4/15/26 City Council meeting open thread

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Don Hansen passes away

Surfer Magazine:

Sad news washed over the worldwide surf community today, as news that legendary surfer and shaper Don Hansen has passed away. He was 88 years old.

Hansen was a lifelong surfer, and the mind behind Hansen Surfboards, an iconic surfboard brand born in the sixties and enduring throughout decades. Out of the shaping room, Hansen was also a notable wave-rider, landing on the cover of this very magazine in 1962.

Blakespear: public transit über alles

Union-Tribune editorial:

[...] state Sen. Catherine Blakespear, D-Encinitas, treats the declining demand for transit as secondary to what she calls its status as a “fundamental public benefit.”

So much for the idea that public goods still have to be used to justify their cost — especially when subsidies rise even as usage falls. She does, however, acknowledge that the pandemic has made it far more common for people to work from home and says “transportation patterns must adapt” to this fact.

Uh, senator, they did! Many people happily gave up on this “fundamental public benefit,” welcoming not having to spend an hour a day or more going to and from work. The private sector has figured out that people like working from home. This is why construction of new office buildings has plunged and why CNBC reported last year that more office space is being removed than added in the U.S. for the first time in at least 25 years. CEOs have “updated their priors” and grasped the evidence that 2019 isn’t coming back.

But for many government officials who are spending taxpayer money and don’t have shareholders to worry about, their belief in public transit is unwavering. So what if it needs more than 80% in subsidies, year in and year out, and soon maybe 90%. Transit is inherently good and cars are inherently bad. And if a great majority of Californians disagree, tough luck for them.

In related news. the subsidies have become so budget-busting that NCTD wants to raise fares on the already ultra-low-ridership buses and trains:

Homeless man arrested in downtown smash-and-grab burglary

Coast News:

The incident occurred at about 10:37 p.m. on Feb. 14 at the Brixton clothing store, 670 S. Coast Highway 101, Suite 120. Deputies said a man threw a rock through a side window of the business, then reached inside and stole merchandise before leaving the area.

A video of the incident was subsequently shared with the public in hopes that someone would recognize the suspect.

Another injury at Blakespear’s cycle trap

Facebook:

This was the CycleTrap crash in the last Bike the Coast event. Anyone happen to know how the woman is doing? She seemed concussed at the time. She was behind the barriers and went down hard when her wheel hit the wheelstops. It seemed she had to swerve around something or was startled. No vehicles were involved (except for the ambulance which took her to hospital).

 

There have been numerous crashes serious enough for an ambulance ride at Blakespear's bike obstacles, and one fatality.

Local war hero honored at State of the Union

10 News:

Royce Williams, a 100-year-old Navy pilot, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

"Our post had the good fortune of having Royce with us for over the 10 years,” Peter-Rolf Ohnstad, District 22 Executive Board - American Legion, said.

“We all knew at some point in time, Royce Williams was going to get the Medal of Honor, and when he was going to get the Medal of Honor, we weren't sure. Because it was for u,s it was a 10-year process."

2/25/26 City Council meeting open thread

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2/18/26 City Council meeting open thread

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Wild weather

Nextdoor:

Okay that was a little wild…just drove my car through the eye of a little tornado and saw a dozen eucalyptus trees snap off at the intersection of Via Cantebria and Encinitas Blvd. Anyone else have any crazy encounters? 😳

More:

100 foot water spout in front of Cardiff, Swami's at before sunset. About 5:15pm

2/11/26 City Council meeting open thread

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Landscape designer runs for city council, opposes current majority

North Coast Current:

Lefkowits is positioning himself as an alternative to the current council majority, which includes Mayor Bruce Ehlers and councilmembers Luke Shaffer and Jim O’Hara, along with Marco San Antonio, who was appointed to the District 4 seat in January 2025.

UPDATE: And school board member Viskanta to challenge Ehlers for mayor. She'll have the Democratic Party endorsement and mailers, which might be enough. It worked for Blakespear, though she had much weaker opposition.

Leucadians to finally be allowed to cross railroad tracks

For years, Leucadians have had to climb over or cut the city fence to get to 101 or the beaches. Finally, some relief.

Union-Tribune:

Encinitas has just received a preliminary ruling from the California Public Utilities Commission that will allow it to build two, long-sought, at-grade crossings over the railroad tracks in Leucadia, the city manager announced.

“This is big,” City Manager Jennifer Campbell declared at the very end of Wednesday’s City Council meeting as she announced the news and praised the “huge team effort” it took to get to this point.

Audience members cheered, council members bumped fists, and the mayor declared, “Holy cow.” The two proposed crossing points — one at Grandview Street and one at Phoebe Street — would go within a 1.3-mile stretch of railroad tracks between La Costa Avenue and Leucadia Boulevard where there currently are no legal crossing spots.

Summery winter’s day open thread

Nice day out there!

LCC teacher arrested for child porn

Coast News:

A Carlsbad educator was arrested and booked into county jail this week following a California Department of Justice investigation involving alleged child sexual abuse material, according to a complaint filed in Vista Superior Court.

Joseph Anthony Zyburt, 55, a math teacher at La Costa Canyon High School, is charged with two felony counts of possession of child or youth pornography and one felony count of attempted possession of the material, according to a Jan. 26 felony complaint seeking an arrest warrant.

1/28/26 City Council meeting open thread

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1/21/26 City Council meeting open thread

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Lyndes out

The Coast News:

Councilmember Joy Lyndes announced she will not seek reelection this week following the completion of her current term later this year.

Lyndes told The Coast News that the decision is an effort to “push the reset button” amid a period of mixed emotions.

“After having done a lot at City Council, I felt it was time to refocus my time on personal things,” she said.