VOSD: Still shilling for the developers

We've noted before the bias and bad reporting on Encinitas housing issues from Voice of San Diego. It's still happening.

Waves to Ride Blog:

Some local observers say Voice of San Diego (VOSD) has a pro-development stance because its principal funders require it. Recognizing the reporters and editors as objective journalists would be preferable, but the publication’s persistent bias in covering Encinitas housing issues makes that difficult.

VOSD has portrayed density bonus, Proposition A and HEUs in Encinitas simplistically and largely ignorantly. They’re not black-and-white, heroes-and-villains issues. VOSD has characterized City Councils and voters as trying to oppress low-income people and prevent them from living in Encinitas. No VOSD reporter has researched the topic well enough to understand it.

To get it right, VOSD would have to admit its gross errors regarding housing in Encinitas, start over and thoroughly research the issues. The publication’s integrity and credibility are at stake.

Police and fire action on the tracks at Santa Fe

UPDATE: Man Killed By Amtrak Pacific Surfliner Train in Encinitas

It happened at about 5:30 a.m. on the tracks near the intersection of San Elijo Avenue and Cornish Drive in Encinitas, according to Deputy Christopher Campbell of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.

The train had been heading north at about 60-65 mph when the train engineer noticed a man running toward the tracks from the east, Campbell said. The engineer sounded the train’s horn, but the man continued running toward the tracks and dove in front of the oncoming train.

Carlsbad moving toward trenching train tracks

From the Inbox:

Carlsbad digs deeper into trenching idea

What are Deep Community Roots Kranz and Preserve Paradise Blakespear doing about putting the tracks below grade in Encinitas?

Priorities. They’re spending Encinitas’ money on pensions and the Beacons Skyway.

Pension champion Mark Muir talks post-council plans

Del Mar Times:

After 42 years in public service, Mark Muir is looking forward to finally retiring — but that doesn't mean he's going anywhere.

Muir, who spent seven years on the Encinitas City Council and 35 years with the city’s fire department, lost in his bid for a third term in November to opponent Jody Hubbard. In the first election for the newly-created District 3, which covers Cardiff, Muir earned 46.37 percent of votes, while Hubbard, a planning commissioner, garnered 53.63 percent.

Muir is Encinitas' all-time pension champion, pulling in $185,000 a year in his early retirement. But he's likely to be surpassed by City Manager Karen Brust and others as city worker pay rises at a far greater rate than inflation.

Olivenhain drug mansion demolished

CBS 8:

A million-dollar home in Encinitas is being torn down years after catching fire.

Neighbors have called the house an eye sore, especially because of the troubling history behind it.

The home, which was once the center of an investigation into drug-related activities, burned down three years ago.

The fire occurred on July 30, 2015. Firefighters knocked down the flames and then, while going through the residence, they made a tragic discovery - finding the body of a 23-year-old woman inside.

Backstory here:

SWAT raid in Olivenhain
Olivenhain drug house severely damaged in fire
Own your own Olivenhain drug mansion!

St. John's priest terminated for "aggressive advances"

Del Mar Times:

At least three women say the former associate pastor of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Encinitas tried to seduce them.

The allegations rocked the congregation Sunday, Dec. 16, when parishioners opened the church bulletin to find an apology from Bishop Robert McElroy “to all who were subjected to this terrible mistreatment…

“There is no room in the Church or the priesthood for this reprehensible type of misconduct,” McElroy wrote.

Body found near Moonlight Beach

Union-Tribune:

The body of a man was found early Monday in a brushy area near the beach in Encinitas.

San Diego County Sheriff’s Department officials received a call from someone who found the body around 9:30 a.m. near B Street and Second Street, sheriff’s Lt. Dave Perkins said. The location is about a tenth of a mile from Moonlight State Beach.

That sounds like the Cottonwood Creek area where a body was found in 2011.

Red-light camera vigilante attacks sheriff

10 News:

A San Diego County Sheriff's Deputy was injured on Saturday when trying to stop a man from hitting a red light camera with a bat.

Reports came in around 2:36 p.m. of a man on a ladder reportedly hitting red light cameras with a baseball bat at the intersection of North El Camino Real and Encinitas Boulevard in Encinitas. The man was identified as 53-year-old Frederick Gramcko. At the same time, a Sheriff's deputy was driving by and saw Gramcko allegedly hitting the camera.

Judge suspends Prop A; council chooses to impose Measure U

Voice of San Diego:

A San Diego County Superior Court judge on Wednesday temporarily suspended an Encinitas law that gave voters final say over land-use decisions and prevented the city from putting a state-mandated plan in place for affordable housing.

[...]

Attorneys for Encinitas had asked the court to order Measure U, the housing plan that failed at the ballot box in November, into law, but Frazier declined. He also declined to provide any specific guidance on the scope of the city’s plan and where the new units should go.

And from the comments on last night's council meeting:

Lawyer wants to submit Measure U with some adjustments to HCD. Council votes to do that.

12/12/18 City Council meeting open thread

Please use the comments to record your observations.

UPDATE: Everyone wants Streetscape ASAP. Blakespear wants a bike lane to replace the “sharrows”  in the interim while Streetscape takes months or years. Kranz and Streetscape advocates don’t want bike lanes because they will remove the urgency of Streetscape.

City planners coordinated with Surfrider to push Beacon's skyway

From the Inbox:

These were brought up several times again at this past Thursday's Planning Commission meeting. One speaker printed out a set for each Commissioner so they would have hard copies.

After being asked specifically at the first meeting whether there was any prearrangement with Surfrider, Brenda Wisneski stated adamantly there was not. Later in the meeting she was caught out when the attached was shown.

The city in general and Brenda especially have an ongoing difficulty with what it means to be transparent. It's a word they use frequently, but rarely apply.

E-mail exchange between city staff and Surfrider here.

Beacon's skyway rejected again

Del Mar Times:

In their 3-2 vote, with Chairman Glenn O’Grady and Commissioner Jody Hubbard opposed, the commissioners took the unusual step of denying the latest proposal for a design review permit on the grounds that the project shouldn’t have been before them at all that night.

It’s only been a few months since commissioners rejected the previous proposal and city planning regulations state that unless a project’s backers are submitting a vastly different redesign, they must wait a full year before submitting a new plan, Commissioner Bruce Ehlers said as he put forward the denial idea.

His proposal was immediately backed by Commissioner Al Apuzzo, who hadn’t attended the July meeting when the previous proposal was rejected but said he had reviewed both that plan and this new one.

CalTrans bridge collapses at San Elijo Lagoon?

That’s not good.

UPDATE: Part of the design?

Cyclist critically injured on 101 in Leucada

Coast News:

The executive director of the Cardiff 101 Main Street Association, a staunch pedestrian and cycling advocate, was critically injured Saturday morning when she was struck by a truck while riding her bicycle in Leucadia.

Roberta Walker was struck shortly after 6 a.m. on North Coast Highway 101 in front of the Leucadia Post Office. The impact of the collision threw her a significant distance and she was briefly unconscious.

Walker was transported to Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, where she is listed in critical but stable condition after suffering serious injuries to her brain and spine, as well as several broken bones, according to Kellie Shay Hinze, Walker’s friend and executive director of Cardiff 101’s sister organization, Leucadia 101 Main Street.

UPDATE: Roberta recovery updates here.

Dueling commentaries on Measure U

In this weekend's Coast News (not yet online):

Former Mayor Sheila Cameron:

Encinitas residents have no problem with conforming to state law guidelines. It is what the City Council itself has voted to include that made Measure U untenable. As one citizen stated to the Council, "We trust the state more than we trust you." That was a clear signal to the council that they were proceeding in the wrong direction. Here are the main issues voters had with Measure U:

1. Height: Our City Council requires 33- to 42-foot-tall buildings. The Housing & Community Development Department (HCD), the state agency, has no height recommendation. Proposition A -- the Right to Vote Initiative that allows us to vote on density and height of projects, requires 30 feet. Presentations were given at City Council meetings, to the mayor and council members showing buildings that were build locally, demonstrating that three stories can be built within the 30-foot height limit with the required 30 units per acre. Otis builds elevators at 28.5 feet that fit into a 30-foot structure. Despite repeated speeches and demonstrations by the public, the mayor and council proceeded with this huge height increase that only catered to developers wishes.

Current Mayor Catherine Blakespear:

Now that I've been re-elected with nearly 84 percent of the vote, I'm happy to continue letting you know in this column what we are working on at city hall. I'm honored by your overwhelming support!

[...]

My feeling remans that, in our two attempts, the city worked in good faith with tremendous dedication of time and resources to develop a housing plan that both met the state requirements and addressed community concerns about design standards and site selections.

Pick up a hard copy of the Coast News to read the whole thing.

Leucadia burglar caught on camera

CBS 8:

Terrifying moments for a Leucadia woman when a man broke into her home while she was inside.

The woman was able to chase him off, and now police are looking for the suspect who was caught caught clearly on camera by the victim's doorbell camera.

Rocket launch in skies tonight

If you missed October's spectacular launch, you'll get another chance tonight.

Patch:

The launch Friday night is scheduled for 8:19 p.m. It's the product of a a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Boeing called United Launch Alliance. The launch, a Delta IV Heavy rocket, will be carrying a secretive satellite for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office.

UPDATE: Delayed until 8:06 PM Saturday.

Encinitas waits on sidelines while Costa Mesa fights for sober-living regulations

Coast News:

Encinitas considered enacting a sober-living home ordinance in 2015, which would have included regulations like obtaining a city permit, having a manager on-site at all times, and maintaining a 650-foot buffer from any other sober-living or treatment facility.

But those policies were not adopted due to concerns regarding the litigation brought against Costa Mesa for implementing similar measures.

Last year the city of Costa Mesa settled a lawsuit filed by Solid Landings that resulted in the immediate closure of 15 sober-living homes and the agreement that 18 more would shutter over a three-year period. Sabine explained to the council, “That’s led a number of people to believe that somehow that’s precedential from a legal standpoint, but it’s not.”

Encinitas' dumbest criminals: robbing a transient

Coast News:

A robbery suspect is still at large after San Diego County Sheriff’s deputies apprehended one of two perpetrators Monday night accused of robbing a transient woman near the transit center in downtown Encinitas.

Isaiah Eichelberger, 20, was arrested for strong-arm robbery and booked on Dec. 3 at the Vista Detention Facility.

At around 9 p.m., the victim told authorities that Eichelberger and another male wearing a black mask forced her to the ground and took her backpack before fleeing on foot in an unknown direction.