Then there’s the Coastal Rail Trail controversy. Blakespear initially supported building the Cardiff segment of the trail on the east side of the railroad tracks, but recently flip-flopped after massive opposition from residents and environmentalists who correctly charged that building the trail along narrow San Elijo Drive would not only take away parking and coastal access with a 6-foot chain link fence, but also destroy sensitive natural habitat.
Now, the switch appears nothing more than a political ploy. A consultant recommended 15 names for a nonpartisan citizens committee to oversee the project as it progresses. Blakespear came up with her own list, heavily loaded with her campaign contributors and supporters of the original east-side-of-the-tracks proposal, which her political allies on the city council approved in a 3-2 vote. How do you spell partisan politics and cronyism?
Saturday, August 6, 2016
Seaside Courier rips Blakespear
Seaside Courier editorial:
Blakespear is a continuation of the long chain of city council cronies - beholding to special interests and harboring an agenda that doesn't consider the residents involved. Don't vote her in as Mayor.
ReplyDeleteShe suffers from 'borderline' personality syndrome; almost a stronger version of a past councilor's manic/depression. Absolutely cannot play well with others. Stop her while you can.
Delete12:52 PM
Delete"She suffers from 'borderline' personality syndrome..." Really? Did you read about it in Psychology Today? Want some people will come up with. It's okay just to be opposed to her without playing amateur psychologist.
1:36 PM
DeleteI mean "What some people will come up with." Damn typos.
This railroad belongs to the public. We purchased it and now we deserve to use our land for parking and beach access.
ReplyDeleteIf our public agency, NCTD whom we allow to oversee the development of our publicly owned railroad wants to expand the railroad... they need to work with the citizens owners to ensure we continue to have access to businesses and parking like we have always have!
+1
DeleteTrench and cover the railroad ... the only reasonable answer to the double tracking expansion!
ReplyDeleteCarlsbad has discovered a new data algorythm recently accepted by SanDag that put the onus on SanDag to build a railway that is cheaper than what originally planned. It revolves around an accepted 'value' for a single person'e life. Then determining how many years of production (dollars) could have been generated by a single life (lost when killed by a train in C'Bad) and then comparing costs of building above-ground tracks versus the less-expensive below-ground tracks; and because of future insurance premiums, C'Bad has SanDag by the shorthairs and is getting their new tracks trenched and covered.
DeleteThink Catherine or Tony are aware of this new fact about tracking costs and the 'accepted' dollar amount per year for an average death-by-train in C'Bad?
Or, if they are aware, do Tony or Catherine understand how to compute the dollars in revenue times number of projected years to get a projected final result? And then, HOW to compare it with the increased costs of building above-ground tracking?
Its a whole new ball game with this new manner in determining a single life's value and projected length.
Not too late for Encinitas to take advantage of this new way of computing costs; but instead of following a path to under grounding; Catherine is bent on force-feeding an unwanted rail trail into the middle of commercial Cardiff because her travel buddy, Lisa wants it for a 'legacy'.
1:06 PM
Delete"Carlsbad has discovered a new data algorythm recently accepted by SanDag that put the onus on SanDag to build a railway that is cheaper than what originally planned."
Did you just make that up? Give us a link to this methodology and/or SANDAG's acceptance of it. It sounds pretty farfetched to me. Besides, if it works for Carlsbad it would work for Encinitas without any lobbying required. This sounds more like a figment of your imagination.
With the only other candidate for mayor being another Gaspar, we voters have little choice. That goes for the council also.
ReplyDeletePaul Gaspar is tied to $sssss$ and that is untenable to ever consider letting this bully anywhere back into our city in any way.
The lesser of two evils makes for slim pickens this election season for mayor and council.
More of the same is what we have to choose from as the final week of declaring approaches. Slim hope that new blood will come forward. Get used to the status quo fellow citizens.
Unfortunate, but true.
DeleteIf you take a look at Kristin Gaspar's campaign contributors, you will see how many of the developers are backing her with big money. The list is endless.
DeleteI can't help but think that these will be the same people backing Paul Gaspar.
These two people (Gaspars) are wolves in sheep's clothing. Be careful who you vote for in November. Remember, they are in bed with the developers and that will not change.
We can do better than this.
"Big money," 6:03? When $50k dinner entry fees are de rigueur on the presidential and congressional campaign trails, you think a $750 donation by a "big bad developer" is going to sway a person to make a political career destroying decision? What, do you deliver newspapers for a living?
DeleteIm shocked that a newspaper would run this as an editorial. It's garbage.
ReplyDelete• 6-foot chain link fence? False.
• the charter of the committee is to "oversee" the Cardiff segment of Rail Trail construction? False.
• lobbying for reforms on State affordable housing law is a bad thing? False.
• Blakespear somehow caused the density bonus lawsuits? False. In fact, I believe Mr. Gaspar's wife also voted for the policy changes. The same wife he proposes to continue the policies of.
Both Gaspars were recruited by, and remain under the tutelage of, Jerome Stocks. The bombastic pile of half-truths intended to bury the reader in an avalanche of bullshit is a hallmark of Stocks' hero Donald J. Trump. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if he's the author.
The real here question is how such complete garbage makes its way through an editor at what passes for a real newspaper. I'm not sure who owes whom a favor, or if the editor is a victim of blackmail, but something's up.
9:20
DeleteYou accurately described Stocks. You wrongly compared Him to Trump. Stocks is like Hillary. Like Hillary he is bought and paid for by special interests. Like Hillary he has a record of hiding reports from the public. Like Hillary he openly has worked against the best interest of citizens.
Trump wants to enforce existing immigration laws. Hillary supports open borders. Trump opposes TPP and wants trade yo benefit all citizens, Hillary supports TPP and wants trade to benefit her billionaire backers.
1:35 PM
DeleteStopped taking your meds?
Hillary tells to public untruths- so did Stocks
DeleteHillary keeps the public in the dark- so did stocks
Hillary works for her donors, so did Stocks
Hillary writes policies for her donors, as Stocks
Hillary is like Stocks, Stocks is like hillary.
Seriously, poor little 9:20 is shocked? Shocked? Whiney, pathetic, feigned incredulity is more accurate. The editorial was right on the mark. The only thing left out was the naming of names, but that is in the process of being exposed as we speak. The editorial is a teaser. Much of the information is public record, and the pieces are being put together. So if you can't handle the truth, 9:20, best you go back to mom's basement, grab your Cheddar Cheese Doritos and play video games.
DeleteThey make a good point. But, they are hardly unbiased. Seaside Courier is Alice Jacobson, and was created in the Prop A era to have an alternative to the more anti-development Coast News. Alice was on the Planning Commission, ran for council and lost, and is tied to Stocks who is tied to the Gaspars/Muirs. These people are very pro-developer. The only thing that has stopped them is the current 3-2 smart growth majority. Encinitas has never had an anti-growth majority.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the difference between "pro developer" and "smart growth"?
DeleteNone, 12:36. None.
DeleteThe Coast News had a regular writer that often reported the poor decisions of the council that negatively impacted residents. Prior to Tony Cagala taking over The Coast News, every Friday seemed to have citizen reporting and commentaries alerting the public to the chicanery and double speak at city hall. Jerome Stocks was often profiled due to his seemingly never ending supply of bad decision making.
DeleteAfter Stocks was run out of office , the developers and out of town money men fought back. ALice Jacobsen soon launched her rag to influence elections, and Tony Cagala seemed to silence many of the community commentaries critical of city leaders.
(Sniff, sniff) I smell bullshit!!
ReplyDeleteThe last two Mayors in Encinitas running for election were trounced- Dangerous Dirty Dan Danaher and his darn near free kitchen along with Jerome 'Midnight"Stocks and his late night chicanery were run out of town on a rail - and it was double tracked
DeleteTime for every candidate for Mayor and Council declare their vision for our public rail corridor...
ReplyDeleteMay I suggest a long term plan. Parking, Beach access should be foremost in that plan. And if leadership is proposed by the candidates they would tie it in with transportation and building permits.
Like bridging in El Camino Real and proposed low income housing at worst. At best consider automated electrical vehicles and a new generation of transportation alternatives while trenching and covering the rails with a parkway!
The people in Cardiff now know without argument, Catherine and Tony are bold-faced liars; they've lied about this new committee, the Rail Trail and a host of other issues; you can call other folks 'bullies' and you may be correct, but Catherine's thin-skin, temper and contempt for the law has now overtaken Kranz's legendary hot-button. Ask the Staff.
ReplyDeleteCatherine, in attempting to make Paul Gaspar appear to be a laughing-stock in her personal newsletter entitled HERE COME THE HUSBANDS the public in Encinitas were given a rare glimpse inside of what the Staff sees in Encinitas City Hall daily, cynicism, intolerance, bad faith amongst the peers and learning that either they are unwilling to read materials and consider the law in making policy, or the voting bloc members are just 'in contempt' of society, believing they are 'above-the-law' and 'know-better' than the voters, these last 2 issues resulting in the wasting of literally millions of dollars that they've been responsible for squandering.
Without question, the Citizen Academy leaders who promoted their husbands to prank the city clerk are blind to the central-fact that in sending their husbands down to City Hall on fool’s-errands, they (both the Barth and Shaffer married couples) are now the butt of a powerful political joke; a joke that once again reminds the local voters of Mayor Barth's attempt at publicly forcing Muir and Gaspar unsuccessfully into voting for raising taxes, showing clearly to those watching incredulously that neither Barth, nor Shaffer nor Kranz had actually read the local city ordinance about increasing fees or taxes on citizens; and that it takes 4 council votes out-of-5 to put such a question of a tax/fee increase to the voters; or the attempted Coup by the city council to remove their City Manager only to find they hadn’t counted the necessary votes and publicly humiliating themselves as the motion failed miserably, sadly and laughingly; Shazam, Catherine, Lisa and Teresa; you saw Paul entering the Mayor’s Race through the prism of your own husbands skills; and/or as a matter of gender, not recognizing that if your 2 husbands returned papers to run Mayoral campaigns that would compete with Catherine, NOT Paul Gaspar for votes. And, make no mistake, Catherine signed off on this park prior to it blowing up in everyone's face.
Catherine 's next statements in her blog brought to mind a child's version of The Emperor's New Clothes' as Catherine communicated more truth about herself in her observation, than what she attempted to say about Paul in the next stanzas, "There are profound philosophical differences between Paul Gaspar and me. My focus on Encinitas' environmental future distinguishes us. My commitment to protecting the city from inappropriate development distinguishes us."
Wait for it, "And our differences in temperament distinguish us." And how, Catherine, and how.
What happened to the pot smoking kid? I'd give him my protest vote.
DeleteGood question. That was Alex Fidel.
DeleteWhat happened to the Olivenhain guy with a back problem? That was Brian Ziegler.
Both would make good protest votes.
Alex Fidel has changed his name, and moved out of city. He's definitely not running.
DeleteWhat a shame. I thought Alex Fidel was the only candidate in the last election who saw the corrupted big picture and was prepared to take on a Quixotic grassroots effort to battle it from the ground up. Sure, city council is small potatoes and perhaps not the proper forum for his quest, but it showed a courageous perspective and effort to beat back the decline, no matter how insignificant. He was nervously and backhandedly laughed off by the serious, mature people in the room, but those same arrogant critics walked out of movies like The Big Short snorting about how elitist monsters are destroying this country with total impunity yet forgetting how they shrugged off this idealistic kid as a joke.
DeleteWhat does Alice Jacobson have to gain from mega-development in Encinitas?
ReplyDeleteNeither Don Barth nor Steve Bartram has filed the papers to run for mayor. The deadline is Friday, August 12.
Does either of those old guys really want to spend the next two years buried in Encinitas politics? Their announced candidacies seem like a prank intended as a goof on Paul Gaspar.
Alice is a good old girl in the worst sense of the words. There's not a developer or developer shill she's not in with.
DeleteDid you just fall off the turnip truck, 4:17?
You made a snarky, juvenile remark, 5:39, but you didn't answer the question.
DeleteWhat does Jacobson have to gain from mega-development in Encinitas? She's not going to get rich with her crappy little paper. Does she own a lot of developable real estate?
She helps her friends get by telling their greedy side of the story and writes against their enemies. She got into the biz to oppose Prop A. She's now geared up to support the HEU. Not very good at connecting dots, are you, 6:00?
Delete6:57 must be the same junior high school student as 5:39.
DeleteSince you persist in missing the point and posting snarky remarks, I must conclude that your self-esteem is so low that you have to boost yourself in your own eyes by posting gratuitous put-downs. That's a shame. Maybe it's time to grow into maturity.
People need motivation. What does Jacobson gain? Money? Ego satisfaction? Power?
What does she get from backing the Gaspars and their friends?
Obviously, she was anti-Prop A, is pro-HEU and mega-development. The question is why.
Popularity with insiders and those in power is a huge personal reward and motivation.
DeleteYou good now, 7:39? I don't know what else you want people to say so you get it.
DeleteYour mommy still cut up your food for you, does she?
The SC article is factually incorrect. Muir abstained, apparently feeling he had some kind of personal conflict; he and Stocks used to campaign together.
DeleteSo the vote wasn't three to two; it actually counts as four to one, as an abstention counts with the majority, according to City policy.
CB made a couple of rather large errors, here, in my opinion. She can choose to run her decisions by anyone she wants to, as long as it's not a quorum on Council, but Kathleen Lees should not have been put before the no rail trail (on east side) group.
Also, CB is giving far too much voice to so-called "stakeholders," many of which are double and triple represented, with only one vote, before he resigned, allowed for the "no rail trail activist." CB shouldn't have removed the original suggested no guy from her list. She would have been wise to only suggest Stocks' removal, perhaps adding in another no rail trail person, to replace him. That could have been justified through Stocks' apparent conflict of interests, his previous commitment of representing K Gaspar's political action committee.
Yes, the Commissions should be involved in more policy decisions, but the rail trail committee should go before all of them with its recommendations, after those recommendations are made.
Catherine Blakespear is giving too many bites of the apple to a few people who, again, are often double and triple represented through various other groups, "stakeholders" who are elevated above and put before ordinary concerned residents.
CB's reason is that the stakeholders will get input from and give output to their various groups, but the vast majority of residents don't participate in these incestuous groups. We have busy lives.
For instance, William Morrison was president of Leucadia 101 Mainstreet Ass. Now he's president of Leucadia Town Council, and a candidate for council? Please don't vote for him.
Also, the committee should not include Carris Rhodes who is the paid director of Leucadia 101 Mainstreet Ass, subsidized by the City and the Farmers' Markets. L101MA and LTC have an agenda, to force public works development on us and to continue to get the City to subsidize parking and increasing property values, higher rents, at taxpayers expense, as well as at the expense of small business owners, who by and large don't favor the Streetscam, as planned.
We do favor dealing with the flooding, restoring the canopy, and finding a way to water the plants in the center medians. Also, a stop sign at Grandview, which is what the Board of Directors of L101MA originally petitioned for, would be nice.
It's unwise and wasteful to plan the initial roundabout for El Portal because of the future development planned there, an underpass for bicyclists and pedestrians. An overpass would be preferable, and shouldn't block any views; an over pass would be so much less expensive. But if there is to be a future RR crossing at El Portal, a signalized cross-walk would be mandatory. The roundabout at La Costa and 101 has been put off, indefinitely, because of private development planned there. It's ridiculous to plant one at El Portal. There are already no right hand turn signs, going north, during peak morning periods, due to cut through traffic. And there is no through cross-street, because of the tracks. Traffic studies don't show that traffic calming is necessary there, according to previous staff reports.
The parking that Tony Kranz has "negotiated" will not be free. The City will have to pay to lease the parking, and those parking would have to eventually pay for the paved parking improvements. Historically, NCTD has not enforced any no parking in the dirt on either side of the tracks, except near bus stops.
Just read some of the materials NORAILTRAIL got from the City of Encinitas under the public-information act.
ReplyDeleteNot only does Catherine's 'story' about her NEW 'working group' not make any sense, Lisa's story is basically, 'we are already going back on our word to 1500 voices in Cardiff by creating this new committee because a friend working for SanDag told me (Lisa) that there was too much danger to place the Rail Trail on 101, so we are creating this working group to 'correct' our decision and place it back on San Elijo, but then she (Lisa) has the added cheek to laugh at the public who were repeatedly misled about turning in applications to be on the committee and not only did she and Tony and Catherine work on it with Lisa's admitted friend, Judy, and Catherine's handmaiden Kathleen Lees in violation of state law, Catherine says that the Consultant didn't create a 'working group' that was familiar with the area, as an excuse to pack this lame and illegal excuse for lying to Cardiff residents with friends beholden to her personally, Catherine gets to be brought before the California Bar for bold-face lying, if she is really a member, Lisa gets to go back home to make home made vinegar full time in her Birkenstocks and Tony gets to pack up and head for the hills of Idaho.
You know who else comes out of this disaster NOT smelling like a rose? The City Manager who assured Mark and Kristin that she had this under control.
It's too much to ask these 3 for some plain old honesty. They want what they want and do not care what anyone else wants or thinks.
Every voter in Encinitas is gonna know about this mess when the Cali Bar complaint and FPPC complaints are mailed to every voter's home.
What is Catherine's real name anyway? It sure ain't Blakespear! If you know her real name, please tell us!
Fakespear?
ReplyDelete(((Patricia Sinay))) is a Cultural Marxist and was NOT elected but appointed by the Cultural Marxist-controlled Encinitas Union School District (hardcore libtards Tim Baird, former community organizer (((Marla Strich))), Skiljian and Andrade).
DeletePatricia Sinay is about as Mexican as (((George Soros))). This Jewess has lived off the spoils of the US since she was 4 years old yet calls herself 'a latina' not an American or a mom- what a typiccal feminist/racist. She's founded feminist/sexist group named 'Woman Give San Diego.' She is a community organizer for the racist Chicanos-only Federation Headstarts. She is also a member of racist 'Hispanas-only Organized for Political Equality.'
This white skinned Latina racist is part of the nation's liberals who along with the education establishment, pseudo-intellectuals, and the courts - have waged war on our traditions, customs and moral values. She must be stopped and she must start wearing make-up and looking like a woman instead of a man. Just google her name and try and find one flattering image. Good riddance.
9:07,
DeleteYou are an insignificant, frustrated person consumed by hate and racism. All that anger will literally kill you. I hope you can find peace and happiness before it's too late, but I doubt it.
8:21 AM
DeleteAt least 9:07 PM is keeping us up to date on current white supremacist thinking. These people are sad, very sad.
Thanks for the voters' guide, 9:07! From your assessment, I know I should vote for Sinay.
DeleteWC, it looks like a little house cleaning to take out the trash is called for again for 9:07pm, our resident posting hater. Surely there has to be another site where he can rant all he wants he to an approving audience. It is not here on EU.
ReplyDeleteThanks for being there for our community in so many ways.
This was just put out by the Reader, NoRailTrail.com
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2016/aug/15/ticker-encinitas-no-rail-trail-group-not-pleased/#