Council addresses homeless shopping cart theft

 Encinitas Advocate:

First, it establishes that it’s unlawful under city municipal code to remove a shopping cart from a store’s premises or be in possession of a cart in an off-site area. Second, it makes it unlawful for stores to allow shopping carts to be abandoned, details how stores must identify the carts that they own, and states how quickly stores must collect abandoned carts. And, finally, the proposed ordinance spells out city code enforcement employees’ role in dealing with carts that have been dumped in hard-to-reach spots, such as stream beds, Steenblock said.

Steenblock said Encinitas spends about $3,000 to $6,000 a year in labor costs to remove abandoned grocery carts from places where they shouldn’t be. The city keeps them for 30 days in hopes that their owners will claim them, but typically that doesn’t happen, and the city ends up having to dispose of them, he said.

Restaurant seating in parking spaces gets 2 1/2 year extension

Encinitas Advocate:

Coast Highway 101 restaurants and other Encinitas eateries that were allowed to build temporary outdoor dining areas on public roadways and private parking lots during the COVID-19 pandemic can keep them for at least another two years, and probably permanently, the Encinitas City Council decided Wednesday, Dec. 20.

The council voted 4-1, with Councilmember Bruce Ehlers opposed, to continue allowing the outdoor eating areas on a temporary basis until July 1, 2026, and directed city employees to craft an ordinance that would make these temporary areas permanent. Also, city employees were asked to put together a fee system, so the city can soon start charging rent for the ones that have been built on parking spots in the public road right-of-way.

12/20/23 City Council meeting open thread

 Please use the comments to record your observations.

Fatal crash on Cantebria

Encinitas Advocate:

A woman died after her minivan crashed into a retaining wall in Encinitas Tuesday night, Dec. 19, sheriff’s officials said.

The collision was reported just after 11:30 p.m. on Via Cantebria near Via Montoro.

Investigators determined the vehicle was headed north on Via Cantebria when, for some reason, it left the road, struck a pole or a streetlight, and then crashed into the wall, officials said. Deputies and paramedics tried to help the woman, but she died before she could be taken to a hospital.

12/13/23 City Council meeting open thread

Please use the comments to record your observations.

Swami’s benches return with anti-homeless armrests

NBC 7:

The benches were gone for more than two weeks while they were being refurbished, according to the city. Upon their return, the benches now feature an armrest in the middle.

“Armrests on City benches are the preferred standards due to providing distancing functions or boundaries for personal space, separation between seats for more people to utilize it at once, and deterrents to skateboarding," the city said in a statement.

11/22/23 City Council meeting open thread

Please use the comments to record your observations.

11/15/23 City Council meeting open thread

Please use the comments to record your observations.

11/8/23 City Council meeting open thread

Please use the comments to record your observations.

Teen killed on motorcycle on Encinitas Boulevard

Coast News:

A 17-year-old male was killed Sunday after his motorcycle crashed into a telephone pole along Encinitas Boulevard, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department confirmed Monday.

The collision occurred at around 8:20 a.m. on Sunday, when the unidentified juvenile veered off the road while traveling eastbound in the 500 block of Encinitas Boulevard and hit a telephone pole, according to Sgt. Jeremy Collis.

City manager caught sending mean girl texts

Coast News:

City Manager Pamela Antil is under fire for engaging in an “inappropriate text exchange” about another city manager in her capacity as a board member of a professional association of local government managers.

The text messages were revealed as part of a defamation lawsuit by a Michigan city official against members of the International City/County Management Association executive board, including Antil, related to a censure vote.

“He just looks like a d—-ebag,” wrote William Fraser in a text message to Antil.

“He is,” Antil wrote in response.

“I already want to punch him in the face,” Fraser wrote.

The censure vote itself is childish, too. They censured the Michigan official under an "ethics" pretense for publicly opposing vaccine mandates.
She must be fun to work for...

Leucadians never forget

City insider and Fox Point Farms developer Brian Grover is reportedly active on local Facebook sites recently, prompting one long-time Leucadian to bring back this public comment from the Streetscape meetings.

From the Inbox:

10/25/23 City Council meeting open thread

Please use the comments to record your observations.

Captain Keno’s redevelopment

Union-Tribune:

Captain Keno’s Restaurant, an aging local landmark on North Coast Highway 101 in Encinitas, can be transformed into a “mixed use” development of condominiums and commercial spaces, the Planning Commission decided Thursday.

The commission voted 4-0, with Commissioner Steve Dalton absent, to approve design review and coastal development permits, as well as a project map. A City Council hearing is not required.

This is one of those “bittersweet” moments in Leucadia history, Commission Chairman Kevin Doyle said as he recalled how he felt when he first heard about the development plans several years ago.

Woke city council out of touch with residents' concerns

Coast News letter:

With the city’s recently adopted focus on a “Diversity Equity Inclusion” legislative agenda, initiated by the former mayor and recommended by the Encinitas Equity Committee, also established by the last mayor, the city is walking down a precarious path out of synch with running a city of 63,000 residents. Legislative priorities relating to the appointment of individuals of certain races and genders to the new Public Health and Safety Commission is a case in point and would make Martin Luther King Jr. shiver.

Conducting an “Equity in Housing Survey” that prematurely prescribes solutions before the survey results are final is another questionable DEI priority and city expense. Surrendering to “state housing law” and faulty RHNA numbers? Sending letters of support in favor of transgender mutilation surgeries for minors or letters supporting full-term abortion? All of this is worrisome. Voters must ask if any of these are the priorities and values of Encinitas residents, and why we are involving our city in divisive, partisan, national political agendas.

Why is the city not focusing instead on legislative support letters favoring prioritizing “local control”? Why is the city not sending letters in support of prioritizing public safety legislation, policing and law and order, youth and economic development? What about letters supporting infrastructure investment and improvements, better roadway mobility and safer routes to school, beach sand replenishment and coastal environmental protections, or legislation allowing us to get the homeless off our streets? This is the real work of cities, councils and staff.

10/18/23 City Council meeting open thread

Please use the comments to record your observations.

Moonlight Beach non-conforming

This house just sold.

Background here.

Surfing Madonna artist Mark Patterson has reportedly died

At Encinitas Votes.

Mark Patterson was a great Leucadian and a great Encinitan. His Surfing Madonna will live on forever.

The wonderful story of the Surfing Madonna can be found in the archives here.

Nobody wants apartments with no parking

One of the fantasies pushed by California politicians is that if you put high-density development near public transit and amenities, people won't need cars.

The reality? Not so much.

Union-Trib:

North Park's newest apartment complex, Casa Verde, did everything a modern developer is encouraged to do.

Close to the 30th Street Bikeway and walking distance from just about everything, it has microunits designed to maximize space and almost no parking in the 94-unit structure -- encouraging San Diegans to give up their cars.

Yet developer George Champion said as soon as they started leasing in August, renters shied away from the project upon hearing about the parking situation. A few weeks ago, he changed course and bought more than 80 spots at the nearby North Park Parking Garage to renters will have free parking.

Elimination of adequate parking requirements is one of the hallmarks of Encinitas's recent high-density development approvals.

9/20/23 City Council meeting open thread

Please use the comments to record your observations.

City reducing Vulcan parking even as it adds big new apartment complexes

CBS 8:

Several people in Encinitas are frustrated that parking will go from parking your car head-in to parallel parking which they say will create 300 less parking spots next to the beach and restaurants. Construction zone signs are posted for a mile from Leucadia Blvd along North Vulcan Avenue to La Costa.

Encinitas residents Sara Mertz and her husband Mike Brawner said they are disappointed they weren't able to provide public input before city officials started to reconfigure parking spaces.

"I would say don’t eliminate 300 parking spaces along Vulcan Avenue. It's ridiculous," Mertz said. "There is no parking spaces at all in southern California! People want to go to the beach! It’s going to hurt restaurants owners and people who live on this street."

Border Patrol sending immigrants to North County

Coast News:

As U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents continue to drop off hundreds of migrants at transit centers throughout San Diego County today, local politicians are speaking out against the policy.

The cited cause of the drop-offs is an attempt to clear a space between two U.S.-Mexico border fences where more than 700 migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees had been camping, a CBP statement read.

9/13/23 City Council meeting open thread

Please use the comments to record your observations.

Neptune spec house in Wall Street Journal

Wall Street Journal:

A rare waterfront spec home in Encinitas, Calif., is coming on the market for $28.75 million, far more than the priciest sale to date in this affluent city north of San Diego, according to Ernie Carswell of Douglas Elliman, who has the listing with colleague James Likens.

The current record was set last month, when Crescent House sold for $16.25 million, Carswell said. In Del Mar, a city about 5 miles south, homes have sold for over $40 million.

Spec homes on the coast in the area are rare, said Carswell, due to restrictions and an often-lengthy approval process. Building the four-bedroom, roughly 7,100-square-foot blufftop home has been a decadeslong saga for developer Peter Keserovich, who said he purchased the lot for roughly $600,000 around 1997. It took him until about 2008 to get approval from the city, he said, and the recession at the time delayed financing for the project, so he waited until 2014 to begin construction. He spent about $20 million building the house, which was completed last year, said Keserovich.

It looks like they're talking about 1230 Neptune.

Blakespear apologizes for censoring and blocking critics on social media

 Coast News:

State Sen. Catherine Blakespear issued a public apology today for previously “blocking and censoring” critics on social media, a concession signaling the end of a 15-month legal dispute between the first-term California lawmaker and several of her constituents.

Are AirBnBs and vacation homes causing the “housing crisis”?

This sure doesn’t look like a problem of too few housing units for the population:

After, all we had a massive glut of houses just 15 years ago — the government was handing out huge tax credits to buyers just to try to soak up the inventory! Since then, we’ve kept building even with very slow population growth — and no growth in California.

Being one of the most desirable vacation places in the country, Encinitas surely has more than its fair share of AirBnBs and second homes for the wealthy.

Is mandated high density development just bringing us more AirBnBs and vacation condos?

San Diego is de-populating

John Burns Research and Consulting:

HT: Bubbleinfo

This data is based on very recent Postal Service change of address forms, and confirms that the long term trends shown in IRS tax migration data continue.

8/23/23 City Council meeting open thread - Part Deux

 Please use the comments to record your observations.

OOPS. Sorry for the duplicate open threads. I’ll leave them both up to preserve the comments.

8/23/23 City Council meeting open thread

 Please use the comments to record your observations.

Storm watch

San Diego's first-ever tropical storm warning.

Watch out for high winds and flooding.

If you get any good videos, please link them in the comments.

8/16/23 City Council meeting open thread

 Please use the comments to record your observations.

City purchases Surfer’s Point property

 City press release:

City Announces Purchase of Surfer's Point

On August 9, 2023, the Encinitas City Council unanimously approved a purchase and sale agreement with Surfer’s Point LLC in order to purchase two parcels known as Surfer’s Point at the Northeast Corner of Highway 101 and La Costa Avenue in Leucadia.  The land will be purchased for $6 million dollars with a 45-day due diligence period and a target close of escrow on September 29, 2023.  The City Council believes that the value to the community by securing the land as public property provides an intangible that makes it worth the investment.    “This property is a high visibility parcel that will preserve a very cherished vestige of Encinitas’ and Leucadia’s character,” stated Mayor Tony Kranz.  “The acquisition of this land helps preserve open space and meets the City Council’s goal of Evolving and Preserving Community Character,” he added.  The total cost for the acquisition of land will be approximately $6.3 million which includes the purchase price of $6 million plus closing and financing costs of $300,000 which will be temporarily transferred from the City’s contingency reserve.  The City is considering using bonds for the long-term financing of the land to reimburse the funding used from the contingency reserve.  The debt service payments (principal and interest payments) at an estimated interest rate of 4.33 percent over a 30-year period will be approximately $377,000 per year.

8/9/23 City Council meeting open thread

 Please use the comments to record your observations.

Is the city trying to push a sales tax increase again?

Encinitas Votes:

Get ready for new taxes from the Encinitas city council. City engineer director Jill Bankston is circulating a bid for the following: Professional services to provide polling, public outreach and ballot initiative drafting services. Required services will include community engagement, polling services, data gathering, data analysis, report preparation, and drafting of ballot measures for the November 2024 election whereby the City may request voter approval to support funding for infrastructure projects which may include: public safety, transportation, drainage, pavement, traffic calming, mobility, climate action plan, and various identified and unfunded capital projects."

Overspend projects that no one wanted: for example the 101 streetscape of $60 plus million, the green bike lanes with bollards that creates confusion and at least 2 deaths.

Back in 2014, the council majority of Lisa Shaffer, Teresa Barth, and Tony Kranz aggressively pushed for the hiring of push-poll propagandist firm Lew Edwards to promote a sales tax increase. Only the presence of Kristin Gaspar and Mark Muir denying them a supermajority foiled their plans.

Now Kranz has his supermajority, and needs money. In addition to the boondoggles mentioned at Encinitas Votes, Kranz also needs a multi-million-dollar city bailout of the "volunteer-funded" Pacific View fiasco, the vastly expanded city staff including the new, permanent homeless bureaucracy, and tens of millions for payouts for injuries and deaths due to negligent street design.

Hasan Ikhrata out at SANDAG

Coast News:

Hasan Ikhrata is resigning from the top job at the San Diego Association of Governments, he announced on Friday.

Ikhrata, who has been a divisive figure in his role as SANDAG chief executive officer, stated in a letter to Board Chairwoman Nora Vargas his last day will be Dec. 29.

Ikhrata seemed almost a comic-book villain. Born and educated in the Soviet Union, presiding over multiple SANDAG scandals, lavishly compensated, determined to push through an intrusive and wildly unpopular vehicle mileage tax.

Quite a history for a role that's usually a faceless bureaucrat. It's fun going back through the EU archives.

Fatal Encinitas e-bike crash covered in NY Times

NY Times:

On a Thursday evening in late June, Clarissa Champlain learned that her 15-year-old son Brodee had been in a terrible crash, the latest teen victim of an e-bike accident.

He had been riding from home to shot-putting practice. The e-bike, a model made by Rad Power, had a top speed of 20 miles per hour, but his route took him on a busy road with a 55-mile-per-hour limit. While turning left, he was clipped by a Nissan van and thrown violently.

Morris again dodges criminal charges

 Coast News:

The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office has declined to bring criminal charges against former Encinitas mayoral candidate Jeff Morris in connection with a slew of anonymous threats made on a local blog.

Since then, a local woman who claims she has been the target of much of the online abuse has filed a civil defamation lawsuit against Morris, his wife, and other parties related to their alleged online conduct.

In May, the Sheriff’s Department confirmed it was investigating threatening language posted anonymously on the Blogger forum Encinitas Undercover, with the matter eventually being passed on to the District Attorney’s Office.

This blog cooperated with the Sheriff's Department in trying to identify the IP address of the abusive comments, but we didn't have the log files going back far enough in time. That information surely still resides with Blogger owner Alphabet (Google) should anyone wish to subpoena them.

RIP Fred Caldwell

Fred Caldwell, long-time proprietor of Leucadia's Caldwell's Antiques has reportedly died.

We had the pleasure of meeting Fred a few times. Always kind and funny, and ran a uniquely Leucadian store. Fred was also politically active in the "Keep Leucadia Funky" sense and was an occasional contributor/commenter to this blog.

We also remember Fred for his campaign to free his sister, pretty clearly wrongly convicted of a brutal murder in the 1990's. Fred told us that campaign was eventually successful back in 2016, but the family wanted privacy at the time, so we didn't post the news. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Caldwell family.

Woman arrested for starting fire in parents' condo

Encinitas Advocate:

Sheriff’s investigators have arrested a 42-year-old woman on suspicion of setting her parents’ home on fire in Encinitas on Wednesday afternoon, July 12, officials said.

Sheriff’s deputies and firefighters were called to a condominium on Via Terrassa off Via Molena around 2:45 p.m. after someone spotted smoke coming from the home. They extinguished the small blaze, which was confined to one room.

The homeowners — a couple in their 70s — were not home at the time, said sheriff’s Sgt. Anthony Portillo of the bomb-arson unit. No one was injured.

Wild wild West

Coast News:

Around 7 p.m. Wednesday, a man called 911 to report he was the victim of a carjacking in the 800 block of Nolbey Street in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, according to sheriff’s officials. He told police he was carjacked at gunpoint and the suspects drove off in his white Ford Fusion. The victim and another person who witnessed the vehicle theft tried to follow the suspects in another car.

[...]

A man got out of the stolen vehicle and fired multiple shots at the pursuing carjacking victim and witness in the 900 block of Sandcastle Drive in Cardiff, said Sgt. Jessica Vanoort of the North Coastal Sheriff’s Station. Several unoccupied vehicles were hit by the gunfire, but no one was hurt. The suspects then drove away from the scene.

Just after 8 p.m. Wednesday, deputies found and arrested the suspects, identified as Calvin Brown, 26, and Rolaena Darlene Blunt, 18, at a gym in the 200 block of South El Camino Real in Encinitas. Deputies recovered a handgun and ammunition at the scene.

It doesn't sound like they're local kids, as their crime spree started earlier in the day in Imperial Beach and San Diego.

Happy Independence Day!

New thread!

Garvin Walsh responds

Garvin Walsh, the recipient of Mayor Kranz's e-mail forwarding, responds.

Happy birthday, Prop A!

 Bruce Ehlers in Coast News:
Back in 2013 residents had no voice in the city's growth and were becoming increasingly alarmed by the looming threats of increased density and height throughout Encinitas.

There's lots of fun history of Prop A and council shenanigans in the EU archives.

More on Kranz's e-mail forwarding

Last night:

6/21/23 City Council meeting open thread

 Please use the comments to record your observations.

Jeremy Blakespear still loves the cycle traps

Coast News letters:

As a lifelong cyclist and a reasonably fast rider myself, I might be inclined to dislike barrier-protected bike lanes, such as the ones recently installed between Chesterfield Drive and north of Swami’s in Encinitas.

But when I ride there, I can’t help but smile at the kids, older folks and beginner cyclists out enjoying one of the greatest stretches of coastline in the United States.

This project has given something to just about everyone. There are 50 new parking spots for surfers and visitors to use, a dedicated pedestrian walking lane, a new 2-way barrier-protected bike lane, and even a roadway lane for fast riders who prefer to be away from slower users.

To everyone who is up in arms about this positive change, I invite you to reconsider your opposition and embrace improvements that benefit not just you but all of us, fast and slow alike.

Jeremy Blakespear
Encinitas

Kranz claims Public Records request when sharing sensitive constituent information with political fixer; city says no such request

From the Inbox:

That was then

Encinitas, 1967.

New bike lanes from Kook to Swami’s

Fox 5:

Local surfers are frustrated with the idea of altering an area that always struggles with parking.

“What they’ve done is they’ve kind of made a war on surfers. You’re going to see a lot of guys really upset,” said Paul Ambrogio, a longtime Swami’s surfer.

The bike lanes can seem complicated and it may take some time for people to get use to the new system. For example, FOX 5 witnessed a driver driving in the protected biking lane.

Blakespear raising funds for legal defense of her illegal censorship of constituents

Lost Coast Outpost:

A first-term state senator is raising money from interest groups to fight ongoing litigation related to complaints that she blocked critics on social media in her previous job as a mayor.

Sen. Catherine Blakespear, an Encinitas Democrat who was elected to the Senate in November, opened the legal defense fund at the end of January and has raised $17,500 so far, in addition to receiving legal assistance from the California Democratic Party, according to campaign finance records.

Blakespear appears to be the only legislator with an active legal defense fund. The contributions include $12,000 from the Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters and $5,500 from the Pechanga Band of Indians, both of which lobby at the state Capitol.

Blakespear declined to discuss the case in depth because it is still active, but she defended using her legislative position to fundraise for her legal bills.

Senator Blakespear appears to be the only member of the legislature who is collecting a legal defense fund.

5/24/23 City Council meeting open thread

 Please use the comments to record your observations.

New multi-million-dollar condos above downtown Encinitas featured in San Diego Magazine

San Diego Magazine:

Taste is subjective, but it’s no secret that established beachside communities, like Encinitas, are resistant to topographic shifts—particularly when height and population density are involved. The question is how to mitigate the fear of change with the necessity of housing in these legacy communities.

Scott M. Maas is the principal architect at Field X Studio, the firm behind the F Street Residences. He concedes that there was accrued ambivalence from both the citizens and the city.

“The Highlands [is] the oldest neighborhood in the city, for sure, and you don’t see a lot of new projects there. It’s very old houses that have been there for a long time, and many people who live in those houses are multigenerational and don’t really like to see the change,” Maas explains.

Encinitas Undercover comments spark criminal investigation

Coast News:

Law enforcement has opened an investigation into a slew of anonymous posts threatening physical and sexual violence against several local women in an online discussion board, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.

Both law enforcement and residents have reported parallels between the language used in several anonymous posts on the Blogger forum Encinitas Undercover and public Facebook statements by former Encinitas mayoral candidate Jeff Morris.

Sgt. Heather Bruton of the sheriff’s North Coastal Station confirmed they had received multiple complaints of online harassment related to the anonymous posts and continue to investigate the matter.

EU readers are well aware of the recent explosion of abusive comments. We've tried to monitor and moderate, but it's been a herculean task with the time and energy a few people seem to have for posting vitriol.

EU is in contact with law enforcement and will help identify IP addresses.

5/17/23 City Council meeting open thread

 Please use the comments to record your observations.

5/10/23 City Council meeting open thread

 Please use the comments to record your observations. 

Plans for another crosswalk on 101

Encinitas Advocate:

All the recent improvements to trails, walkways and cycle paths at the Solana Beach/ Encinitas city limits are tempting upwards of 200 pedestrians a day on weekends to dash across Coast Highway at a spot where there’s no crosswalks.

Encinitas and Solana Beach are now exploring options for solving this problem and the consultant they’ve jointly hired has produced three proposals, city traffic engineer Abe Bandegan told the Encinitas Mobility and Traffic Safety Commission Monday, May 8. However, he said, each option has its downsides.

Aging in place

Jim the Realtor discusses the low inventory of houses for sale and the aging of the local population.

If you’ve got a low mortgage, massive capital gains, and a low Prop 13 tax base, where else you gonna go?

City wants more money from Little League families

After blowing $10 million on an "arts center" that has remained vacant and dilapidated for almost a decade, city government now wants to put the squeeze on Little League families.

Encinitas Advocate:

One big proposed change would be the increase in field rental costs for recreational youth sports groups. These groups currently don’t pay a field rental fee, unless they need to use the field lights. Under the new proposal, groups with 70 percent or more of their members living in Encinitas would pay a $5-an-hour field use fee, plus a $5 per-person fee for the non-residents in their organization. Groups who don’t meet the 70 percent standard would pay $10 hour, plus the $5 per-person, non-resident fee.

Encinitas Little League President Ted Haberfield told the commissioners the proposed changes would likely add 10 percent to 20 percent to his organization’s annual budget. Most of the organization’s funding comes from the participating families and “I couldn’t imagine having to increase fees,” he said.

The league, which represents some 700 families, has paid for many improvements to the fields over the years and that ought to be considered in the city’s calculations, he stressed.

Local blog features prominently in shocking conspiracy

Facebook:

Shatto rebuilds

Coast News:

ENCINITAS — The once cherished 100-year-old building that burnt down in a two-alarm fire over three years ago has been replaced by former tenant Jim Shatto with a modern structure featuring a sizeable exterior mural by local artist Kevin Anderson.

After months of hard work, the Shatto Building, located on the corner of Daphne Street and North Coast Highway 101, is nearing the finish line. The longtime Leucadia business owner is hopeful to open by July 1.

Before the fire, multiple tenants, including Shatto & Sons T-Shirts, Mozy Café, Cali Life and Peace Pies, resided in the building.

“The original building was over a hundred years old, and we were here in our family business for 44 years before it burned down,” Shatto said.

The family t-shirt business will not be reopening at the new location, but Shatto has confirmed three tenants have already agreed to move into the building this summer.

Peace Pies, Leucadia Barbershop, and a yet-to-be-determined restaurant from Encinitas-based entrepreneur Mario Guerra, owner of Corner Pizza, Moto Deli, and Valentina, will all be tenants in the new location.

Settlement talks in bicycle death

 Coast News:

Teresa Worley, Jennings’ wife and the administrator of his estate, filed a wrongful death lawsuit in February 2021 against PODS Enterprises and the company’s driver, Epigmenio Serrato. In an amended complaint filed in August 2021, the plaintiffs’ named Shea Homes and the City of Encinitas as additional defendants, alleging negligence and strict liability.

The following month, PODS and Serrato filed a cross-complaint against the city, Shea Homes and Statewide Stripes. The city and Shea subsequently filed cross-claims against each other.

Despite three years of legal finger-pointing and numerous counterclaims, the Worley family filed a notice of conditional settlement on April 12, and the court generated a notice of dismissal in the case on April 19.

Ricardo Baca, an attorney representing the City of Encinitas, told The Coast News all the parties have started the process of “reaching a global settlement” in the lawsuit.

He's baaaaack

From the Inbox:

Shortly after his devastating mayoral run loss to Tony Kranz, the self proclaimed, Mayor of Surf, swore he was done with politics. Here we are a few months later, with some additional legal baggage, he now has his eyes set on District 2.

Note: Screen shot below is from Jeff Morris’ post on public facebook page “Encinitas Uncensored”

9th Circuit strikes down Berkeley natural gas ban

In 2021 the Blakespear council banned natural gas in new construction.

The federal 9th Circuit Court of Appeals just ruled Berkeley’s similar ban illegal.

Morris charges dropped as DA can’t contact witnesses

Coast News:

Three misdemeanor domestic violence charges against former Encinitas mayoral candidate Jeff Morris were dismissed on April 10 due to insufficient evidence, according to the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office.

A jury trial was scheduled to begin at 8:50 a.m. on April 10 at the Vista Courthouse, with Morris facing up to 2 years in jail if convicted.

However, the case never went to trial and was eventually dropped from the calendar.

“Despite extensive efforts to locate and personally serve the victim and witnesses, we have been unable to do so,” said Tanya Sierra, spokesperson for the DA’s office. “This case cannot be proven without those witnesses.”

Got solar? SDG&E wants to charge you huge fixed connection fees

 KFMB:

There are some big proposed changes to how you’ll be billed by SDG&E for electricity.

A new state law requires utility companies in California to come up with a fixed rate plan, as a way to help stabilize rates and make billing more equitable.

Those plans were due on April 7.

SDG&E, along with Pacific Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison, teamed up and a proposal to charge people based on their income.

[...]

Here's a breakdown of where you'd fall based on your income.

• Households earning less than $28,000 a year would pay a fixed delivery rate of $24 per month.
• Households earning under $69,000, that fixed price goes up to $34.
• Households earning between $69,000 and $180,000, that price goes up to $73.
• Households earning over $180,000 dollars will pay $128.

About those new neighbors…

from LA and SF…

A lot of them are paying CASH.

This is not your father's Encinitas.

HT: Bubbleinfo.

Fatality on I-5 south of Encinitas Boulevard

Times of San Diego:

One person died Monday in a traffic collision involving a big rig and several other vehicles on Interstate 5 near Moonlight Beach, authorities reported.

The fatal pileup occurred about 10:45 a.m. on the southbound side of the freeway, just south of Encinitas Boulevard, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Your new neighbors

Redfin has a tool that shows inbound and outbound search activity for a city. Encinitas is very popular with people looking from L.A. and San Francisco.

Orange County would probably be near the top of the list, too, but Redfin doesn't seem to break that out as a separate metro area.  IRS tax migration by county shows O.C. in second place behind L.A.

9th Circuit rips Lorena Gonzalez on anti-Uber law

 Coast News:

“Corruption.” “Backroom dealing.” “Pure spite.” “Naked favoritism.”

These are the words written by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to describe former Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez’s bad behavior when crafting her anti-independent contractor law AB 5 (Assembly Bill 5), enacted in January 2020.

Stonesteps closure extended

 Encinitas Advocate:

Provided the weather cooperates and the contractor is able to speedily obtain the necessary specialty parts, the Stonesteps Beach access staircase could reopen just before the busy summer beach season, the city reports.

Initial forecasts were for an earlier reopening, but the project is a bit more challenging than anticipated.

Density bonus comes to Bella Vista

The Coast News:

Several hundred Encinitas residents and multiple homeowners associations oppose a proposed 17-unit residential development in a rural Leucadia neighborhood, claiming the project’s “excessive” densification goes far beyond the land’s current zoning designation and will negatively impact the surrounding communities and coastal resources.

This is the hill east of Saxony overlooking La Costa.

Sure, it's hard to feel sorry for neighbors who are faced with a development of half-acre-ish lots when so many neighborhoods in Encinitas are facing real high-density development problems.

But isn't the wholesale re-writing of zoning laws a violation of the property rights that people understood at the time they bought their properties?

On moderation

Jeepers! People in Encinitas politics are as crazy as the Trumpers and anti-Trumpers nationally. The comments are a dumpster fire.

I can't fix crazy, but a brief comment on a couple of misconceptions in the comments recently.

1) I haven't been censoring or deleting comments recently. If your comments disappeared it's because they got caught in Google's automated spam filters, likely due to a history of spammy comments from your account or IP address.

2) Susan Turney does not moderate the blog.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Fletcher out

Fox 5:

Nathan Fletcher is resigning from his role as San Diego County Board of Supervisor for the 4th District, he said Wednesday on his social media account.

The announcement comes amid allegations of sexual assault and harassment against Fletcher.

BMW Encinitas closing

 North Coast Current:

BMW Encinitas, which was located at 1302 Encinitas Blvd., closed March 20 and merged with BMW Carlsbad, according to a notice on the dealership’s website. Signs were off the buildings by March 24.

They had problems in the past with not enough space to store their inventory.

Nothing lasts forever

 

Woman gets probation for stealing Encinitas family's dog

Encinitas Advocate:

A former Amazon delivery driver who stole an Encinitas woman’s dog while delivering packages was placed on probation Thursday, March 16, for a term of one year.

Dena Vindiola, 37, was arrested last October, about three weeks after a golden retriever named Finn went missing from his owner’s Hollyridge Drive home. Vindiola pleaded guilty earlier this year in Vista Superior Court to a count of grand theft of personal property.

Earlier story here.

Bluff collapse at San Elijo campground

 Encinitas Advocate:

A 30- to 40-foot-wide bluff collapse at San Elijo State Beach in Encinitas on Thursday,March 16, prompted the closure of a nearby parking lot and staircase, officials said.

The cliff failure off South Coast Highway 101, near Birmingham Drive, occurred between 1 p.m. and 1:30 p.m., said Jorge Moreno, a spokesperson for California State Parks, in an email.

10 News video here.

Council might bring back red light cameras

Union-Tribune:

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, a divided Encinitas City Council voted to cancel the city’s red-light camera contract, saying the tickets that motorists received were far too high and the program didn’t work as intended.

All three of the people who voted to remove the cameras — Catherine Blakespear, Jody Hubbard and Joe Mosca — are no longer on the council, and the issue of whether to use cameras to catch red-light runners is resurfacing.

At a city Mobility and Traffic Safety Commission meeting Monday, Commissioner James Gross said the council acted too hastily in 2020 and should reconsider the issue now.

Watchdogs go quiet

From the inbox:

Encinitas Watchdogs group run by Morris family has disappeared on Facebook. could be because of legal battles or something else, page completely deleted . Might be time for a new post on Undercover open thread. Godspeed!

Encinitas man killed in RSF crash

NBC 7:

A 28-year-old Encinitas man died this weekend when a vehicle he was driving slammed into a tree in Rancho Santa Fe.

The crash happened near 16224 Rambla De Las Flores at about 3:45 p.m. Saturday, according to the California Highway Patrol. The unidentified victim was driving a silver Toyota Matrix eastbound on Rambla De Las Flores and "for reasons still under investigation, the driver veered off the roadway and collided (with) a tree," the CHP said.

UPDATE: Victim identified as Christopher Woodworth, according to social media a La Costa Canyon High School graduate and saxophone player.

Lake Drive sinkhole expands

U-T:

An already large sinkhole on a cliff in the Cardiff area of Encinitas grew bigger after more than an inch of rain fell Friday, city officials said Saturday.

That means the work to fix it will take longer, and is now slated to run through April, the city said in a news release.

The sinkhole is on the western shoulder of Lake Drive, between Wales and Sea Village drives, in the vicinity of a 48-inch corrugated metal pipe that takes runoff from the road to the bottom of a canyon.

Officials didn’t say how much bigger the hole on Lake Drive had grown after 1.3 inches of rainfall Friday, but said crews were working over the weekend to shore it up and stabilize the bottom to prevent further erosion.

Fallen eucalyptus disrupts rail service

North Coast Current:

The North County Transit District reported disruptions to its Coaster commuter train service through Encinitas on Wednesday, March 1, as stormy weather whipped through San Diego.

“Expect significant disruption to services due to a downed tree blocking the tracks in the Leucadia area,” NCTD reported at 2:20 p.m. on its Twitter service alert account. “We will be updating this stream with updates and instructions for passengers.”

Giant sinkhole on Lake Drive

NBC 7:

The sinkhole was reported on Lake Drive between Sea Village drive and Wales Drive.SkyRanger 7 flew over the neighborhood and took video of the hole, which appeared around 20 feet in diameter and several feet deep. Cones and caution tape, and a chainlink fence were placed around the sinkhole to block pedestrians from getting close.

The city said Lake Drive will be closed for three to four weeks while construction crews repair the damage.

Parking permits come to Encinitas

 With high-density development and inadequate on-site parking requirements come parking permits.

With some “heartburn” and concerns about setting a citywide precedent, the Encinitas City Council agreed Wednesday, Feb. 22, to establish an overnight parking permit program for a Via Molena area neighborhood troubled by crime and late night noise.

“I will admit I have a lot of consternation because I would like to help your neighborhood,” Councilmember Allison Blackwell, whose district includes the area, said before the vote.

Councilmember Kellie Hinze noted that Encinitas has many soon-to-be-built apartment complex projects in the works and said she worried that these new projects, which have much lower parking requirements, will generate many more requests for resident-only parking from neighboring homeowners.

Thursday afternoon open thread

2/8/23 City Council meeting open thread

 Please use the comments to record your observations.

Are short-term rentals contributing to the housing crisis?

NBC News:

[...] renters repeatedly losing their lease because the property is being converted into a short-term rental, workers commuting more than 100 miles round-trip for hourly jobs, and others living in RVs, campsites or shipping containers.

The article is about the pandemic move to rural communities, but the same dynamic seems to be playing out in popular suburban destinations like Encinitas. HT: Encinitas Votes

Wednesday open thread

 No council meeting tonight.

Council appoints lawyer Allison Blackwell to create supermajority

 Coast News:

The Encinitas City Council has appointed Leucadia resident Allison Blackwell to fill the body’s vacant District 1 seat at the Jan. 18 meeting.

The council voted 3-1 to appoint Blackwell to fill the vacant seat left by Mayor Tony Kranz, who was elected mayor in November. Kranz was previously reelected to the District 1 seat in 2020, meaning Blackwell will serve the remaining two years of his term until the 2024 election.

A resident of Leucadia since 2013, Blackwell pointed to her experience as a lawyer, human resources executive, diversity and inclusion leader and volunteerism as reasons why she was right for the role.

Friday morning open thread

 What’s happening?

1/18/23 CIty Council meeting open thread

 Please use the comments to record your observations.

Federal funds for Leucadia flooding

 From the Inbox:

Levin did this for us.

The City of Encinitas will receive $4 million for the Leucadia Streetscape Drainage Improvements project. The section of Coast Highway 101 traversing Leucadia is relatively flat and lies at a low point between a rail corridor and coastal bluffs.

The drainage infrastructure on Coast Highway needs to be improved to handle moderate storm events. This project would fund new drainage infrastructure with pipes up to 66 inches in diameter to address longstanding flooding through the corridor that leaves ponding on the highway and negatively impacts local residences and businesses.

Who watches the watchdogs?

Coast News: Watchdogs founder pleads not guilty to misdemeanor domestic violence charges

Leucadia sign thief caught in the act

From the Inbox:

We've been plagued in our neighborhood with yard sign theft for the better part of a year. Caught this [Monday] morning in the act, the unidentified "gentleman" is a self-professed Blakespear supporter. He told the photographer that he could not stand seeing the "My Mayor Sued Me" and "Suppresses Freedom of Speech" signs, so took matters into his own hands. In many cases he has gone onto private property to do the deed.

Leucadia needs help identifying the perpetrator - any help will be appreciated.

Hit-and-run victim identified; driver still on the loose

 NBC 7:

The man who was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver on New Year's Day in North County has been identified, officials announced Tuesday.

David D'Lima, 23, of San Diego was killed Sunday during a midnight walk with a friend on Pacific Coast Highway in Encinitas, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department (SDSO). Deputies were called to Highway 101 just before 12:30 a.m. after they received a report of a crash involving two pedestrians.

Kids having fun at Olympus Park

Does anybody remember laughter?

From the Inbox:

Maybe this can be a new topic, a change from the anger.
Kids doing cardboard surfing at Olympus Park. The dad I spoke with lives in East Encinitas.

I have a great video if you are interested in posting.
-Scott Campbell

20221230_155212.mp4 from Scott Campbell on Vimeo.

Fatal hit and run at 101 and Encinitas Boulevard

 Newsbreak:

Just before 12:30 a.m. Sunday, deputies from the San Diego County Sheriff's Department's North Coastal station and Encinitas Fire Department personnel responded to a crash involving a vehicle and pedestrian on Highway 101 at Encinitas Boulevard, Sgt. Jeremy Collis said.

"A vehicle was driving westbound on Encinitas Boulevard approaching Coast Highway 101 when a man was walking northbound crossing Encinitas Boulevard," Collis said. "The vehicle struck the man then continued westbound onto West B Street and fled the area."

The man was rushed to a hospital with major injuries and later pronounced dead.

The vehicle was described as a dark-colored sedan or van, possibly a Chrysler or Dodge, with damage to the front driver's side, the sergeant said.

It's getting harder to get away with hit-and-run these days, with social media and widespread security cameras. The last one we recall on Encinitas Boulevard in that area got caught, perhaps by a tip from a neighbor.