1/21/26 City Council meeting open thread

Please use the comments to record your observations.

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.

Happy New Year!

 What are you looking forward to in 2026?

Christmas Eve atmospheric river

Stay dry out there!

Leucadia should be interesting as always.

Encinitas man killed in vehicle vs pedestrian collision in San Marcos

The Coast News:

A pedestrian who was struck and killed by a vehicle in San Marcos on Saturday night has been identified as 34-year-old Benjamin Lo Cicero of Encinitas, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office confirmed on Monday afternoon.

Lo Cicero was fatally struck by a Ford F-150 around 11:40 p.m. on Dec. 13 in the 900 block of West San Marcos Boulevard.

Wednesday open thread

21 more shopping days until Christmas!

Misdemeanor charge in death of girl

Coast News:

A 44-year-old man has been charged with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter in the fatal collision that killed a sixth-grade girl in Encinitas earlier this year.

The charge under California Penal Code 192(c)(2) covers “driving a vehicle in the commission of an unlawful act, not amounting to a felony, but without gross negligence; or driving a vehicle in the commission of a lawful act which might produce death, in an unlawful manner, but without gross negligence,” according to state law.

This is confusing and certainly wrong:

While crossing Encinitas Boulevard at the intersection of Village Square Drive, the driver of a westbound Nissan Xterra collided with another vehicle stopped at a red light, which then struck Chalekian, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office.

If the driver was crossing Encinitas Boulevard at that intersection, he wasn't westbound. We guess the writer means the victim was crossing Encinitas Boulevard.