Armed robbery, Shooting in Cardiff

Sheriff's office:

On December 19, 2021, at about 3:09 a.m., Deputies responded to the 2400 block of Newport Ave, in the city of Encinitas, to a report of a gunshot victim.

When deputies arrived, a 34-year-old White male was located with an apparent gunshot wound to his upper body. The victim stated an unknown male in a dark colored BMW or Nissan attempted to rob him of his wallet. During the robbery the victim was shot. The victim fled the scene and requested help from residents of Newport Ave. Deputies were able to follow evidence to Glen Park and located the victim's wallet on the street.

The victim was transport to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Sunshine Gardens closing

North Coast Current:

Nestled between Quail Gardens Drive and Encinitas Boulevard, Sunshine Gardens has served as more than just a nursery for the past 50 years. For the community, it has been a nurturing space where memories are made.

Though the business will be closing its 155 Quail Gardens Drive location on Dec. 31 to make way for a long-awaited housing project through the city of Encinitas, Karen England, cousin of owner Ron Martin, says that they’re open to finding a new spot to start the business’s next chapter.

Lots of history at the link.

Blakespear gets favorable redistricting

SD Rostra:

Moving to the coast, we have the new 38th Senate District. This mostly represents what we would consider outgoing Sen. Pat Bates’ district (currently the 36th). This new seat essentially moves southward along the coast, now ending just south of Mission Bay and encompassing the coast all the way up to San Clemente, before moving inland up to Mission Viejo. The current 36th district has a slight Rep registration edge (0.44%), while the new district favors the Democrats by a 4.92% registration. Encinitas Mayor Catherine Blakespear is the notable San Diego candidate in the race. Orange County Supervisor Lisa Bartlett, who was considered a candidate for this district, is now in the new 36th District in Orange County, leaving Orange County businessman Matt Gunderson as the most notable Republican running for the seat.

California Catch-and-Release comes to Encinitas

Coast News, December 3:

Patrick Ferncase, 28, was arrested at 2:10 a.m. on Nov. 26 at Quail Gardens Drive, Encinitas, and booked at San Diego Central Jail on suspicion of a felony violation of parole.

Times of San Diego, December 22:

A man who allegedly assaulted and seriously injured a 68-year-old man Wednesday in the parking lot of a Carlsbad shopping center was behind bars on suspicion of attempted murder and elder abuse, according to police.

The alleged attack was reported at 10:22 a.m. at a shopping center at 1700 Aviara Parkway.

The victim, who was found unconscious and suffering from head injuries, was hospitalized in critical condition, according to a police department statement, which said witnesses at the scene helped police find the suspect.

Patrick Ferncase of Vista, 28, was arrested in connection with the alleged assault.

Police said there is no known relationship between Ferncase and the victim and no other suspects were being sought.

Cha-CHINGGGGG!!!

Bubbleinfo:

Economists talk about the "Great Resignation" phenomenon: people leaving the work force en masse recently. Are we all making so much on our houses that we don't have to work anymore?

Deputies cleared in shooting of armed transient

 Encinitas Advocate:

Video from the fourth incident, which hadn’t been made public previously, was released by prosecutors Friday. The incident is the fatal shooting of a man who deputies said pointed a loaded gun at them in Encinitas.

The newly released footage is brief — one minute, 18 seconds — and includes footage from one of the two deputies who shot the man as he ran from them. The first several seconds do not include audio.

The video is available at the link.

12/15/21 City Council meeting open thread

 Please use the comments to record your observations.

Decrepit Pacific View will require millions of dollars to fix

 Union-Tribune:

The aging, former elementary school that city officials have talked for years about transforming into an arts, culture and ecology center is going to require a multimillion-dollar renovation before it can be put to use, a city-hired consultant has found.

And, there’s no money immediately available to fund even the cheapest of the four renovation options suggested by the consultant, the city manager told the Encinitas City Council during a special meeting last week.

“Right now, we don’t have a path for funding for this project,” City Manager Pamela Antil stressed.

The City Council, led by Tony Kranz and Lisa Shaffer, borrowed $10 million to buy the abandoned facility in 2014 with the hope that a volunteer group of aging hippies would fix it up for free. The fiasco won Encinitas a Golden Fleece nomination, and the property remains an eyesore more than seven years later.

12/8/21 City Council meeting open thread

 Please use the comments to record your observations.

Blakespear backs away from unpopular mileage tax proposal

KUSI:

After enormous push back from San Diego County residents, several members of the San Diego Association of Governments’ (SANDAG) board of directors said Friday they would ask SANDAG staff to provide alternatives to fund the county’s regional transportation plan which do not rely on charging county residents for every mile they drive.

The four-cents-per-mile road usage tax proposal — and two half-cent regional sales taxes proposed for 2022 and 2028 — was envisioned as a way to help fund SANDAG’s long-term regional plan, an ambitious 30-year, $160 billion proposal which could include no-cost public transit and a 200-mile, $43 billion regional rail network.

Some of the most powerful members of the SANDAG board — which weighs votes by a city’s population — said they were uncomfortable with the details of such a tax.

“At this time, the local road usage charge as a replacement for the gas tax remains highly speculative, with very few details available about how it would work or be applied in a fair way,” said Encinitas Mayor Catherine Blakespear, chair of SANDAG’s Board of Directors. “I am concerned that the road usage charge could saddle residents with large and unsustainable cost increases for their basic transportation needs before substantial improvements in public transit have made transit a viable choice for most trips.”

The transportation plan is going before the board for final approval on Dec. 10, but the late split from some of the board’s leadership leaves it unclear how the regional transportation agency will respond. According to state law, the transportation plan needs to be adopted by year’s end and must demonstrate plans to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

December 10 is fast approaching. What tax increases will stay in the plan? The last SANDAG tax increase was rejected by voters.

Some SANDAG background:

Blakespear's husband calls mileage tax plan "paranoid conspiracy bullshit"

SANDAG's fake population growth numbers

SANDAG lied to voters about tax proposition

SANDAG raiding road funds for mass transit

La Costa Canyon High School closes for threat found in girls' bathroom

Fox 5:

Students and staff at La Costa Canyon High School in Carlsbad will have an asynchronous learning day Friday after a “serious threat” was reported in a girls’ bathroom at the school, according to the district’s superintendent.

The threat was found before 1:30 p.m. Thursday in a restroom at the school at 1 Maverick Way, San Dieguito Union High School District Superintendent Cheryl James-Ward said. School officials will use the day Friday to investigate the threat and to put measures in place to help students feel safe, the superintendent said.