Gaspar trails Roberts in Supervisor poll

Here are the results of a push-poll run presumably on behalf of Kristin Gaspar. The poll finds, not surprisingly, that when told about Roberts' alleged poor treatment of female staffers, voters choose Gaspar.

But what's more interesting is that before the push-poll question, Dave Roberts has a 13-point lead over Gaspar.

DUI driver rescued from burning car on Manchester

Times of San Diego:

A Sheriff’s deputy pulled a woman from a burning vehicle filled with smoke in Encinitas early Sunday morning, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.

Deputy Steve Gusman from the North Coastal Station smelled smoke as he was driving northbound on the 3300 block of Manchester Avenue at about 1:20 a.m., said a deputy.

10/26/16 City Council meeting 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.

Peter Stern on Measure T

Coast News op-ed:

Councilmember Lisa Shaffer has written that if Measure T fails, the city will be sued again. While her opinion is pure speculation, two things are unarguably true: first, by putting Measure T on the ballot, Encinitas will have satisfied the Building Industry Association (BIA) settlement agreement and tried to enact an updated housing element.

Second, should Measure T fail, the Order to develop a housing element would still stand. The City would start over to (hopefully) create a housing element that voters can pass: one that guarantees low-income housing, keeps building heights 30 feet and doesn’t transfer powers to an unelected official (including 230 pages of developer-friendly “policy changes” the State does not require).

Shaffer’s conjecture that a court will take over Encinitas’ housing or planning department(s) is absurdly exaggerated. In the Pleasanton case, that City had capped the total number of houses that could be built — a violation of State law. Conversly, Encinitas has no housing cap. Threats that the State will “send in a judge” are groundless. California State Housing & Community Development (HCD) Deputy Director Campora has assured us that the State will never sue a city over not passing a housing element update.

Lawsuits might come from developers, but why does Encinitas get sued? Because we settle quickly, pay off developers, and even change our codes to suit them. It’s time we take back our city before we lose it to developers' interests.

Want to SEE what a 48' building looks like? Live demo Wednesday 5pm

From the Inbox: 

Measure T will raise height limits from the current 30' to 48' - but that increase can be hard to imagine. 

Come see a live demo of what 48' will actually look like:

Wednesday, October 26, 5 p.m.

City Hall parking lot - 505 S. Vulcan Ave.    

An example: 48' (red balloon) vs. 30' (green balloon) measured from the City Hall parking lot will obliterate the library's ocean view – and City Hall is on the upzone map!

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Big trouble in little Encinitas

Deputy shoots carjacking gang member after chase from Olivenhain to Leucadia.

Yes on T mailer comes from developer attorney Marco Gonzalez's office

The Yes on T mailer that recently hit Encinitas mailboxes comes from "League of Conservation Voters" with the address of 1140 South Coast Highway 101.  Coincidentally, that's the office of notorious developer attorney Marco Gonzalez.





The San Diego County "League of Conservation Voters" had only $947.67 on hand as of June, so we are likely to learn in subsequent filings that this mailer was funded by a large contribution from developers.

Resident Denise Martin debunks Marco's mailer at City Council here, beginning at about minute 12.

10/19/16 City Council meeting 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.

Tim Baird partied it up in Pittsburgh & Boston on school district credit card

Two years ago, EUSD Superintendent Tim Baird was criticized for partying with the school board at an expensive retreat.

But you can't keep a party animal down.

From the Inbox:

Attached is the April 2016 statement for the Encinitas Union School District credit card issued to superintendent Tim Baird for district business.

$8,372.06 was charged by Baird that month, the vast majority for his travel to Pittsburgh, PA for the "Innovation Cluster Meeting" on Feb. 21-23, and for Baird and board members Emily Andrade and Patricia Sinay to attend the National School Boards Association Conference in Boston on April 8-11.

Note the upscale hotels (Westin in Pittsburgh; Marriott in Boston) and the meals/drinks at various bars, brew pubs, and restaurants.

EUSD Board Policy 3350 prohibits using district funds to pay for alcohol. Apparently the $74.62 Baird charged on April 1 at "Pittsburgh Bar" and the $76.20 he charged at "Cisco Brew Pub" on April 11 were for soda pop.

Baird himself approved his own credit card bill for payment.

Measure T: luxury condos with inadequate parking

Former Supervisor Pam Slater-Price:

We attended [the Measure T forum Thursday night]. Even the proponent publicly admitted that high density in expensive beach communities produces ZERO "affordable housing", just more luxury condos with inadequate parking that causes residents to crowd the local streets with their parked cars. VOTE NO ON MEASURE T TO PRESERVE AND PROJECT ENCINITAS!

Residents rip council and staff deception and stonewalling on Measure T

Wednesday night's Council meeting saw four Oral Communications speakers, all of whom opposed Measure T and some of whom were scathing regarding the city's handling of the issue.

Watch here, beginning about minute 43.  The first and last speakers are particularly informative.

Leo Mullen neighbors object to late night lights

No Lights Please:

Dear Fellow Encinitas Ranch Homeowners,

As you may know, the Encinitas Express Soccer Club has been pressuring the City to install permanent field lighting at Leo Mullen Park to facilitate regular night usage.

Leo Mullen Park, the baseball and soccer field adjacent to the Cambria at Encinitas Ranch homes and Target was created and designated as a day-use only facility. The city planners knew that Cambria homes would require a delicate balance between the surrounding commercial properties and parks. They made the wise decision to NOT allow night hours or field lighting at Leo Mullen. Recently, without explanation, the City removed the “Day-Use” signage from Leo Mullen.

[...]

The Encinitas Ranch Specific Plan clearly states (section 3.3.1 C/7) that if a maintenance district is created, the owners have the right to decide on all lighting issues at Leo Mullen. A maintenance district WAS created seventeen years ago and you pay for it. You can see it on your annual tax summary as the Zone H Assessment. Therefore, lighting Leo Mullen is currently our decision, not the City’s.

The Encinitas City Council seems to support the lighting of the park and could vote to modify the ERSP and approve 30' towers on the soccer field in the coming weeks!

Click on over to read the whole thing.

Would Leo Mullen lighting be so important to the soccer league if the city hadn't made a backroom deal with the YMCA to give away one of the four Ecke Park fields?

10/12/16 City Council meeting 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.

Nice stethoscope, Doc!

Olivenhain candidate forum open thread

What are they saying?

Encinitas Guerrilla on the $3.73 million lifeguard tower and how business is done at City Hall

Encinitas Guerrilla:

Deputy Mayor Lisa Shaffer: “Two years ago, before the council approved a $3 million bond issue to construct a replacement for the Moonlight Beach lifeguard tower, I said that $3 million sounded like an awful lot and asked if maybe we could try to build it for $2 million, and if that proved impossible, to grow the amount little by little from there. Nevertheless, the council approved the $3 million bond issue.

“Now, Mr. Deane, you say the total cost for what we have taken to calling the Moonlight Beach Marine Safety Center will be $3.73 million. A short time ago, a city engineer — I assume that city engineer was you, Mr. Deane — estimated the construction cost would be $2.2 million. Giving you the benefit of the doubt, I’ll conclude that your $2.2 million figure was strictly the construction cost, that is, it didn’t include the add-ons that I always find baffling when I look over contracts the city lets. With the 10 percent contingency, the lowest strictly construction cost bid was $3.2 million, which makes it $1 million more than your estimate.

“I know it’s the city’s habit to pay far more that anybody in the private sector would pay for a construction project but even given that fact, a $1 million discrepancy seems quite large. Please explain if you would, Mr. Deane.”

Deputy Director Ed Deane: “Humma, humma, flub, flub.”

Click on over and read the whole thing.

Brust picks outsider for Assistant City Manager

Patch:

The city of Encinitas has selected Mark Delin as the city’s new assistant city manager. Delin has over 30 years of experience, serving the San Diego County area for more than 17 years in public sector senior management positions.