Shark reportedly bumps surfer at Moonlight

Union-Trib:

A young man reported being attacked by a shark Wednesday evening south of Moonlight Beach in Encinitas, though authorities believe the animal “aggressively bumped” him rather than bit him.

It happened around 5:45 p.m. in the water off C Street and Moonlight Lane, according to Encinitas lifeguard Capt. Larry Giles and sheriff’s Lt. Tim Matzkiw. It prompted authorities to post advisory signs a mile north and south of the area warning surfers and swimmers for the next 24 hours about the reported encounter.

The victim, described only as a young man who was surfing or bodyboarding, was taken by medics to Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas with a cut on his foot, Giles said.

The young man reported that a “large” shark circled him, and he possibly kicked the animal, Giles said.

UPDATE: Maybe it was just a stingray.

Yet another serious bike crash at Blakespear obstacles

Julie Thunder on Encinitas Votes:

WARNING - ANOTHER BIKE CRASH This is the 3rd crash in a week on S. Coast Hwy 101 between Cardiff & Solana Beach due to the new segmented curbing. To me and others who saw this, it looked like this poor guy hit the curb – not a car – similar to the other crashes. This dangerous project is costing Encinitas taxpayers over $800,000 and many cyclists warned the City about this when they voted it in. These “so-called” safety improvements were not necessary and very few of our residents wanted them - except Mayor Blakespear, our City Council Members, and our state Assembly representative. This segment of road is no longer safe for road cyclists. Sadly, now we can expect more accidents and injuries which will result in more lawsuits against Encinitas. Please ride and drive slowly and be on alert in that area! Julie Thunder, Candidate for Mayor of Encinitas.

Does somebody have to die?

Bioluminescent red tide is back

The ocean still looks muddy during the day, as if the silt from mid-April flooding is still floating around. That may be part of it, but there's also a bioluminescent red tide happening again. Check it out at night!

Moonlight Beach opens despite deadly Surfing Coronavirus

Yet another serious bicycle crash at Blakespear's Cardiff bike obstacles

From the Inbox:

Mayor Blakespear,

I understand another cyclist was injured on the new Cardiff bikeway this morning, this time northbound, and taken away by ambulance.

I’m sorry but this facility, though well-intentioned, is far more dangerous than even those of us who recognized the inherent dangers anticipated. It’s the wheel stops. And this has nothing to do with the project being incomplete. The wheel stops need to be removed immediately. Before someone is killed. Seriously.

That's the second serious injury this week.

UPDATE (in response to the first comment below): The original issue was that the new path is far too narrow and full of pedestrians for cyclists to use, so cyclists have to go out into the 45-mph car lane.

The new issue is that the asphalt barriers are far more dangerous than even the bike people imagined.

"Wheel stops" is probably not the term preferred by city traffic engineers, but it accurately describes both the appearance and the function.

I don't think a solid barrier would alleviate the problem. You'd still have bicyclists crashing into the solid barrier as they dodged pedestrians.

It's much like the pedestrian zone at Swami's, except there's a bike lane at Swami's so cyclists aren't forced to choose between the pedestrian zone and the car lane. Blakespear took away the bike lane in Cardiff.

Blakespear celebrates dangerous new bike obstacles

This seems a little tone-deaf, two days after a serious bike accident caused directly by the mayor's new bike obstacles :

Blakespear's new bike obstacles already cause serious accident

Last year, over the vehement and near-unanimous objections of cycling advocates, Mayor Blakespear rammed through a plan to put asphalt obstacles on Cardiff's 101 to create a separate "multi-use" area while taking away the bike lane. Blakespear's husband, a vocal advocate for the obstacles, was subsequently rejected while trying to get on the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition board of directors.

Maybe the bike people knew what they were talking about.

The obstacles were installed earlier this month, and have already caused a serious bicycle accident.

Wednesday:

About those beaches...

New: Study of 318 outbreaks in China found transmission occurred out-of-doors in only one, involving just 2 cases. Most occurred in home or public transport. Raises key chance for states to move services outdoors (religious, gym classes, restaurants, etc). https://t.co/Isg5DGxRWa pic.twitter.com/Z5n1b52h8V

— Scott Gottlieb, MD (@ScottGottliebMD) April 23, 2020

4/22/20 City Council meeting open thread

Please use the comments to record your observations.

Apparently we missed some action at last week's meeting when council watchers believe the council was caught trying to commit a Brown Act violation regarding the homeless parking lot.

Beaches, exercise trails may reopen soon

Coast News:

Later this week, Blakespear said the Coastal Rail Trail along Highway 101 will reopen to the public with additional signage enforcing social distancing and personal protective equipment, such as face masks.

“Closing the trail was a reset,” Blakespear told The Coast News. “There was too much crowding. We wanted people to reestablish their habits near their home, in their neighborhoods and to not drive to their daily walk.”

Blakespear continued, outlining a proposed three-phase process to open access to the ocean, beaches and parking lots — in that order — in the coming weeks.

“I want to open it as soon as possible.” Blakespear said. “It seems to me the risk of [contracting COVID] is the lowest in the ocean because people are, by nature, 6 feet apart. It’s completely reasonable for people to safely get back in the water.”

County officials are responsible for the health order which closed public access to beaches until April 30, not individual coastal cities.

Kim Prather, discoverer of the Surfing Coronavirus, could not be reached for comment.

 

Encinitans rally for freedom

KUSI:

Saturday, there was a “Freedom Protest” in Downtown San Diego, only to be followed up by another “Freedom Protest” in Encinitas.

KUSI’s Dave Scott was live in Encinitas where he spoke to the protest organizer and some participants.

News video at the link.

City storm drain floods homes on Nardo

NBC 7:

At a time when staying home is the safest place to be, several Encinitas families are stuck finding a new place to live.

On Friday afternoon, a storm drain on Nardo Road and Santa Fe Drive overflowed, sending hundreds of gallons of water pouring into people's homes.

That doesn't look like just hundreds of gallons. News video at the link.

A commenter at Encinitas Votes:

I’m so disheartened by the way the city has treated its own citizens. So many people in our neighborhood don’t have the financial ability to move out and restore their homes. Instead, people are having to live in wet, contaminated homes that will soon turn to mold. A storm drain pumping water with enough force and volume to create a river large enough to flood 20 homes in 20 minutes is not an act of God, that is an act of poor planning. Just up the street, 13 multi-million dollar homes went in on what used to be 5 acres of farmland. The land that used to absorb a significant amount of rainwater was paved over, creating more pressure on the drainage system. While the city receives all the benefits from the tax revenue of these homes, we are all paying the cost of poor planning and the lack of infrastructure updates to support these developments.

City closes Rail Trail, 101 pedestrian zone

North Coast Current:

The Coastal Rail Trail and South Coast Highway 101 in Encinitas are closed to pedestrians effective Thursday, April 16, in observance of COVID-19 coronavirus restrictions, the city announced Wednesday evening.

If they crowd exercisers into smaller and smaller remaining open spaces, maybe we'll have more sympathy for people in high-density places like New York City.

City Manager Brust resigns

Coast News:

As the city grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, residents and local officials find themselves confronted with a different challenge — finding a new city manager.

Earlier this morning, City Manager Karen Brust submitted her letter of resignation effective June 12, according to an internal city email received by The Coast News.

Convenient time to get out with that six-figure pension!

Two high school student deaths during lockdown

San Dieguito Union High School District e-mail:

Dear San Dieguito Union High School District Community,

Our school district is committed to providing a safe learning environment for all of our students. This includes student social, emotional and mental health. Unfortunately, this past weekend we experienced the loss of two of our students in separate incidents. One a senior at Torrey Pines High School and one a senior at San Dieguito Academy. We cannot share details of what occurred in these incidents out of respect for the families involved.

During this period of physical closure of our schools, we remain committed to the health and safety of our students. We want everyone to know that there are school and community resources available for anyone struggling with grief and other mental health challenges. As a community, we have a shared responsibility to care for one another. Our focus at this point is to help our school community through this difficult time.

Resort at north end of Leucadia

It's amazing what a creative architect and a compliant city council can do with a 2-story, 30-foot height limit!

Sunshine Gardens businesses destroyed by flash flood

Fox 5:

Moonlight Plaza on John Oliver show

Rmember local San Diego TV news anchor Graham Ledger? He's now got a show on right-wing news network One America News, which was featured on the progressive comedian John Oliver's TV show... and Encinitas made a cameo appearance around 15:40 of the video below.

From the Inbox:

Encinitas-raised NFL kicker Tom Dempsey dies of Coronavirus

NFL.com:

Sixty-three yards from history with two seconds remaining on the clock, Tom Dempsey took on one of the NFL's most enduring moments straight on.

Instantly recognizable as his right foot -- which he kicked with -- was without toes and enclosed in a modified shoe, Dempsey still employed the straight-toe style of kicking in the autumn of 1970.

With all his might, Dempsey took nary a pair of slight steps and booted a hopeful game-winner that fluttered to the ground 63 memorable yards later. On Nov. 8, 1970, Dempsey lifted a then-NFL record 63-yard field goal that sent the New Orleans Saints to a 19-17 triumph over the Detroit Lions and became an NFL moment that's endured for generations.

Saturday night, at the age of 73, Dempsey died after contracting the novel coronavirus, the Saints announced.

Encinitas Advocate 2016:

Encinitas’ hometown hero Tom Dempsey was inducted into the San Dieguito High School Academy Hall of Fame on Friday, Oct. 14 with a ceremony at the school’s bell tower.

Dempsey, who graduated San Dieguito in 1964, is a former NFL kicker who, in 1970, set the record for the longest field goal in the league with a 63-yarder as a New Orleans Saint. The mark stood for 43 years until it was finally broken, by one yard, in 2013.

Dempsey was in a nursing home that was hit hard by the virus.

Police ticket people congregating at sunset

We heard through the grapevine this was a bunch of young people above Swami’s.

Patch:

Citations were issued to 22 people found near the beach in Encinitas for violating the state's stay at home order, authorities announced Saturday morning.

The tickets were issued Friday to people who "were watching the sunset, having picnics near the beach," according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.

[...]

The violations carry fines of up to $1,000 or six months in jail or both, the department said.

SDSU survey on homeless issues

From the comments:

I hope you and your loved ones are staying safe and healthy. I am a graduate student at San Diego State University conducting research about homelessness and the Encinitas Safe Parking Program. I understand that this is a politically charged topic but I hope you’ll consider sharing your views with me.

The study has two parts, and you can feel free to participate only one or both part. Part one is a brief electronic survey. You may access the survey here: https://sdsu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bBYiWA3zd5ZoHt3. At the end of the survey, you will have the option to share your contact information if you are open to participating in part two, a phone interview that will last 45 to 60 minutes. The interview would be scheduled at a time that is convenient for you (e.g., during an evening or on the weekend), and you would receive an incentive worth $30 to participate.

4/1/20 City Council meeting open thread

Public not welcome due to Coronavirus, but can watch here.

On the agenda: eviction moratorium.

COVID-19 open thread

How are you doing? What are you seeing out there?

Stay safe!