Taxpayer funds buying political support for No on A?

From the inbox:

ENCINITAS CITY COUNCIL ---- Using Power on City Business Associations?

Money talks?

While the City Council is determined to defeat Prop A, the Right to Vote Initiative, should they ask that the city business associations take a position on Prop A?

Encinitas has four city business associations and three of them currently receive taxpayer funded support in the total amount of $70,000 from the City Council. The Chamber of Commerce hasn’t received city support money for the last 3 or 4 years. At one time the Chamber had received up to $90,000 a year. According to the Chamber representative, the Chamber has a debt that should be paid off by October.

At the March 27, 2013 Council meeting the associations, which are the Downtown Encinitas Merchants Association (DEMA), Leucadia101, Cardiff 101, and the Encinitas Chamber of Commerce presented a report on their accomplishments. It was agenda item #4.

It was at the end of the presentation that Councilman Mark Muir, the retired fire chief, asked a question of the representatives that was completely unrelated to the agenda item.

Approximately 1:31:47 into the video of the meeting, Councilman Muir asks the representatives – Have you taken a position on a vote on the initiative coming up is the first question and second if you haven’t are you going to?

Each association representative goes to the microphone and answers Councilman Muir’s question that it will be discussed at the board meeting.

The Downtown Encinitas Merchants Association (DEMA) receives $20,000. Cardiff101 receives $20,000. Leucadia101 receives $30,000. On the May 22 Council meeting was a funding request for the Council to give $20,000 to the Chamber of Commerce. This vote was delayed.

With the exception of the Cardiff101 association, the other three boards, DEMA, Leucadia101, and the Chamber of Commerce voted to support the City Council’s No on A position.

The city's incestuous relationship with the associations does raise eyebrows and creates the opportunity for, and the appearance of, corruption. City funds should not go to private business groups in the first place.

And Councilman Muir's crass, stupid questioning of the associations about their positions on Prop A during the discussion of their receiving city funds adds a lot of weight to the appearance of corruption.

Are you an unwitting opponent of Prop A?

Sources tell Encinitas Undercover that at least three people on this list of alleged "Encinitas Residents Opposing  Prop A" do not oppose Prop A, and, in fact, one alleged opponent actually circulated Right to Vote petitions and currently proudly sports a Prop A yard sign.



It is clear that Very Bad People with Very Big Money will say and do Very Bad Things to defeat Prop A.

If they are successful with the assist from your City Council, what will your City Council do to "honor the spirit of Prop A" and stop Encinitas from turning into Manhattan Beach without voter approval?

Council bows to public pressure, backs down on taxpayer-funded propaganda

In yet another unanimous vote (as independent thinking is neither present nor welcome at City Hall), the council reversed its plans to use tax dollars to send out "informational" mailers against Prop A.

Coast News:

Council was due to finalize the language for a mailer containing frequently asked questions about Prop A, and for a postcard reminding residents that there’s a special election set for June 18. But at Wednesday night’s meeting, council unanimously voted not to send either one.

Prop A reaffirms the city’s 30-foot height limit and would eliminate council’s power to “up-zone” beyond height and density limits with a fourth-fifths vote.

Councilwoman Kristin Gaspar said she initially backed the mailers, but changed her mind after hearing concerns from the public.

[...]

Councilman Mark Muir also said he received quite a bit of feedback from residents about the mailers.

“I have some reservations after listening to public input,” Muir said before the vote to scrap the mailers.

Really?  It took massive public blowback for them to realize this was a bad idea?

If we care about Encinitas, we're going to have to watch this council like a hawk.

City hires notorious pro-development law firm to give legal opinion on Right to Vote Initiative

Props to the Leucadia Blog, who broke the story, rumor as it was. The North Coast Current now confirms it:

Encinitas city planners have selected Costa Mesa law firm Rutan & Tucker to conduct a report on possible effects of the Right to Vote Initiative, as asked for by the City Council on Feb.13, the planning department confirmed.

More background on Rutan & Tucker's Jeff Oderman here at Friends for Fullerton's Future, a sort of Leucadia Blog Norte, a blog that was instrumental in a successful recall election against Fullerton City Council over the cover-up of the police beating death of homeless man Kelly Thomas.

Here's Oderman's bio.  You'll note he's got a long history of representing developers.

Obviously, the Rutan & Tucker report will warn of dire consequences of allowing the public to vote on up-zoning.  Those warnings will then be used as cover by Encinitas City Council to avoid taking a position,  and then will again be used in a fear campaign by developers to sway the public at election time.