Encinitas Mayor Catherine Blakespear announced her plans to run for re-election this November in an email to supporters Sunday, June 10.
“I’m excited to announce that I’m running for re-election as your Mayor in Encinitas this fall, and I wanted you to be among the first to know,” Blakespear wrote.
Monday, June 11, 2018
Blakespear running for re-election
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Blakespear has shown where her loyalties lie - developers. No to her bid for a 2nd term.
ReplyDeleteDoes anybody yet know who else will be running?
ReplyDeleteAdios, Blakespear. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.
ReplyDeleteIt's always about the choice between candidates.
ReplyDeleteIt will matter who else is running.
She is an excellent mayor, and I will be supporting her with my time, money, and vote.
ReplyDeleteI would encourage others to do the same.
Excellent mayor to developers.
ReplyDeleteShe's at the socialist conference of mayors this week.
ReplyDeleteIf only she was a socialist! Instead, she's the worst kind of capitalist.
DeleteWhat has she done to preserve paradise?
ReplyDeleteShe was smart enough to quickly restart the HEU process which gave the judge cover to delay ruling against us.
DeleteAnd dumb enough to let measure T be recycled and presented as "a better plan."
DeleteGetting a leader of the opposing team to help was smart but not realizing that his followers were also leaders was really dumb.
DeleteMany of you on this forum seem to think that every politician we elect is in the pocket of developers - I see it in half the posts here. I encourage you to educate yourselves on the Housing Element, our City's current litigation threats, and if you have the time (which clearly many of you do), listen to what the judge said at the April 30th court hearing. None of our elected officials are happy about what the State is doing to our City; however, we need to get into compliance or a judge will force us into compliance. Those of you who don't believe this are living in denial. Our mayor has done a great job navigating this issue for our City, and has been very clear about her intentions. Please, stop jumping to conclusions based on your biases and get educated. Development is coming to Encinitas whether you like it or not, and elected officials like Mayor Blakespear are just trying to lessen the blow as much as possible to preserve our community character.
ReplyDelete8:02 I guess that explains the secret meetings.
DeleteWell said, 8:02.
DeleteUnfortunately, some folks on EU will continue to believe in the myth of no consequences.
I just don't like the sites that were picked. Some of the sites are going to permit high density housing next to semi-rural housing.
DeleteAND many people are profiting from this last attempt, even with staff referring to a site by property owner A and property owner B, when all of them are meeting secretly with council members. Pushing an agenda. Its not cool. Its not how this city should be run.
Say what you want 8:02. We can say what we want to. We know our truth. Previously processes to rezone seemed a little less biased. The most casual observer would agree.
Housing should be along transportation corridors and near services like retail. If you expect senior-aged people to live in these places, then they can't be isolated from society.
I thank you 8:02 for trying to inject some wisdom. The citizens who got Encinitas incorporated did this to check rampant development and that is still the largest sentiment in this town. However, development could not happen if the land were not sold so something like half of the blame has to go to the deceased original owners whose estates sell the inherited land.
DeleteOur mayor is doing what she can to manage this unmanagable process but of course the vulture developers are also doing what they can to gain from it. A pity is that the sorority sisters in the city planning staff appear to continue making mistakes that hurt the chances of success. The stakeholder meetings are the most obvious ones but if you look at the whole process you can see their inexperience.
We can still try to soften Measure T2. The vote in November will be interesting but the courts will have the final say and we will be compelled to comply.
So just ignore the lies she signed onto during T? Or the secret meetings? The constant overreach with every plan she has been a part of? Sorry but if it quacks like a duck, waddles like a duck, it’s a duck. She is clearly pro developer, the lawsuits happen because of her failed leadership, not inspite of it. And when it gets voted down again we will be re-electing her again on the same night? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is flat out dumb. We are better than that as a community.
Delete9:05, I don't disagree with you. Some of the sites are less than ideal, and were added hastily to account for the loss of L-7 as a Housing Element site. More sites needed to be added when that one was removed. The removal of that site was a political response to 500+ residents complaining about L-7. I also completely agree that housing should be along transportation corridors and near services.
DeleteMy point is that there is not going to be a perfect scenario that makes everyone happy. Most residents in Encinitas don't want to see high-density development next to their home, which is problematic because no matter which sites our Council picks, a large group of angry residents will come and complain. Put yourself in their shoes - how would you decide on Housing Element sites?
Q: "How would you decide on Housing Element sites?"
DeleteA: "Let the judge take the blame."
9:40 AM
DeleteSince when does this Council listen to residents unless it fits the Council's agenda.
8:02 AM ignores the reality that the city has a very large and growing pension obligation that is taking a larger and larger share of the budget. Remember when Lisa Shaffer crowed about making an additional payment for this obligation?
DeleteThe city has every incentive to push development to bring in more revenue. The revised building standards, which are not required by HCD or Prop. A, show that the city is relaxing the requirements to give more profit to developers. This will result in more market rate units, including density bonus, not affordable housing. High land prices preclude building affordable housing without subsidy.
If the HEU vote fails again, a judge could put a building moratorium. It's been done in other cities. This would sent a strong message to the city to put the least objectionable HEU on the ballot, not a more objectionable one
For those who don't remember, Maggie Houlihan was at one point the only thing standing between our town and having 5 developer backed candidates on the council. Stocks, Bonds, Dalager and Guerin with the addition of someone like Alice Jacobsen would have opened the floodgates.
DeleteDevelopers are definitely trying to influence the Low income debate, so they can get a slice. Follow the money, does the mayor have that money among her donations? I'm guessing no...
10:06, it is not high land prices that preclude subsidized affordable housing, but rather the lack of a subsidy altogether. If there is not an entity interested in providing the subsidy (e.g. City of Encinitas, State of California), subsidized affordable housing is effectively subsidized by the market-rate units, and the costs are shared by the developer and the market-rate homebuyers. Which then incentivizes developers to build more market-rate units to offset their subsidized affordable housing, and also incentivizes them to utilize density bonus. Don't believe me? Go look at what is happening in other cities.
DeleteAnd if the HEU vote fails again, a building moratorium is the last thing a judge will impose. From the State's perspective, that is precisely the problem with our City - we have effectively imposed a moratorium on market-rate affordable housing by passing Prop A years ago. The judge will take our City's best attempt at a HEU and make it law.
And lastly, all Housing Elements are going to be objectionable. We've learned that with Measure T, and are learning that again. It is impossible to please everyone. If someone on EU has an idea for the "least objectionable HEU," please go present it to Council or on this forum for discussion.
9:59,
DeleteThey listen to me. Maybe the problem is you.
"...we have effectively imposed a moratorium on market-rate affordable housing by passing Prop A years ago." A new house is either market rate or affordable. It can't be both. There is a huge gap between the two. The BIA guy last night at the council meeting was asked what the gap is. He replied, "I can tell you. One million dollars." Watch the video replay on the city website. For those who don't understand the vocabulary that's the price difference between an affordable unit and a market rate unit. Prop. A didn't stopped market rate projects. Encinitas is a very expensive place to live with 95% of the land already developed.
Delete1:46, you've clearly been drinking the kool aid. Of course Prop A didn't stop market rate projects. Prop A stopped upzoning, and therefore stopped "attainable" market-rate projects. Because most of the land developed in the last 10 years was zoned R-3, developers built a bunch of 4,000 square foot, $2 million homes. Go look at One Channel Island for a perfect example of this. Saying "Encinitas is a very expensive place to live" is not really a fair assessment for a lot of people who would like to live here, but cannot afford to. It is expensive because Prop A completely squashed higher-density projects over the last decade, which means you can either 1) buy a $2 million home, or 2) find a place to rent and hope to afford something one day. Or, as is the case with many of you here on EU, you bought your home 30 years ago, or inherited your parents' home, and now you're an entitled NIMBY with a valuable property, and you want nobody else to enjoy this City since you've already "got yours." Try not to be so selfish and learn to share.
DeleteFrom the comments here, I learned someone can be a socialist developer.
ReplyDeleteOr a developer in a Democrats suit.
DeleteLenin and Associates, let us show your home Comrade!
ReplyDeleteI'm voting NO on the housing element and to Sra. Kathy.
ReplyDeleteNO NO NO NO NO........both total and complete failures.
Add NO for me too!
DeleteIf 8:02 far above were right, the whole council would not have supported Measure T, and they and the staff would not have been caught with their pants down trying to sell snake oil, trying to cancel Prop A and trying to revert to a 4/5 super-majority to pass whatever land use they wanted.
ReplyDeleteMayor Blakespear and the council are selling us out. They're doing the same thing with Streetscape.
ReplyDeleteOn 10/15/18, Amakusa, Japan will celebrate their 30th year of sisterhood with the city of Encinitas. Encinitas staff is planning a proclamation, tentatively on 09/26/18 agenda.
ReplyDeleteIt would be appropriate for the City to send a gift, such as artwork. The Sister City program has budget for a gift in the $250 to $500 range.
Current Mayor Blakespear plans to attend and present the City’s gift. An additional appropriation is requested for one additional councilmember to attend. The estimated cost to attend is $3,000. Staff is requesting a one-time increase in the Council’s travel budget to cover this expenditure.
Total travel expenses - $6,000
Nothing is too good for the traveling Mayor Blakespear and the chosen council member to accompany her.
Does she have a picture of Scott Pruitt on her desk?
DeletePork barrel Horvath will probably be the traveling companion. Vote for Elizabeth Warren in November.
DeleteWhat a petty complaint.
DeleteSomebody needs a hobby.
This is my hobby. I complain about things from my keyboard.
DeleteHey Mo Muir, how about showing some respect for our community and take down your campaign signs?
ReplyDeleteJust because Mark is on the city council does not give you a free pass.
The city should not have to pay a city worker to take them down for you.
With such a well healed pension in the family, surely you can hire someone to find every last one for you. And us.
Was the pension sick or injured? I'm glad it's feeling better now.....
DeleteNo one else will run against her.
ReplyDeleteNo one would want to get the blame for a failed housing element that is being settled in court. I expect chaos after HCD rejects Measure T2, then more so after the voters.
HCD review letter is on the city website. Read it.
ReplyDeleteSo, they said it looks good, but it says the city has to add more land to complete the rezoning program, which is already passed due. Changing sites (AGAIN). So they reject it?
DeleteI don't get it.
All I remember hearing is that the traffic analysis was already flawed. What happens now if we trade sites? Seems like additional work is needed before this goes on the ballot.
Right. And that is why Blakespear will run unopposed because the city won't fix anything. And no one wants to get blamed.
DeleteHCD gave the city a cushion to continue onward and get voter approval, but the site analysis is far from over. Three sites should drop from the map.
No one will want to be on Council in November. Not sure they do, now.
Woah....site shortfall. Here comes chaos. I would stay away from Vulcan right about now.
DeleteIt is an Environmental Assessment, not an EIR. The report was a dry lab exercise. They didn't have the final list of sites and the starting data was 2 years stale. This flim flam satisfied HCD but, even more with expected Density Bonus, bot a traffic study and remediation should be demanded by the citizens.
DeleteHCD is a pass/fail system. The draft plan is a pass, which means it needs no changes to comply with the law as is.
DeleteThere is additional feedback on how to improve the plan, but that feedback is advisory only, and the approval of the plan is not contingent on any changes.
They are saying pass and if you take sites off, you will need to make up for that. The special note about L-7 says if you take sites off, you could re-add L-7.
DeleteWrong 4:03. They are saying that the program in the HEY passes, but the actual sites to rezone do not. That part is extremely problematic because that's the most crucial part. They are suggesting zero credit for several sites (and list them), then suggest other sites be added. They suggest L-7 because of the likelihood that it produces affordable housing and the City would get full credit for that.
Delete5:33,
Delete“The revised draft element meets statutory requirements of state housing element law. This finding is based on, among other reasons, . . . sufficient and suitable sites to accommodate the regional housing need for lower income households.”
Everyone forgot about the Rail Trail on the East Side of the tracks......City didn't fight the Coastal Commission decision or at least Blakespear didnt. I wonder how much fight they will give to Streatscape. My guess would be she will fight for Streatscape, but did nothing for the Rail Trail.
ReplyDeleteCouncil gave direction to Sabine to fight the Streetscape lawsuit. (Did Muir say NO?) City will be restriping 101 in a few months. Read the updates from the traffic engineer. Coastal mobility - that's what it is all about.
Delete4:35 & 4:52 are wrong. Blakespear strongly fought for the CRT on 101 at the CCC hearing. The city can't do anything on Streetscape one way or the other till after the CCC decision.
DeleteMY understanding was that the only reason the CRT is going forward is because the State issued a grant for the construction. If it wasn't awarded prior to Feb 2018 then the Grant would not be provided. Instead of destroying the the small town beach feel by not awarding the contract, they chose to go with the Grant money and put the trail on the east side of the tracks by awarding the construction contract. Just my opinion though.
DeleteMuir and the fake doctor were no shows at the CCC meeting.
DeleteThe location of the CRT in Cardiff was a CCC decision. Blakespear and Cox, who was then a commissioner, argued strongly for the 101 location. The commission voted 7-5 for the San Elijo alignment.
DeleteBlakespear argued for the 101 location only AFTER major political blowback from her initial hard position for east of the tracks.
DeleteI seem to remember her commenting on how nice it would be for her kids to be able to safely ride their bikes to the store.
Lets not revise Blakespear's history just because she's got an election coming up, m'oksy?
Correct. Blakespear flipped her position on the rail trail under constituent pressure. But the fact is she argued strongly for the 101 alignment at the CCC hearing. That's a fact, not revisionist history.
DeleteIncidentally, my vote in November won't go to Blakespear.
She argued way too late. She led the charge in support of the east side, built its momentum, then tried to reverse her error from a purely politically-motivated position. That's the whole story, not the half.
DeleteHer little darlins get to bike to the store, after all.
Obviously my vote won't go to her, either!
This is the original allegation:
Delete"City didn't fight the Coastal Commission decision or at least Blakespear didn't."
The fact is that Blakespear spoke for the 101 alignment at the CCC hearing.
What she did earlier is off point.
Regardless whether you support Blakespear or not, just curious and for discussion: Do you think the city should've stuck to its guns on the districting lawsuit threat and faced off in court? And, do you think the city should've fought the state on the housing element as government overreach?
ReplyDeleteWaste of money.
DeleteOther cities already doing it, and we can ride their coattails for free. We should put language into both the districting and zoning changes that automatically undo them if courts rule for those other cities.
7:13: That's a reasonable consideration. It's inevitable that rulings will be made on all this.
DeleteANONYMOUS for mayor. ANONYMOUS has all the answers.
ReplyDeleteLIsa Shaffer, LIsa Shaffer, Lisa Shaffer.
ReplyDeleteCatherine listened to her when she shouldn't have from the beginning over the RT location.
Lisa Shaffer was lobbying behind the scenes for the San Elijo alignment with the CCC.
It is on Catherine for ever taking any opinions from Lisa. She should have known better.
We sure did, and within a month or two of her first sitting on the council we found out what a piece of work she was. She betrayed Maggies trust in her in no time. She betrayed all of us in no time who supported he with our votes.
Catherine should have known better. She was warned early on not to take any opinion coming from Lisa. Catherine did not listen.
Residents, we have one contested district as of today. We need three more to run against the other three districts incumbents.
Without that, little will change. At least one of the four districts has a choice. The remaining three districts deserve the same choice.
As a ex-council member, Shaffer had as much influence on the CCC as 4:36 did = zero.
Delete4:36, wow you sure are an optimist. Would any future Council member possibly make you happy? If so, who? Why don't you run yourself and let your EU friends crap all over you when you make a decision that isn't favorable to them. You all just shit all over everyone, with no respect for the fact that they're making tough decisions for our City and essentially volunteering their time. Shame on you.
DeleteOh please, 11:10. When someone campaigns with promises of transparency, then calls constantly for closed meetings when they are not required, that person gets called out. When another runs as a "local," then shows us what that really means is they'll do anything to help out an Ecke/Meyer, they get called out.
DeleteWe're not talking one-off unpopular votes, we're talking repeated votes opposite to the platforms these folks ran on.
It's how the world works, 11:10. It's not pessimism, it's a natural reaction to betrayal. Get over it.
Shaffer is the alpha to Blakespear's submissive pandering.
Delete"When another runs as a "local," then shows us what that really means is they'll do anything to help out an Ecke/Meyer, they get called out. "
DeleteEcke and Meyer are also locals. Eckes tend to be more local than most.
7:27pm BS.
ReplyDeleteVote out Muir for grandstanding on the rail trail, then no showing the pivotal CCC meeting.
ReplyDeleteThe alternative may be no better.
DeleteBlakespear: "What a job firefighters have! Here in Encinitas, I’m glad we have strong, trained men (no women in our fire department – yet!) who are willing to risk their lives for us. It was heart-pounding, scorching and impossible to communicate inside that mock burning building! This was an experience I'll never forget, and one that inspired a deeper sense of appreciation than I already had."
ReplyDelete86% of emergency calls in Encinitas are medical. Something down around 2% are for fires. There's a disconnect between the image and the reality. Blakespear falls for the image.
Time for her to deploy her kids as the distractions. As good as standing in front of the flag!
Delete