themselves now. If DEMA doesn't approve it won't happen. DEMA makes no money off the 10/20 run so they oppose it. End of story....

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  13. I agree with the decision that was made. Too many street closures is bad for some businesses trying to make ends meet. You can get camaraderie in other ways without affecting businesses.

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    1. Is that you, Tony? If the businesses objected, they would have complained. No one did.

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    2. DEMA closes 101 twice a year for the street fair, they don't oppose that because it's a cash cow for them. If they don't make $$$ no one can. DEMA runs the city....

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    3. Artistic Pianos used to have a store in the Lumberyard. They complained to the city about DEMA about a Streetfair, saying the kind of people it drew were not interested in pianos and they had to close their store for every event. A man came into their store a day after a Streetfair and bought a $26,000 grand piano. He said "The Streetfair brought me down here yesterday or I never would have known you were here. I peeked in your window and saw this piano and had to have it. DEMA got a letter from Artistic Pianos saying "We'll never say another word!".
      It pays to advertise. For anyone to assume 20,000 people walking a store in one day could be bad for that business just makes my jaw drop in awe.

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  14. Since no public speakers objected, since the City received no complaints after the previous Cal 2010 Run, and since the organizers of the California 2010 Run were not present to say whether or not they intended to contribute another $10K to Cardiff 101 Mainstreet Association, there was no valid reason to deny approval of a permit.

    This is more petty politics by a Council Majority more concerned about exerting power and control, and getting more dollars for their Mainstreet business connections, than about looking at salary increases or overspending on operating expenses and hugely inflated capital improvement project expenses.

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  15. It is apparent, at least to television watchers, that no matter what Muir and Gaspar are going to vote for, the others will vote against. Unless, it is a "feel good" project then everyone will vote for it. "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss."

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  16. Gaspar and Muir = lame ducks, puppets of $tocks, lovers of developers and out of town money.

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  17. 9:01 maybe true. But Kranz, Shaffer, and Barth are a complete embarrassment to the average Encinitas for the stupid votes and actions they do regarding PV.

    Face it…… must people do not want to pay $2,000 each for property for an art center. Plus than you get to add another $2,000 per property for any improvements on the vacant land. The current building are a liability not an asset.

    Bottom Line- current council suck- vote them all out.

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  18. BREAKING NEWS
    City council bans plastic bags - Kranz and Shaffer claim plastic bags are the cause of global warming. Barth has plastic bag over head - Vina orders her to keep it there. Muir last seen at drive in at In N' Out and Gaspar at Macy's for make-over.

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  19. I don't mind banning plastic bags, but I don't want to pay any extra money for a paper bag because of the enforcement. The citizens shouldn't have to bear that burden. What I see happening is the baggers being told to only put a few items in each paper bag so that WE end up spending more money.

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  20. I rather pay the extra fraction of cost, verses the true cost of killing our earth from wasted plastics. What the movie "Bag It" and you will "Get It"

    I actually a very simple issue.

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    1. How about over-building, fiscal irresponsibility, hidden agendas, and rotten politics as being real concerns? If Shaffer's only accomplishment is a ban on plastic bags, it's been a wasted 4 years.

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    2. 5:48

      Great- then you can choose to live your life that way. Stay out of my life and I will stay out of yours. How do you know what I do or don't do with plastic bags I may or may not get? Get it? TElling other people how to live is the height of arrogance- see Shaffer?barth/Kranz

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    3. 1:36, Oh lawless one!

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    4. 3:36-

      I don't need the social engineers Barth Shaffer and Kranz regulating how I live my life because of their over inflated sense of self, arrogance and misguide political ideology.

      Single use bags? My ass, in my house we use our bags for all kinds of things- the ones we don't use we recycle. The Barth Shaffer Kranz police would have us have to explain to them why we don't need their regulations.

      This is what yoru zoning will be, let's tax how many miles you drive and when you drive, let's take $5M out of the hands of Encintias families and put it into the hands of Gus Vina

      Barth Shaffer and KRanz lied on ballot statements- seems to me they are the lawless ones

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    5. 5:48- tell me where you live so I can bring my dog to shit on your lawn... That will save me two plastic bags a day.

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  21. The city had a request for proposal for someone to provide doggie poopie bags at the parks. The council is always thinking smart.

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