11-year-old girl missing from Encinitas Community Park

Fox 5:

An 11-year-old girl last seen at the Encinitas Community Park in Encinitas has gone missing, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office said Saturday.

Around 3:59 p.m., the law enforcement agency posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, about the missing girl who goes by the name “Star.”

She is described as having a thin build with long blonde hair in a braid. Star was wearing a tan tank top and blue shorts.

Judge sides with parents over EUSD teaching gender ideology

Coast News:

A federal judge has granted a request for a preliminary injunction prohibiting the Encinitas Union School District’s buddy program from teaching gender identity topics without first notifying parents and allowing them to withdraw their children from the lesson.

The ruling is the latest development in a lawsuit filed by local parents last year alleging that a school mentor program violated their constitutional religious rights by exposing their children to gender identity content without prior notice or the ability to opt out.

5/21/25 City Council meeting open thread

Please use the comments to record your observations.

No charges in Encinitas road rage beating

10 News:

A retired race car driver is recovering after suffering devastating injuries in a road rage incident that ended with him being repeatedly punched while sitting in his truck.

[...]

Kunewalder, who also suffers from multiple sclerosis, was hospitalized with serious injuries.

"Fractures in skull and eye socket," Kunewalder said.

He was treated for multiple broken bones that required reconstructive surgery. He now has double vision in his right eye.

[...]

The case was sent to the District Attorney's Office, which declined to file charges. Kunewalder says he was told there weren't enough impartial witnesses.

Council endorses "Our Neighborhood Voices" initiative

Coast News:

The Encinitas City Council voted 4-1 on Wednesday to support the Our Neighborhood Voices initiative, a statewide effort to restore local control over land use and zoning through a state constitutional amendment on the 2026 ballot.

Councilmember Jim O’Hara and Councilmember Luke Shaffer introduced the resolution, saying the city should oppose state housing mandates that have limited its authority over development decisions.

[...]

Deputy Mayor Joy Lyndes cast the lone dissenting vote, stating that while she supports efforts to address housing challenges, she did not believe the resolution would result in meaningful change.

5/14/25 City Council meeting open thread

Roundabout fail

Union-Tribune:

Traffic statistics for the only two roundabouts installed so far along old Highway 101 in North County indicate the devices may be causing more problems than they solve.

Collisions have skyrocketed at a roundabout finished in 2014 near Carlsbad’s border with Oceanside, where the historic highway, known locally as Carlsbad Boulevard, intersects with State Street. After fewer than one collision annually before the installation, 15 collisions were reported in the five years from 2015 through 2019. There were 28 collisions in 2020 through 2024.

Also performing poorly is a roundabout completed in July 2022 in Encinitas, where the old thoroughfare is called North Coast Highway 101. That intersection with El Portal Street recorded just one collision in the 11 years prior to the installation. Since then there have been at least 17 collisions, making it the most hazardous intersection in the city.

To be fair, a lot of the crashes are single-car drunks and speeders, and it's arguably a good thing to decommission their vehicles before they hurt somebody.

Coast News letters: density bonus flaws

Coast News letters:

Dear Sen. Blakespear,

I’m writing to express concern about the threat Senate Bill 79 poses to those of us who genuinely care about providing affordable housing. SB 79 has virtually no affordability requirements and threatens to override voter-approved Proposition A height limits in Encinitas.

As you may know, Encinitas has already been hurt by the state’s current density bonus laws, which heavily favor market-rate units and allow only a minimum number of affordable homes.

A recent example is the 30-home Torrey Crest development on Melba Drive. Of those 30 homes, just three will be affordable — and that’s after three existing lower-income homes were demolished.

Bottom line: Existing lower-income renters will be displaced, and there will be zero net gain in affordable housing.

On top of that, a large number of trees will be cut down, and bird and wildlife habitats will be replaced with heat-producing hardscape.

It’s clear that the Building Industry Association and certain developers — who value profit over community — hold the most sway in Sacramento. Rather than improving current density bonus laws to meaningfully increase affordable housing, our legislators seem to be blaming the public for pushing back.

This tactic — straight out of Trump’s playbook — paints concerned residents as NIMBYs. SB 79 is just the latest example of California’s flawed housing policies, pushed by Sen. Scott Wiener and backed by legislators who appear ready to support them.

I’m looking for answers, not excuses. Why are lawmakers pushing laws that cater to developers while ignoring the real need for affordable housing? Why aren’t they fixing the current policies to better serve lower- and middle-income Californians? Why aren’t they working with local governments — instead of setting them up to be sued?

I would appreciate hearing your perspective on SB 79 and the state’s approach to density bonus laws in general.

C.J. & Bernard Minster
Encinitas

Kranz, with buddies, tries to film Shaffer constituent meeting

Coast News:

[T]ensions flared when former mayor Tony Kranz, seated alongside local attorney Marco Gonzalez and Marlon Taylor, school board president for the Encinitas Union School District, set up a camera on a tripod and started recording the event.

According to several attendees, Shaffer asked Kranz to stop filming, saying he wanted to create a welcoming environment where people could speak freely without the pressure of being recorded.

“I have every right in the world to record the video,” Kranz told The Coast News. “It’s pretty common for elected officials to be recorded when speaking.”

The disagreement escalated, prompting two attendees to contact law enforcement. One resident, who asked not to be named, told The Coast News the exchange made the atmosphere tense and disappointing, especially for residents who wanted to speak with their elected official without being recorded or filmed.