Beaches, exercise trails may reopen soon

Coast News:

Later this week, Blakespear said the Coastal Rail Trail along Highway 101 will reopen to the public with additional signage enforcing social distancing and personal protective equipment, such as face masks.

“Closing the trail was a reset,” Blakespear told The Coast News. “There was too much crowding. We wanted people to reestablish their habits near their home, in their neighborhoods and to not drive to their daily walk.”

Blakespear continued, outlining a proposed three-phase process to open access to the ocean, beaches and parking lots — in that order — in the coming weeks.

“I want to open it as soon as possible.” Blakespear said. “It seems to me the risk of [contracting COVID] is the lowest in the ocean because people are, by nature, 6 feet apart. It’s completely reasonable for people to safely get back in the water.”

County officials are responsible for the health order which closed public access to beaches until April 30, not individual coastal cities.

Kim Prather, discoverer of the Surfing Coronavirus, could not be reached for comment.

 

Encinitans rally for freedom

KUSI:

Saturday, there was a “Freedom Protest” in Downtown San Diego, only to be followed up by another “Freedom Protest” in Encinitas.

KUSI’s Dave Scott was live in Encinitas where he spoke to the protest organizer and some participants.

News video at the link.

City storm drain floods homes on Nardo

NBC 7:

At a time when staying home is the safest place to be, several Encinitas families are stuck finding a new place to live.

On Friday afternoon, a storm drain on Nardo Road and Santa Fe Drive overflowed, sending hundreds of gallons of water pouring into people's homes.

That doesn't look like just hundreds of gallons. News video at the link.

A commenter at Encinitas Votes:

I’m so disheartened by the way the city has treated its own citizens. So many people in our neighborhood don’t have the financial ability to move out and restore their homes. Instead, people are having to live in wet, contaminated homes that will soon turn to mold. A storm drain pumping water with enough force and volume to create a river large enough to flood 20 homes in 20 minutes is not an act of God, that is an act of poor planning. Just up the street, 13 multi-million dollar homes went in on what used to be 5 acres of farmland. The land that used to absorb a significant amount of rainwater was paved over, creating more pressure on the drainage system. While the city receives all the benefits from the tax revenue of these homes, we are all paying the cost of poor planning and the lack of infrastructure updates to support these developments.

City closes Rail Trail, 101 pedestrian zone

North Coast Current:

The Coastal Rail Trail and South Coast Highway 101 in Encinitas are closed to pedestrians effective Thursday, April 16, in observance of COVID-19 coronavirus restrictions, the city announced Wednesday evening.

If they crowd exercisers into smaller and smaller remaining open spaces, maybe we'll have more sympathy for people in high-density places like New York City.

City Manager Brust resigns

Coast News:

As the city grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, residents and local officials find themselves confronted with a different challenge — finding a new city manager.

Earlier this morning, City Manager Karen Brust submitted her letter of resignation effective June 12, according to an internal city email received by The Coast News.

Convenient time to get out with that six-figure pension!

Two high school student deaths during lockdown

San Dieguito Union High School District e-mail:

Dear San Dieguito Union High School District Community,

Our school district is committed to providing a safe learning environment for all of our students. This includes student social, emotional and mental health. Unfortunately, this past weekend we experienced the loss of two of our students in separate incidents. One a senior at Torrey Pines High School and one a senior at San Dieguito Academy. We cannot share details of what occurred in these incidents out of respect for the families involved.

During this period of physical closure of our schools, we remain committed to the health and safety of our students. We want everyone to know that there are school and community resources available for anyone struggling with grief and other mental health challenges. As a community, we have a shared responsibility to care for one another. Our focus at this point is to help our school community through this difficult time.

Resort at north end of Leucadia

It's amazing what a creative architect and a compliant city council can do with a 2-story, 30-foot height limit!