Wednesday, May 23, 2018

5/23/18 City Council meeting open thread

Please use the comments to record your observations.

94 comments:

  1. The agenda tonight is the housing stuff and it's a charade. Developers have been working on the city council and whatever the decision tonight has already been bought.

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  2. Bruce is right! PC's recommendations should be repeated clearly. Staff is making things up.

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  3. wow....bring back Stocks and Bond, they voted to protect citizen zoning in Cardiff.

    Now it looks like liberal Blakespear. Kranz, Mosca and Hovrath are going to change zoning to take away from citizens.

    Is Ehlers a sell out?

    Put it to a vote.

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    1. Nope, Ehlers is not a sell out. But he was definitely frozen out.

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    2. Ehlers will certainly bore you to sleep at any and all PC hearings. That fella sure likes the sound of his own voice. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz........

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    3. Thank goodness residents have him there to call staff on their code-bending antics.

      Mikey's handlers are no doubt suffering, having someone so knowledgeable on the Commission.

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  4. hmmmm, so Quail Garden residents are spared high density and then pledge to be foot solduers to force density on other neighborhoods? Wonderful people, good neighbors?

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    1. All is fair in love and war.

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    2. Lisa Shaffer, so good of you to post your real "ethical" MO. Put high denisty into other people's neighborhood then make sure that a lot in your own that is near transportation and ammenities does not get developed.

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    3. What a slimy bunch they are. I'd like to see them explain successfully to a neighborhood with an upzoned parcel in their midst "we got it off the map on our street, we support it on your block, you should vote yes."

      Good luck to them with that.

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  5. Kranz is advocating for more height. I wonder who is paying hi this time.

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  6. does this need to be voted on by residents?

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    1. Yep! Plus 5' for "appertenances" = 42'.

      Goin' down in flames.

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    2. 47 with density bonus.

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  7. Tasha pushed waaaay too hard for 37'. Could that have anything to do with the $8,800 BIA donation she received?

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    1. Yes, they own her sellout ass.

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    2. Horvath is a cop-out. She is a phony that needs to be retired from politics.

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  8. The point of tonight was that council was trying to get around Prop A's restrictions by hook or crook.

    Peter Stern offered the only way that this housing element will pass.

    Will they listen? Will they realize that this will be going down if they don't? Hope springs eternal.

    The skin crawling L7 neighbors got what they wanted and now will do everything they can to help the city sell out the rest of our community.

    Their hypocrisy makes me want to wretch. Nimbyism personified. That certain council members gave in to their demands should put them out of their jobs come November, if justice were to be served for their spineless sell out over the one property that could have provided affordable housing without market rate profiteering.

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    1. Write HCD and make them demand L-7 be included as per the original submission. L-7 may still be added! Every letter HCD gets is forwarded to city staff who have to provide a response.

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    2. You are wasting your time.

      Section (b) of Section 65913.1 of the Government Code states that a city in exercising its authority to zone for land use and in revising its housing element, nothing requires a city to zone a site for residential uses that exceed those of adjoining residential parcels by 100 percent. The adjoining parcels to the L7 parcel are zoned no greater than R3.

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    3. Anonymous at 8:27 AM:
      If that were true, the city of Encinitas wouldn't be able to upzone anything. The city is 95% built out with mostly residential buildings. Housing law requires that the city upzone in the Housing Element Update to provide affordable housing. The city has been sued because citizens voted against Measure T and rejected upzoning. The Quail Gardens residents need to find a better argument for their Nimbyism.

      Tasha Boerner-Horvath even said last night that she would support 3 or 4 stories at R-30. Wouldn't that he nice on Quail Gardens Drive? She's still PO'ed by Joe Mosca's motion and approval to delete L-7 from the update.

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    4. The point was that the city can't be forced to upzone adjacent properties by 100%. They removed L7 from the list and the suggestion is that writing to HCD could somehow coerce them to put it back on. Yes, we are all very aware of the pending lawsuits. Seems we are at cross purposes if we can't find something that most of us can agree on as my understanding is that the lawsuit is seeking to force Measure T.

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    5. There are different ways of forcing. HCD could say you need a more viable plan for affordable housing. They could say rightly that the proposed plan will result in market rate units. Then, we are forced to relax standards or include a site like L-7. Mosca may flip again.

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    6. L7 was a couple hundred yards in both directions from other parcels on the list.

      It is complete BS to say the removal of one parcel is NIMBYism when the others in that area remain on the list, largely without objection.

      The real bastards are those of you who want to jam a disproportionate share of the burden onto one small area

      FU. Ain’t happening.

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    7. 2:03- You are factually incorrect. "olde Historic Encinitas" was forever demolished when the Stack and Pack council voted to rewrite and upzone the entire community. When the residents and Brothers of SRF complained they were ignored. Pehaps given their ethics the brothers of SRF would not sell their souls or neighbors to the ruling class as useful idiots.

      Don't forget Leucadia, the entire 101 zoning rewritten to promote Stack and Pack.

      Of course responsible citizens who care about all citizens worked to pass prop A to benefit all citizens. Sadly the untrustworthy council and those supporting them are working to benefit themselves.

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    8. The people of Quail Gardens want to have R-3 zoning, while the rest of us have R-30. They pushed measure T and will push this one as well. The people in this city have a long memory.

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  9. This plan is horrific. It will not pass. Encinitas has at least three locations that would serve well for this endeavor with minimal impact. Until council sobers up it is business as unusual.

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  10. I am waiting to see a new EIR. Or supplemental EIR. And I want to see what alternatives there are. Surely this plan is not the only option out there. How can it be this bad?

    There is no way, legally, this plan qualifies as an EIR addendum, exemption, or negative declaration.

    There will be new significant impacts in different areas. The purpose of CEQA is to disclose what they are and allow public participation.

    Moving forward with anything less than a new or supplemental EIR is an offense, not only a violation that the courts will support, when we challenge it, but an offense that should put Director's job on notice.

    I'm guessing there is another year worth of work here.

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  11. 2:57pm. An astute observation. It is appreciated.

    Once again, the 'not ready for prime time' players are back trying to, sorry, put lipstick on their pig.

    If the city genuinely wants to have a housing element that will pass the stink test, they should immediately discharge the incompetent high buck consultants and hire, or at least, implement Peter Sterns plan for a successful housing update that will successfully achieve the effort of all their wasted time and our tax money.

    That it takes private citizens to show them how to govern, well, that shows the influence of money over the only true stakeholders that should matter.

    We are the ones who put our trust in you. It would be a nice change to see that exemplified in the city's treatment of critical issues that affect everyone that lives here for the love of place.

    Many who have been involved trying to better and preserve what we hold dear, have given up. Hardly a week goes by when I don't hear this from residents who were active and now are not. They still care, of that I can assure any doubters.

    The betrayals do add up at some point for everyone.

    Those that hang in there deserve to be respected. I find it heroic, that without seeking other than consideration, they pay it forward. Please do not give up. You are sorely needed.

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  12. Blakespear FIRED Bruce Ehlers last night!

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    1. I was not aware that he was on her payroll. She does not have the authority to remove members of the Planning Commission, so I guess she must have removed him from the HE Task Force.

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    2. Except he wasn't removed. 1:30 AM is just Mikey responding to his handler's cattle prod.

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    3. I believe Council has the power to remove standing PC members from the commission.

      I expect a shake-up soon. But not on PC. Looking more at staff leadership.

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    4. Ehlers wasn't fired. A Planning Commissioner has never been fired by the council, appointed yes. What is done is that the commissioner is not reappointed or replaced for missing too many meetings as was done with Gene Chapo after a decision was made the council didn't like.

      Blakespear looked petty and vindictive on Wednesday night. It's not the first time her impulsiveness has got her into trouble. Think Cardiff rail trail and new entrance on the south end of the park along I-5. She needs to grow up and stop the childish behavior.

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    5. Female version of Trump.

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    6. Actually, Bruce was removed from the Planning Commission 18 years ago and had a public tantrum.

      Aske him.

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    7. Public tantrum? I doubt it - that's not his style. More likely he didn't approve some backroom project deal pushed by "staff" and the whiner developer through the fit.

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    8. "Threw" the fit!

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    9. Ehlers served on the Planning Commission from March 2002 thru February 2004. He finished his two years term. As pointed out above, PC Commissioners either resign, decide to not do another two years, or are not reappointed because the council is displeased. When a Commissioner is developer friendly, reappointment is guaranteed.

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  13. If you mean that Blakespeare ripped into Ehlers during the break, I heard it from home because Ehlers had his microphone on! I was shocked, and in Ehler's position, I would consider lodging a legal complaint against Blakespeare who chided him and attacked him in a more public way than she was aware. So the true colors of the Mayor who says of herself that she "plays nicely with others" are publically revealed.

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    1. So she thought she had a warm puppy but it turned into a pit bulldog. Go Bruce!

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    2. Did anyone note the body language between Mosca and Ehlers? Mosca had his hand up on his left so Ehlers could not see his face when responding to something Ehlers said. I wonder if Mosca thinks Elhers is going to run against him.

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    3. I will write a check and campaign for Bruce Ehlers if he decides to run!!

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  14. One good point that I heard is that none of this will result in affordable housing.

    15% inclusionary is not enough.

    The sites selected should be in areas where builders can get tax credits. This would be better because the sites are usually next to transit and commercial areas.

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    1. Good point 10:08! Likely to be used against the city's campaign later.

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    2. Same as last time: no affordable housing above already-required inclusionary.

      The city refuses to learn. Guess that's what happens when you have dollar signs in your eyes.

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  15. From today's Encinitas Advocate:

    "Mayor Catherine Blakespear expressed concerns that limiting buildings to 34 feet would amount to 'less of a high quality product.'" Well if that ain't developer speak, I don't know what is.

    Then: "She said she prefers three stories at 37 feet."

    The BS about encouraging a variety of roof lines is just that: BS. Developers can vary their roof lines at the lower heights, they just won't (gasp) maximize profits.

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    1. Blakespear, like the majority of council members before her, are in the pockets of the developers. Horvath is in that camp too, getting funding for her soon to fail Assembly run. Greed is the predominant sentiment in government, from local to national levels.

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    2. Add Mosca. He a wandering puppet.

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  16. The Housing Element Update and the city's environmental assessment of upzoning properties to 30 housing units per acre. Below is the traffic assessment. Not good. Residents will be in gridlock in much of the city.

    TRANSPORTATION AND TRAFFIC
    Despite compliance with the established regulatory framework and recommended mitigation measures, the Project would result in significant unavoidable transportation and traffic impacts concerning the following facilities:
    Roadway Segments
    • La Costa Avenue: North Coast Highway 101 to Vulcan Avenue – LOS F
    • La Costa Avenue: Vulcan Avenue to Sheridan Road – LOS F
    • Encinitas Boulevard: I-5 SB Ramps to I-5 NB Ramps – LOS F
    • Encinitas Boulevard: I-5 NB Ramps to Saxony Road – LOS F
    • Encinitas Boulevard: Quail Gardens Drive to Delphinium Street – LOS F
    • Encinitas Boulevard: Delphinium Street to Balour Drive – LOS F
    • Encinitas Boulevard: Balour Drive to Via Cantebria – LOS F
    • Santa Fe Drive: Nardo Road to Windsor Road/Bonita Drive – LOS E
    • Santa Fe Drive: Windsor Road/Bonita Drive to Balour Drive – LOS E
    • Santa Fe Drive: Balour Drive to Lake Drive – LOS E
    • Santa Fe Drive: Lake Drive to Crest Drive – LOS E
    • Santa Fe Drive: Crest Drive to El Camino Real – LOS E
    • South Rancho Santa Fe Road: City of Encinitas Limits to El Mirlo – LOS F
    Intersections
    • # 6 – Vulcan Avenue at La Costa Avenue – AM: LOS E, PM: LOS E
    • # 17 – Saxony Road at Leucadia Boulevard – AM: LOS E, PM: LOS E
    • # 45 – Balour Drive at Santa Fe Drive – AM: LOS F, PM: LOS F
    Ramp Intersections
    • I-5 Northbound Ramps/Leucadia Boulevard – over capacity during the PM peak hour
    • I-5 Southbound Ramps/Encinitas Boulevard – over capacity during the AM and PM peak hours
    Ramp Meters
    • I-5 Northbound on-ramp at Encinitas Boulevard – 20 minutes during PM peak hour
    • I-5 Southbound on-ramp at Encinitas Boulevard – 17.0 minutes during AM peak hour
    • I-5 Southbound on-ramp at Santa Fe Drive – 34.0 minutes during AM peak hour

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    1. I live two blocks from the freeway and it takes me longer to get on it then it does to drive to San Diego. The state wants to build housing but we only get one carpool lane and more trains that don’t run when you need them. Screw the developers, screw city council, and screw the affordable housing scam. I hope we go bankrupt and sell out staff loses their illegal pensions and jobs. Taka it all BIA and Marco, no skin of my ass.

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    2. The traffic disaster is ignored in the bogus housing plan. At peak hours, the syncing of the traffic lights are wrong, the metered lanes on the on-ramps back up traffic on Encinitas Blvd going back to the furthest intersections, it becomes grid-locked and people start to do aggressive or illegal moves out of desperation. Until the infrastructure catches up with the density, development should be put on hiatus. This ill-advised over-growth is permanently damaging the community.

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    3. This Environmental Assessment is fatally flawed. For instance, the Traffic Assessment is based on outdated 2016 numbers and does not include the effects of over 2 years growth in traffic from cut-through and infill and regular growth. And the proposed remediation is wishful thinking.

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    4. Time to widen La Costa Avenue to 4 lanes between Coast Hwy and the freeway. Heard rumor that the City was going to change the circulation element and downgrade a lot of other important roads.

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    5. La Costa is mentioned in the Ass. Doc. as going to LOS "F" unless the city can provide additional right-of-way and widen he roadway to a 4-lane collector. No mention though of how to fund this.

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  17. Morning and afternoon rush hours are far from the only times traffic sucks, and this goes for the 101 too.

    Sacramento piles this 'stuff', on communities without any funding to mitigate the effects of increased housing and frack rated traffic flows that will get worse. Imagining what we have coming in the future is not something anyone can be in favor of.

    Not quite everyone though. The profiteers are salivating and inserting themselves with the city, as they have done for decades, nothing new there, over the money dreams to be made. These are the so-called stakeholders the city continues to favor with private backdoor meetings. Nothing new there.

    Some tireless residents have answers, but expecting actual representation by those who were given the public trust with their votes are not listening. Sadly, nothing new there either.




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  18. Another issue is parking! This myth that people will be riding their bikes is just hype to justify cramming in more housing. Many affordable houses have multiple cars since people who live there may have roommates.

    What a small price for residents to pay so that out of town developers can make their properties "pencil out."

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    1. When was the last time we saw Tasha, Catherine, Lisa running errands by bike? On foot?

      They need to walk their talk.

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    2. Tasha was seen at the Cardiff Ice Cream Social held at the Cardiff Elementary School. She drove in her car down from Leucadia. A hypocrite!

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    3. The traffic reports are flawed because of the people who oversaw these projects. Let's not forget the that the road engineers who were involved in these studies are gone--two of them were fired. ALso, Manjeet left his prints on this project and he was told to hit the road. How often does that happen at the City of Encinitas?

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    4. All of this is correct but what, if anything, can be done about it?

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    5. Move to Nicaragua?

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    6. Follow the money - Horvath, $tock$ and Gaspar with their hands out - selling out to the highest bidder. Alot more in that camp...

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    7. 10:20 You must add Blakespear, Mosca and Phony Tony to your list of council member zombies controlled by developers

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    8. It's a process.

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    9. With gratitude.

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    10. Lisa was as "it's a process" and "with gratitude;" both are idiotic and barf worthy.

      Who says "in service?"

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  19. Vote them out!

    Getting anyone to step into this cesspool will leave us with the current make up.

    What we have loved about our community is already just a memory.

    F rated traffic congestion now. According to Tony, how can it get worse? Tony it can and will. Buy a clue.

    We all will have to find our own sanctuary's where we can. Encinitas used to a sanctuary from other urban cityscapes.

    If council gets their way, zombie Measure T will be the standard. That is what the hired gun consultants have used as their guide.

    What a complete sham perpetrated by Planning and allowed by council, every single one of them.

    Community character? Yea right.

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    1. Vote NO and against any incumbent, period. Maybe the next council will figure out we mean business. Time to stop staff and spineless council from ruining this place.

      Let's be real: this is not about providing affordable housing, it's about the tax revenue the city gains by giving developers as much work as possible, and paying back campaign donations.

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    2. 9:36 PM & 8:41 AM

      Of course neither of you will throw your hat in the ring. You claim it's so bad but you won't do anything but bitch about it. If you know how to do it right, as you claim, it's incumbent upon you to help lead us out of the morass.

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    3. One shouldn't have to be a council member to have obe's efforts count. Hundreds on hundreds of resident research, meeting attendance, thoughtful input given...12:03 are you saying none of this means anything in terms of helping shape and keep Encinitas on a track that reflects citizen desires?

      Your concept and mine of what public participation means are radically different.

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    4. 12:03

      You are factually incorrect. Many of the frequent citizens attending council meetings advocating for responsible financial leadership, transparency and protection and continuance of the Encinitas community character have backed candidates now in office----- who turned out to be as self serving, egotistical and dishonest as former members like Stocks and Dalager.

      Without mentioning names some residents bought into the Blakespear false charm as they knew her mother to be active in citizen efforts at the park- turns out Blakespear in office is a fraud. Her policies harm the environment, increases taxes on Encinitas families, increase traffic, increase city debt and destroy our unique character.

      Many others walked neighborhoods for Phony Tony Kranz and his "Trust and Transparency" campaign. After being elect Kraz was spotted at a special invite only dinner for newly elected leaders with Stack and Pack developer Doug Manchester. Kranz's "deep roots" are more about benefitting himself whole raising taxes and fees on residents, worsening our environment, increasing traffic and destroying community character.

      Fed up with working to elect failing leaders residents got Prop A on the Ballot and won. They defeated Measure T, and this self-serving upzoning document to benefit developer special interests over the wishes of residents will fail as well.

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    5. Bring back 2012 General Plan please. All the housing was going in to ECR, which still remains the most horrible place ever. It needs to be completely redeveloped.

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    6. FACT #1 - Same small group people on this blog, same complaints
      FACT#2 - Every election you ask us to elect different people, after voting for the ones you told us to vote for.
      FACT #3 - Returned to FACT #1

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    7. FACT#4 - Anonymous at 11:33 PM is a troll.

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    8. FACT#5

      6:51 AM can't admit the obvious.

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    9. FACT #6 - I'm just here for the comments.

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  20. Mayor Blakespear's family has 5 acres of vacant land close to their house. The Mayor isn't offering the property for low income housing. Step up to the plate, Blakespear. One hundred fifty (150) low income housing units could be built immediately on the Blakespear family property.
    Make that property into low income housing. It's the right thing to do Mayor Blakespear.

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    1. Ecke and Meyer step up to the plate - develop Section 18 housing adjacent to your mansions.

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  21. Sounds like blakespear put an end to the HE task force and put herself and Phony Tony in charge of a new subcommittee, minus Ehlers and Groseclose.

    Anyone know if this is true? I would not be shocked. Blakespear's become quite the little dictator.

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    1. That's what the video shows.

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    2. Blakespear has evinced dictatorial tendencies from the beginning. The important exchange between her and Ehlers took place before the break and off mike. She leaned across Groseclose and told Ehlers she would support a 37-foot building height because she felt insulted by Ehlers' complaints of being ignored by staff and consultants. Poor Catherine! Ehlers had been ignored, and Blakespear took it personally.

      Blakespear chose to revert back to the sub-committee of herself and Kranz, instead of the task force which also included Ehlers and Groseclose. It's why Groseclose made the comment about being fired. He recognized immediately what was happening.

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    3. Wasn't that to draft the ballot measure language?

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    4. That may be - good point. Can't wait to see what smoke, mirrors, and vague threats they come up with this time. Sadly, they'll say anything.

      When does the language get locked down? Not that the city won't pull a bait and switch at some point, but is there a final-final date after which they can't change their language?

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    5. July 18 is when they are suppose to approve it. The ballot materials have to be to the County Registrar by early August for inclusion on the November ballot.

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    6. So wait till it's gone to the registrar. Can't trust the city not to do the usual!

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  22. Sounds like she had it planned to end the task force with the planned attack that she had on Ehlers--part of which was broadcast over the Ehler's mike when they went on break.

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  23. When will we see what's gong to be on the ballot?

    Staff and consultant are vague on this - is the plan to wait until the last minute and spring it on voters before they have a chance to digest the plan? That seems to be SOP at the city.

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    1. Doesn't seem to bother Sabine ever.

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  24. Whast is the deal with the banners advertising the San Diego County Fair on El Camino Real? It is supposed to be against City code?

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  25. 2:41 PM
    Complain to code enforcement. Otherwise, the banners will be up until the Fair ends July 4.

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  26. Unrelated but wanted all the people bashing our fire princesses to watch this body cam video of firefighters on the job. https://www.facebook.com/Officerdaniels/videos/644883672519123/

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