New Encinitas disenfranchised by council gerrymandering

Coast News:

New Encinitas is the big loser in the new election districts map the Encinitas City Council adopted by a 3-2 vote on Nov. 15.

The city’s largest traditional community has been completely disempowered by blatant gerrymandering. Cardiff and Leucadia are in control of the main street that runs through our community (El Camino Real). The north end of our community has been severed and given over to control by Leucadia, the south and west have been given over to control by Cardiff, and nothing in this truncated New Encinitas can be promoted without aligning with the concerns of Olivenhain.

New Encinitas, the largest community in the city, has been made powerless. It and El Camino Real have been set up to become the dumping ground for all of Encinitas’s problems. It’s as if this had been the explicit goal in the first place, which it may well have been given the recent revelation in The Coast News that the new map is not a “citizen” map, but the personal product of a coastal council member who benefits politically from the new districts.

11/29/17 City Council meeting open thread

Please use the comments to record your observations.

Hymettus appeal rescheduled due to insufficient public notice

From the Inbox:

The November 29 Hymettus Estates’ hearing was rescheduled. Why? Because city staff decided to make up the rules as they went.

They violated city Municipal Code not once, not twice, but three times. They shortened the comments deadline to noon from 5 pm; they did this in the notification mailed out to area residents, they did this in the Coast News legal notice, and they again violated code when they mailed the hard copy notifications out after the Municipal Code deadline.

Staff was once again on a mission to do a favor for the developer by ensuring anyone wanting to submit project comments for Council to consider would be unable to do so. Residents came home from work the day before Thanksgiving to find notices in their mailboxes citing a deadline that had passed just hours before.

Pleas from residents to follow the law and properly re-notice the meeting according to code fell on deaf ears. From the person answering the main line, up to the aptly-named “Development Services Director” and Assistant City Manager, the mantra was the same: “All we can do is extend the comments period.” When asked how they would let folks know about the extension, they were unable to respond. They seemed to think they'd hit on a real solution.

Fortunately for Encinitas residents, [City Manager] Karen [Brust] can not only read code; but abide by it. When the violations were brought to her attention, she took immediate action and directed the November 29 agenda item be pulled and rescheduled. This should allow staff to learn how to tell time and count days on a calendar to avoid breaking the law again, but I wouldn’t count my chickens.

Anyone suspect that maybe staff shortened the submission deadline so they could bug out early from work the day before Thanksgiving?

Any bets on how hopping mad this developer was at once again getting so close to breaking ground, only to have it delayed by yet another staff screw up?

Any guesses as to who on staff directed this mess?

Crash on Encinitas Boulevard

Looks like somebody tried to merge into the turn lane without looking, eastbound at Quail Gardens.

Tasha's Gerrymander map

Everybody saw what she did there.

North Coast Current:

Muir and other speakers at the City Council meeting expressed concern that the map might have been designed to retain current council members’ seats while making it more difficult for certain portions of the city to be represented in the future.

“Drawing a map that takes into consideration allowing each of the elected council members to keep their district is simply the definition of gerrymandering,” resident and former planning commissioner Ruben Flores told the council. “This reflects the potential future behavior of you as elected officials. I believe you’ve lost credibility.”

Encinitas Guerrilla:

Recently retired Encinitas city spokesman Jerry Mander has endorsed Tasha Boerner Horvath, a candidate for the California State Assembly District 76 seat.

Gerrymander Joe

Title of the post taken from the comments.

Del Mar Times:

Resident Steven Winters questioned why the council ultimately voted on the maps designed by Boerner Horvath, who was not previously disclosed as the author before the council's decision.

"This was a back-room deal lacking transparency... and leaving a bitter taste in the mouths of Encinitas residents," Winters said, adding he believed some council members had a “hidden agenda” regarding districting.

He added that he believed five other maps met the council's criteria, but council member Joe Mosca said those options did not work for various reasons, including the city's current five communities being "dramatically divided."

Anyone want to take a look at how many of the alternative maps gave each council member his/her own uncontested district?

11/15/17 City Council meeting open thread

On tonight's agenda: Tasha's incumbent protection district map.

Please use the comments to record your observations.