Monday, October 26, 2015

Downtown residents want extension of Sheriff foot patrols

From the Inbox:

                  Please come to the City Council Meeting 
                          10/28/15 at City Hall, at 6:00 pm  

***Learn what happened when a Special 2 Deputy Patrol canvased the downtown area this summer and

***Show your support when the ECC requests City Council make this patrol permanent

The ECC has been asking City Council to take action to eliminate the ongoing problems downtown. We're thankful that in July they assigned two deputies to patrol downtown Encinitas on foot from July 24 - September 12, 2015.

(See Report and Analysis that will be presented to City Council) 


ECC members recently emailed that they noticed that things improved while the deputies were downtown but quickly went back to the way they were as soon as the patrol ended. What have you noticed?

Please send us an email and share your experiences since July 24th. The Sheriff, Code Enforcement, and the Council members are influenced when citizens speak up! 

It would also be helpful for you to send an email to City Council at council@encinitasca.gov You can tell them of your experiences, say you appreciate the fact that they assigned a Special 2 Deputy Patrol and ask them to make it permanent. 

Your presence at the upcoming meeting is vital. It will show the City Council two things: (1) ECC members appreciated the  recent patrol and (2) We request the Patrol be assigned on a permanent basis as we already see problems escalating​.
It's unclear how this request for (presumably evening) downtown patrols can be reconciled with the Sheriff's Department preference for daytime beach patrols.

55 comments:

  1. Bars give free admission to women wearing bikinis after dark?

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  2. Sunday around 5:30 pm a car was weaving so severely on encinitas blvd east of vulcan I was just about to call it in when they pulled over, obviously to drunk to even fake driving any longer. Several bars promote excessive drinking and clearly the point is to get smashed, not just social drinking. Witnessing what I saw yesterday it is only a matter of time before someone drives on to the sidewalk or some such tragedy. Thoughtful minds in Encinitas are pleading to council to end this, any weekend you can see people publicly drunk downtown late afternoon to evening, and yes some of those choose to drive. Solana beach and del mar don't have this problem, why should we?

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    1. How does a bar "promote" excessive drinking? By continuing to sell to an obviously intoxicated patron? Maybe patrons should be given bar punch cards to indicate how much they've had in that particular establishment. But bar hopping would render that mute...

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    2. Mute, yeah....

      Over serving is an activity in which responsible bars do not engage. Beginning and end of story.

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    3. Who takes responsibility? "Over serving" is a relative concept.

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    4. Those who work in bars know the guidelines - they do exist - that servers should observe.

      Your theory of relativity is a valid one.

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    5. Whoops! Missed the "not." Your theory is most definitely NOT valid ;)

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    6. Sorry guys, the word is "moot". This isn't a new issue, ie Americans drinking too much and then driving. The problem goes up and down based on enforcement and other trends.

      You can see California is one of the leaders...

      http://responsibility.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/2013-State-of-Drunk-Driving-Fatalities-in-America.pdf

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    7. Yes to "moot," thus my "Yeah." Some of us do know better.

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  3. In case you all haven't been paying attention the downtown bar scene is exactly what the City wants. There is a lot of money to be made from bars. Have you noticed all of the promotion of the craft breweries, even at Seaside Market? The City keeps granting permits so they keep coming. The only way this will stop is a change in the Council's attitude that we have so much money, when we really do not. We need the money for infrastructure, pensions, salaries, etc. Bars provide it. I doubt they care how many people show up, although it's not a bad idea. Personally, I would rather drink at home, but I am older than most of the young people at the bars, especially on weekends. Party busses are still there, even though the City said it was going to regulate them. Hell, Kranz is a regular. Just ask him and he will tell you where he will be on a certain night. Go to his FB page if you don't believe me.

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    1. Oh, there's no doubt that the City - with a capital "C" - is getting exactly what it wants.

      My point above was that there is no mystery about when someone's being over served.

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    2. Kranz is Disco King now. With the make over, he thinks he is a hit with the chicks. Does he wear a council hat to accentuate his authority? Maybe an inverted beer bong?

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    3. I don't go out to bars on weekends. Period. I'm too old.

      But I certainly did when I was younger.

      I will go to Union, Biergarden, or D Street for lunch during the week once in a while.

      Basically, I think people need to try a little harder to be considerate, good neighbors--and I'm talking about both sides of the issue.

      Being a young drunk fool is no excuse for shouting, pissing in public or fighting at closing time. Stop being an A-hole.

      But if you live downtown, reflect on the indiscretions of your own youth before you pass judgement on the current crop of young idiots. We've all been there, and most kids grow out of it, thankfully.

      I'm not into organized religion, but a wise phrase comes to mind: "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."

      Put another way, your (hopefully occasional) rude awakening is karma for the transgressions of your own youth.

      And payback, as they say, is a bitch.

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    4. You obviously don't live near the area. There are youth who were raised well. We, unfortunately, have been saddled with the ones who weren't.

      I wonder why these kids can't find something more meaningful to do with their time. I would hate every weekend feeling lousy because I just had to go out drinking. What a sad world we live in.

      Parents are supposed to be role models and many are not.

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    5. It appears we have a lot of old people on this blog. We should close first street make it a walking mall and open more restaurants to make us even more vibrant. The Sheriff's do a great job. Walking patrols deter crime when they are seen. How often do you see a police car in downtown? Not often. Perhaps more attention to that area.

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    6. The rolling amnesia of generations.

      The current crop of youth is somehow different in a bad way. My generation was different--more responsible--more respectful.

      That perspective has rolled from one generation to the next since forever.

      Reducing the impact to neighbors is a good thing. Reducing it to zero is unrealistic.

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    7. Every generation thinks they're better than the one coming one, think of the 50's, the 60's. People used to drink plenty back then, I'm sure it was more per capita. I have a buddy who grew up here in the 50's and 60's, he said there was one cop, who would tell them to go home if he saw them driving drunk.

      It's a question of scale, lack of good transportation options, and a bad history of binge drinkers in this country. We had the same scene down in PB in the 80's and 90's. The problem will abate with either a.) Time or b.) a crackdown by the cops.

      That's it, sadly those are the outcomes. So if you can get more cops, you've got a shot at calming this down. Otherwise, look for 2-3 years of the same....

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  4. Both sides? There is only one side exhibiting bad behavior.

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  5. If adding a sheriff runs the bums out of town then I approve, if the additional sheriff runs the bums to Leucadia, I disapprove.
    BUMS OUT OF ENCINITAS.

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  6. While there may be more older people on this blog, and I am one of them, I disagree with the poster who basically says be tolerant. In my younger days, we would go out on a Friday night to Happy Hour. However, these Happy Hours were not in bars that were close to family neighborhoods, but in areas that were around malls, airports ( in Orange County) and other places that did not disturb families that may not want drunks pissing on their lawns, waking them up at 2 in the morning etc. I'm not saying we were responsible drunks, because we were not. The bars just happened to be in places where there were no residential areas close by. We have many older bars in Encinitas, such as The Office in Cardifff, the Kraken, where I have not heard too many complaints about the stuff people are speaking of. It seems as if the newer bars are the problem. And, maybe I am wrong, so please correct me if I am. The Union, the Biergarten, Solace, etc. are the ones that seem to be getting called out more frequently. They are more upscale and young people want to party there. I agree that young people have every right to have a good time at any bar they chose, but what I still don't understand is the attitude that it is OK to piss on someone's lawn, scream at the top of your lungs at 2 or 3AM, or have a brawl outside on the sidewalk. I went to see it for myself one evening not too long ago just to see if all that people have been saying was true. I attempted to take a couple of pictures of the chaos when one young person slapped the phone out of my hand. It landed on the sidewalk, broken. I asked the person for her name (yes it was a girl) and she said "Fuck You" to me. So, yes it does happen. Even in my youth I would have never told someone to Fuck off but times are different now, so I guess I should have not been surprised. When I called the Sheriff's office, from someone else's phone, the Sheriff basically told me there was nothing they could do unless I knew who the person was and could identify her. By then the party bus had taken off and I didn't get the license plate. Sorry for the long answer, but I wanted to share my story. Thanks.

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  7. The difference, as you said is there are residences in Downtown Encinitas, the same as there are in PB. I haven't been to PB at night for 20 years, but they had the same problem down there, and worse. As I recall, a stabbing wasn't out of the question, and there were kids puking and acting the fool late at night. I remember this in the 80's and 90's, and I'm 50 now. So sadly, I don't think it's new. Public drunkenness has become par for the course, especially the last 20 years as stronger beer took hold. Certainly that's part of the issue, beer is a lot stronger, and there is also a cottage industry in the party bus area that will gladly get you drunk before you get there. That's a big part of the issue, ie kids are drunk before they show up.

    As for the rudeness, it goes hand in hand with the drinking. It's sad to say, but as soon as I saw the Union coming in, I knew the PB scene was coming with it.

    Enforcement is the key. If you don't have the threat of an arrest or citation, you will see the same behavior for the next few years until the next scene comes around. Carlsbad had the same issue about 15 years ago, but their PD cracked down and cracked down hard on the downtown area....

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  8. Along that line the sheriffs do everything to not record complaints and respond since it would show how much things are escalating. I called in an assault by a drunk driver two months ago and the sheriff would not come because it happened 20 minutes prior to the call, like somehow I was too late! It was a total stonewall maneuver and unless someone was bleeding they weren't going to do anything. This may add to why council doesn't get how it's getting worse as the sheriff manages complaints rigorously.

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    1. Council gets it. They hear nonstop from people writing and they read this blog. They are choosing business profits and tax income over residents, plain and simple.

      Our council worships at the feet of "vibrancy."
      If they had the will to correct the situation, they would.

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    2. Does anyone have an example of a city council in CA stepping in this type of situation?

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    3. This is interesting

      http://www.orovillemr.com/general-news/20141221/downtown-chico-bar-owners-yearn-for-2-am-closing-time

      -MGJ

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  9. 10:09, The movie Idiocracy comes to mind that's right in line with our decaying language and culture. Check it out (If you're 17 or older!)

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  10. This Sunday the city will unveil it's Day of the Dead mural behind Coast Hwy Traders. Afterwards the public is invited to hit the Daily Double Saloon to get all liquored up, sponsored by EncMainstreet 101 Association. Or is that the Enc Hospitality committee?? Will there be extra sheriffs to control the crowd??

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    1. Tony, the Party Master, will keep it under control.

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    2. The Big Boys got to Kranz and told him the benefits of playing the game by their rules. $$$

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  11. Imagine. A celebration with alcohol! On a Sunday too!

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  12. This council continues to sit on their fat asses and do nothing about this problem. DO YOUR JOB. I see more and more bars going in every day. This has been going on for years. When will you people come alive?

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  13. Let's look at the Council 7:12. We have Kranz, notorious for sharing what bar he will be in on what night; Gaspar, who is pretty much out of the game, as she is running for Supervisor; Shaffer, who is so out of touch that her pettiness is eating her alive and will do nothing about any of it (it's beneath her); Muir, who lives in a gated community and could care less; and Blakespear, who is interested in healthy EATING only )farm to fork). So unless, we get some people who really care about this problem on the Council, nothing will change. They don't live downtown so it really isn't their concern, in their opinion. And, the downtown merchants are quite happy to let it go in. More drunks buy more things. So, as I said, nothing is going to change. Am a pessimistic, not usually. But in this case, yes.

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    1. And Muir is running for reelection - why? Talk about dead weight...

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  14. Make sure you make broad strokes when you paint that picture....

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    1. 9:22- What does that mean?

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    2. It means people take one thing about our council members and repeat it for 2-4 years at a stretch. Kranz mentions going to a gastropub opening and you hear about it every time downtown is mentioned. It's repetitive nonsense. Can we really encapsulate Blakespeare's effort on council as being for healthy eating only?

      I hate to invoke Jim Rome, an annoying sports talk neanderthal, but in his words "Have a take, don't suck". IE, if you can't add to the discussion, maybe keep it zipped....

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  15. Remember that the Council reads this blog. What may seem repetitive to us cannot be emphasized enough for these five decision makers who are apparently bent on hiding under their respective covers. Pressure works, especially when followed by a Council appearance, letter to the paper, and some good old-fashioned public shaming (yes, Lisa, that last was directed at you).

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    1. I've always thought some people on this blog have a little dose of delusions of grandeur as far as the impact of the blog.

      The real place where the rubber meets the road is city hall, whether it's speaking at council, supporting a candidate, or running yourself...

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    2. All five sitting council members refer to comments made here and some have even posted. No delusions, just another vehicle to get their attention.

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  16. THIS JUST IN - TRIAL COURT RULING IN DESERT ROSE OVERTURNED ON APPEAL

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    1. The comment above is the best use of this blog, ie dispersing info of relevance to Encinitans.

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    2. Can you summarize the judges opinion please, or better yet post a copy of the ruling?

      Thank you,

      - The Sculpin

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    3. Isn't that out in your neck of the woods Sculpin? Let's see how you like what the rest of us have dealt with.

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    4. Not really.....It's on the north west side next to Carlsbad. I live much, much, much further back......
      I do ride by there every once in a while - it's a really pretty area.....

      - The Sculpin

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    5. On your over-sized tricycle?

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  17. Court of appeal found no evidence of significant environmental impacts and determined the project will actually benefit the adjacent wetland by providing a greater buffer than presently exists. Will try to post ruling

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  18. A couple quotes from the decision:

    "We conclude that based on the project description in the mitigated negative declaration, there is no substantial evidence in the administrative record to support a fair argument that Woodridge's proposed project may have a significant effect on the environment within the meaning of CEQA. Accordingly we reverse the judgment and direct the trial court to enter an order denying the petition for writ of mandate."

    "The comments from both conservation groups are vague and unsupported by any scientific studies. More importantly, they fail to provide evidence of a significant impact to the environment for the purposes of a CEQA analysis on the same grounds as Hayworth's comments: (1) they state that a 50-foot-wide buffer is preferable to a 25-foot-wide buffer, although the current baseline condition is no buffer, which provides no protection to either the wetland habitat or the downstream lagoons and beaches; (2) and they fail to account for the other measures that the Project will implement to
    protect the wetland habitat and that will act in conjunction with the 25-foot buffer to protect the environment."

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  19. Here's the ruling: http://www.courts.ca.gov/opinions/nonpub/D066218.PDF

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  20. I feel sick. We are fucked.

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  21. No rejoicing in Encinitas.

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    1. Adios open space. Tacky suburbia spreads.

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    2. 5:57 PM

      "Adios open space" It's currently a stable. The surrounding open space isn't affected.

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    3. Maybe Jesus was going to be reborn there? No second coming now!

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  22. The second coming comment should get an award for the cleverest thing ever posted on EU.

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