Police chase down Leucadia Boulevard

From the Inbox:

I got a good luck at the guy, he looked like a total crack head. He was singing and laughing. High as a kite.

Witnesses describe a high-speed chase westbound on Leucadia Boulevard shortly after 3pm today with a white Mustang with a blown right front tire driving on the rim followed by about 8 sheriff and Carlsbad PD cars. The photo shows the suspect pinned on the southbound on-ramp to I-5.

Sheriff hides accident report in $11 million payout to Roberta Walker

An $11 million payout of public funds to a friend of the mayor isn't a matter of public interest?

Coast News reporter Jordan Ingram on Facebook:

A rejection letter from Sheriff in response to my request of the Roberta Walker incident report.

Well, it's nice to finally have an investigative reporter in town again.

Coast News on Tashamandering scandal

 Coast News:

Some critics, including former office-holders, maintain the city’s transition from citywide to district elections was less than transparent and tainted with secret maps and gerrymandering, leading to the ouster of a conservative councilman and helping to solidify Mayor Catherine Blakespear’s leftward influence over the council.

And a recent utterance from an Encinitas representative only reignited long-smoldering embers of voter discontent over the city’s electoral changeover, leading to fresh allegations of official misconduct.

“We know why that part of the city is in District 3, it’s because Mark (Muir) lived, you know, over there, and we wanted to make sure that every council member wasn’t competing against one another,” Councilman Tony Kranz said during a Feb. 24 meeting.

3/24/21 City Council meeting open thread

 Please use the comments to record your observations.

If you give a mouse a cookie

Blakespear's Cardiff bike obstacles don't only cause bike crashes. They also cause sand to pile up in the supposed bike zone.

So now we need a Sand Zamboni!

Facebook:

From the "You Can't Make This Up File"... Now the City has bought a mini bike-lane sweeper (pic is from the City's maintenance yard). This Dulevo 850 is an Italian-made machine - I couldn't find the cost to purchase and ship to the U.S., but the online listed price is $114,000. Next up, a specialized driver to operate this toy. If we simply built our bike lanes the safer way - without curbs and bollards, - there would be no need for specialized equipment.

3/17/21 City Council meeting open thread

 Please use the comments to record your observations.

Blakespear announces state Senate run

Union-Tribune:

Encinitas Mayor Catherine Blakespear announced Tuesday she plans to run for California’s 36th Senate District in 2022.

[...]

“We know that California right now is really in need of an equitable economic recovery from the pandemic,” she said. “We need bold leadership in tackling the ever growing threat of climate change. That requires action from all levels of government at all times. It’s really important that California continue to be a leader.”

Blakespear aims to offer Californians more choices for zero-emission vehicles and accessible transit and to create jobs in renewable energy. She supports making COVID-19 recovery funds available to small businesses, particularly those owned by women and people of color, and providing resources to help students make up for learning loss experienced during the pandemic.

Roundabouts for Olivenhain?

Encinitas Advocate:

The idea of installing two roundabouts along Rancho Santa Fe Road to keep heavily congested traffic moving, but not going too fast, seems like the right way to proceed, Encinitas city traffic commissioners said last week.

“I think this proposed solution is good,” Commission Chairman Brian Grover said, adding that he’s never understood why the one-mile, Olivenhain portion of the roadway has so many stop signs and roundabouts would be a nice improvement.

City Traffic Engineer Abe Bandegan presented the roundabout idea to the commissioners, asking them for their views and telling them he’s producing a report on the proposal for the City Council’s initial consideration. He stressed that the proposal is still in the early stages, with no funding yet identified and no engineering drawings done.

City pays $11 million to bicyclist hit in hazardous "sharrow" lane

Coast News:

The City of Encinitas has agreed to pay $11 million to settle a claim with Roberta Walker, the former executive director of Cardiff 101 Main Street who filed a lawsuit against the city after she was struck by a pickup truck while cycling in Leucadia, according to the plaintiffs’ attorney Ed Susolik.

Just before sunrise on December 8, 2018, Walker, a longtime cycling advocate, was riding her bicycle in a “sharrow” lane on North Coast Highway 101 when she was hit from behind by a truck headed southbound near Phoebe Street intersection in front of the Leucadia Post Office.

Susolik, attorney at Santa Ana-based law firm Callahan & Blaine, claimed the sharrow, or shared bicycle lane, constituted a dangerous condition of public property, causing the accident, according to a written statement provided to The Coast News.

Despite wearing her helmet, Walker was critically injured and briefly unconscious when the impact of the collision threw her a significant distance, as first reported by The Coast News.

Gotta think there will be more lawsuits over the fatality at the Blakespear Bollards on Leucadia Boulevard and the dozens of crashes in the Blakespear Cycle Trap.

Reported armed robbery at Hansen's

Facebook:

ARMED ROBBERY AT HANSENS
One detained at Hansens. A runner was just detained in a garage. A 3rd one is on the lose [sic].

The ghetto bird has been circling downtown for quite a while.

City creates Homeless Action Plan, adds permanent staff

 Coast News:

The council unanimously voted in favor of the plan, which would provide housing and healthcare assistance to vulnerable residents, and agreed to bring on a housing manager to help coordinate and manage homeless services in Encinitas.

A Point-in-Time Count conducted in January 2020 reported a total of 80 homeless people living within city boundaries, 58% of whom live without shelter on the streets, beaches, parks canyons and in vehicles. These numbers include the neighboring areas of Solana Beach and Del Mar.

Roughly half of the homeless population are transition-aged youths between 18 and 24.