You know who else believes in this crazy paranoid conspiracy? The LA Times.
From 2013 when Ikhrata was at SCAG, the LA area's version of SANDAG:
"This really is a must for our nation. It is not a matter of something we might choose to do," said Hasan Ikhrata, executive director of the Southern California Assn. of Governments, which is planning for the state to start tracking miles driven by every California motorist by 2025. "There is going to be a change in how we pay these taxes. The technology is there to do it."Thanks to an anonymous commenter for the tip.
This insanity is part and parcel of the high-density building drive that promotes the false claim that the back country will be preserved if we would only give in to high density and ruin existing populated areas.
ReplyDeleteIt is driven by the developer growth machine that has talked the sustainability believers into thinking we should bulldoze our cities, build dense and high, and abandon our cars to walk and bike everywhere regardless of age/ability/family size/ or ability. The death of community character and quality of life are no doubt ends that justify the means.
Hinze claims "we don't want to force people out of their cars" but of course that's exactly what they want to do. Can't take public transport and make it to work/soccer practice/school? Not their problem, not their reality.
Mr. Blakespear's red herring attack on Gaspar doesn't begin to address how wrongminded this "must for our nation" is.
But then again, "Dictator" is Catherine's middle name so she fits hand in glove with Ikhrata. Instead of distancing herself from something sure to be opposed as dangerous and crazy by most citizens, she doubles down and sends her spouse to deliver the message, hard-line style. What a perfect pair.
Meant to say "regardless of age/ability/family size/ or FINANCIAL ability."
ReplyDeleteBlakespear has turned into a propagandist for SANDAG. She spiels out the SANDAG line as if she was reading from a script. She reeks of ambition to become chairperson of the SANDAG board and to replace Gaspar on the County Board of Supervisor.
ReplyDeleteShe has noticed that incompetency doesn't seem to be an impediment in seeking higher office. She therefore has a chance!
DeleteNEW "ABC" CAMPAIGN - Anyone But Catherine!
ReplyDeleteThis is the "logic" we're dealing with, people:
ReplyDelete"Roads create traffic. You want less traffic? Take roadway footprint away from cars, and give it to people. It'll benefit public health, the economy, public safety, environment, and community."
Huh??? The dude who posted that on Facebook is friends with Blakespear and Kranz among the list of usual suspects. This is the mentality of people who simply cannot comprehend or deal with reality and make up their own - then try to impose it on the rest of us.
ABC.
ABK.
ABH.
I think the proposal makes a lot of sense.
ReplyDeleteContinuous expansion of roads and freeways is hugely expensive and there isn’t any room in most places. Plus, major construction projects take years, and make things much worse for those years.
There’s got to be a better way.
First of all, we already pay a tax based on miles driven—fuel taxes. Except fuel taxes don’t cover all cars. An ever increasing proportion of cars on the roadway use compressed natural gas, hydrogen, or electricity, which aren’t part of the fuel tax regime. Many 18-wheelers also avoid paying the tax by filling their huge tanks beyond the state line. Over time, the fuel tax as a way to maintain roads is going to become increasingly unfair and inadequate. A black box, satellite-based usage system could be a better answer.
The other benefit of a black box system is pricing specific to time and place. We already have this on the I-15 express lanes. Republicans like Gaspar love to repeat the economic truism that if you increase the cost of something by taxing it, you’ll get less of it. But now when that force of economic nature is brought to bear on rush hour traffic, they insist that it won’t change behavior. I think it will change behavior.
Uber adjusts prices during demand spikes to maintain service levels and it works. People in a hurry and willing to pay the price get where they are going quickly. People who are willing to wait avoid the penalty. Everyone wins.
If it costs more to travel the most congested roads at the most congested times, some employers will accommodate workers who want to shift their working hours earlier or later to attract and retain talent. People moving to the area will pick homes with more favorable commutes to their jobs. Drivers will seek alternate routes on less congested (and hence cheaper) roads.
In the end, the existing road network becomes more efficient—more orderly, and carries more cars than it can in the current chaos-based model.
I support a black box system with the following caveats:
• It has to replace local share of gas taxes—not be additive.
• Privacy needs to be protected. Specific driving location information should not be kept long term. I can foresee some geek at SANDAG digging into the data to see if his wife is cheating—we can’t have that. The data needs to be inherently safe by design—not just encrypted.
• It has to be mandatory, and fairly applied. Everyone plays, no cheating. There should be detectors that can detect the black box and read license plates. If a SD county registered plate is read without a black box detected, the penalty should be so steep that no one will risk monkeying around.
The next step is the ultra low emissions zone where an additional daily tax is added to the congestion tax.
ReplyDeleteThree non starters:
ReplyDelete1) The current proposal IS additive. Gonzalez says he has no problem with that. And we know Blakespear follows his suit.
2) If SANDAG's word is all we would have that privacy would be protected, then...no.
3) The majority will have a huge issue with the big brother aspect and there ain't no way to spin that elephant in the room.
4) "Mandatory" with huge penalties will cause a political uproar so loud incumbents will be out before they can say "black box."
8:36, since you seem to understand the comments 11:00 posted, can you explain what it means exactly to give the roadway footprint "back to the people?" I thought the people were already using it. Is the idea that we're supposed to walk on the freeway or bicycle on the freeway instead of traveling on public roads in our cars? How does that work when one works 20 or more miles from home? Has to get kids to soccer? Wants to meet friends for dinner? Dead serious questions.
Remember: right here, right now, there is zero workable public transportation. Sticking with this reality, how exactly does the scheme you support work? Is the point to collect more money, as pointed by another poster, from working people, to promise to fund public transportation years in the future?
The way I view it is independent of public transportation or alternate modes of transport. Will the proposed system cause some shift to trains, buses, and bikes? Maybe, but it’s probably a marginal shift in the short term. So take that off the table and look at the benefit of making our current roads more efficient by shifting loads to off peak times and routes.
DeleteLook at it this way: you pay a different rate for electricity during peak hours so the utility can level spikes in demand and make the whole system more efficient. Airlines and hotels charge more for travel around major holidays to resolve an imbalance of supply and demand. Uber charges congestion rates to assure availability for urgent travelers. You pay more for parking closer to Petco Park because there is limited supply of close parking.
Why?
Because pricing based on demand peaks and valleys has a leveling effect that makes these systems more efficient and serves more people with existing resources. It pushes demand off of peaks, deferring the need for costly capital projects to expand capacity.
Today, people who don’t have flexibility in their commute are jammed up by people who do have flexibility. Peak hour pricing will result in some flexible trips shifting to non-peak hours opening the road for people who don’t have flexibility.
I’ll reiterate, I agree with some of your points:
• I think this should replace SANDAG’s regional share of gas taxes, not be additive.
• I agree that the privacy issue needs to be debated and solved in daylight. The data structure should be an open source project and fully transparent. SANDAG should let open source developers solve the problem without interference.
• Mandatory with huge penalties is absolutely necessary. If my neighbor whispers that he’s cheating the system, then everybody on my block will feel ripped off and want to cheat too. The whole system will collapse. If your registration shows you had a box installed and it’s been removed, you need to pay more than you would have—by a lot.
"Airlines and hotels charge more for travel around major holidays to resolve an imbalance of supply and demand."
DeletePure price gouging.
Nope. From the CA Attorney General’s webpage:
Delete“What is price gouging?
Price gouging refers to sellers trying to take unfair advantage of consumers during an emergency or disaster by greatly increasing prices for essential consumer goods and services.
Is price gouging illegal in California?
Yes, in certain circumstances. California’s anti-price gouging statute, Penal Code Section 396, prohibits raising the price of many consumer goods and services by more than 10% after an emergency has been declared.
Local laws may also contain their own prohibitions on price gouging.
When does California’s anti-price gouging statute apply?
The statute applies immediately after the President of the United States, the Governor of California, or city or county executive officer declares a state of emergency resulting from any natural or manmade disaster, such as an earthquake, flood, fire, riot, or storm.“
Holidays are not declared disasters.
A better understanding of why airline and hotels change prices during the holidays can be found here:
https://www.khanacademy.org/economics-finance-domain/microeconomics/elasticity-tutorial/price-elasticity-tutorial/v/price-elasticity-of-demand
12:30 You must work in PR or you're an academic who deals with abstractions and theories rather than practical everyday realities.
DeleteThat legalistic definition of price gouging is too narrow. The practice doesn't have to be illegal to be price gouging.
The hotels and airlines take advantage of people who need those facilities to an extraordinary degree at certain times. Because they need them, they grudgingly pay the artificially high prices. The providers know they can get away with overcharging. That's price gouging.
You are mistaken. Price gouging is a crime. Look it up.
DeleteNoun 1. price gouging - pricing above the market price when no alternative retailer is available
DeleteIt's been happening as long as there's been currency, which is long before it became a crime.
It is not by definition a crime.
Okay, then educate us, wise one. Explain the difference between price gouging and the price elasticity of demand.
DeleteAlready did.
DeleteNo, you didn’t, because you can’t.
DeleteDifferent question:
Your definition of price gouging is “pricing above the market price when no alternative retailer is available.”
How can a hotel or airline be price gouging at the holidays, when there are obviously “alternative retailers”? Airlines have to compete with other airlines that fly to the same destination. Hotels have to compete with other hotels, plus VRBO, AirBnB, etc.
Can you explain?
Hold on there, partner.
DeletePrice gouging is simply overcharging when sellers can get away with it. It originates on the supply side, not the demand side. In holiday seasons when sellers, regardless of how many, know they have buyers over a barrel, they overcharge.
Anybody who gets hung up with terms like "price elasticity of demand" will never understand what's really going on.
So now the definition you offered is wrong?
DeleteSheesh.
I don't think you can claim price elasticity when the market isn't free to choose. Mandating a price increase with the penalty being you can't get on the freeway is not a choice for most people. Congestion or not, it's still the quickest way from point A to point B.
DeleteThe elasticity is in the timing of the trip.
DeleteIf employers fear valued employees may seek employment closer to home to avoid commute charges, many of them will either give raises to offset the commute charges or offer flexibility to work from home certain days or shift the work day early or late to avoid the peak charges.
Not every job has that flexibility, but lots do.
Dude it's not only about the job's flexibility, it's the person's life. Throw in the schedule of a spouse, kids, commitments outside work and there is zero flexibility. I'm betting that is most peoples' situation. There is no elasticity when most of your audience is captive.
DeleteYou’re betting that every single car on the freeway during morning rush has the schedule inflexibility of a trip to the ER.
DeleteI respect your opinion, but I’m betting it’s wrong.
Say it's 4th of July and your family is on a trip that includes toll roads and bridges on the way to a beach hotel. Are the tolls raised because the govs know they have a captive audience and high demand? No. Are the rates in the beach hotel raised? Yes.
DeleteAre you suggesting that gas prices should be fixed too? After all, prices go up and down on gas even though the cost to extract and refine oil doesn’t change much. Price moves reflect geopolitical risks, supply disruptions due to storms, pipeline maintenance, refineries offline, etc. As they raise prices, the amount sold goes down, assuring that the limited supply lasts longer. If prices were not used to regulate demand, we would run out and gas stations would close until more supply arrives.
DeleteWe also run out of moving traffic lanes if there is no mechanism to regulate demand.
I guess you like running out of things.
10:29's post is about overcharging captive buyers = price gouging.
DeleteSee posts above.
Good luck, sir or madame. Retake high school Econ class. Must be a big ego boost to think you are smarter than every economist, ever.
DeleteWell, a damn sight smarter than 6:28. 1:24 holds a bachelor of arts degree in economics.
DeleteWikipedia: "Price gouging is a term referring to when a seller spikes the prices of goods, services or commodities to a level much higher than is considered reasonable or fair, and is considered exploitative, potentially to an unethical extent. Usually this event occurs after a demand or supply shock: common examples include price increases of basic necessities after hurricanes or other natural disasters. In precise, legal usage, it is the name of a crime that applies in some jurisdictions of the United States during civil emergencies. In less precise usage, it can refer either to prices obtained by practices inconsistent with a competitive free market, or to windfall profits."
DeleteMerriam-Webster: "Definition of price gouging: charging customers too much money"
Ah yes.
DeleteThe anonymous internet economics degree.
Would it surprise you that I have a PhD?
If true and you're the same person who's been posting the unrealistic, impractical, inapplicable interpretation of what price gouging is, no, it wouldn't surprise me at all. You've done what academics typically do. I used to be one. I know the type and the traps.
DeleteDead on arrival. This Big Brother surveillance would cause a revolt.
ReplyDeleteJeremy Fakesphere. You President Trump hating little leftist rat.
ReplyDeleteYou ain't got a lick a sense by writing ignorant things like this when your wife is mayor. Unless....she thinks the same things. Of course she believes in the JUNK SCIENCE of man made global warming so I reckon she agrees with your writings.
Leftist fools......everything the left does fails.
11:17 The dots idiot strikes again! Three things required to be a Trump supporter: ignorance, stupidity, gullibility. You're buying snake oil from a con man.
ReplyDeleteOhhhh nooo.....I guess you got me. Only name calling no facts....typical leftist fool. The State of California is run by leftists. The black box issue is just another attempt to steal more tax money and give it to undeserving invaders. To figure out why the left hates it's own country is beyond any person with an average intelligence.
DeleteAnd, as usual, it's always someone else's money they spend for stupid ideas that never work. Black box....more like a black eye.
Good thing you don’t do any name calling, eh?
Delete2:27 too blinded by hate to figure out he doesn't need to invoke labels to have this discussion. 2:27 too stupid or too committed to name calling or both to figure out he's not making any points or changing any minds with his rants.
DeleteOne more thought on how black box metering would improve commutes.
ReplyDeleteOne of the comments above says what about someone who has to travel to work 20 miles during rush hour every day?
Okay. Let’s consider two sub-types that fit that description. One is an ER Doctor at UCSD Medical Center, the other is a programmer at Qualcomm. Both live in Encinitas.
Under the current system, both sit in I-5 traffic for 45 min each way to get to work and home again.
Under a black box metering system that charges more on I-5 during peak hours, both would have to pay more. Sick people don’t have the luxury of timing their emergencies, so the Doctor probably has to suck it up and pay the higher toll.
But the programmer may not. Qualcomm really doesn’t care what hours the programmer works as long as his projects are delivered on time. During his next annual review, Qualcomm is aware that the new road tax has reduced the programmer’s take home pay. If they value his contributions and want to retain him, they may need to give him a raise. Or, they could offer to let him come in early and leave early. Or, they could let him work from home three days a week. Those last two options cost Qualcomm zero dollars, so what do you think the employer will do? Of course they will give the programmer flexibility and take one car off of I-5 during peak hours. Now imagine thousands of programmers and similar jobs that currently work 9-5 out of tradition, but don’t have to. A black box metering system drives lots of those cars off of I-5 during peak commute hours.
Now let’s return to the Doctor. He has to pay more, but in return, his commute has dropped from 45 minutes to 30 minutes, so he also gets some value.
Even so, maybe Scripps realizes that ER shifts don’t have to begin and end during rush hours. Maybe they can help their ER staff by simply changing the shift schedule so workers begin and end shifts during off peak hours. Again, it costs Scripps nothing to do this, and it avoids some risk of losing talent. Or, maybe Scripps helps the Doctor switch roles with a doctor at Scripps Encinitas, shortening both of their commutes and taking those cars off of I-5.
The point is: the current system fosters inefficiency. And mindlessly adding lane capacity is expensive, slow, and a dumb solution to the problem.
A black box usage-based tax as a replacement for the old usage based tax on gasoline sounds a lot smarter, as it would make current raid infrastructure more efficient.
Working hours are working hours. Schools, support staff, banking hours, everything happens during the day. You want to add hours to the work day. That has costs, a lot of them, Adding shifts and employees or forcing people to work longer hours ain’t going to happen, I say this as a longtime democrat, I will be not be voting for anyone who supports this fantasy solution. Sb50 and this should be the end of some politicians. No matter how they tax for roads we still are a lifetime away from any useable public transportation. If there are so many electric cars that there is not enough tax money to maintain the roads then they can shift money from all the climate mitigation we won’t have to do.
DeleteWho said anything about adding work hours?
DeleteWhat I said was, an employer may offer to shift work hours from 9-5 to 7-3. Same number of hours. Costs the employer nothing, gives the employee less commute time, and more take-home pay, because the employee no longer needs to pay the peak hour rate for travel.
Because more people shift their travel to non-peak times, the road can handle more traffic without jams.
People whose working hours are inflexible get a faster commute, but have to pay more. But if they are a valued empolyee, they can negotiate a raise or decide to find work with a better commute cost.
So, let's see: your kids' schedules and your doctors' schedules and life's normal schedule can be thrown aside while you work out your start/end times with your employer and it's all fixed?
DeleteThat's a special kind of bubble you live in, 5:35.
12:20,
DeleteWhat you are missing is that the black box model doesn’t need to change every driver or every trip.
The current I-5 construction project through Encinitas is taking the freeway from four lanes each direction to five lanes. That would be a 25% expansion of lane capacity, except for the fact that the additional lane is a carpool lane, which carry less traffic. Let’s call it a 20% expansion.
That means if a black box system can affect the timing of 20% of drivers or trips, it would have the same effect on traffic as the freeway expansion. 80% of drivers and trips can stay just as they currently are.
It’s like getting a freeway expansion project, except (1) it doesn’t take three years of snarled traffic in the construction zone to achieve the benefits, (2) it doesn’t cost $850M—which is money you are already paying in taxes, and (3) the benefits aren’t limited to a five mile stretch of I-5–the benefits extend to every major road in the whole county (and beyond, if other regions or the state/nation follow suit).
Just drive in the carpool lane. I do. Odds of getting caught are nil, odds of getting somewhere are 100%.
DeleteThink for yourself.
8:51, enjoy it while it lasts. Camera enforcement is on the way.
Deletehttp://www.kron4.com/amp/news/bay-area/officials-testing-new-cameras-that-would-catch-carpool-cheats-ticket-would-come-in-mail/1102378210
Just cover the camera with a plastic bag like the French. Works every time. Or you can smear the camera lens with paint. Yellow vest protests anyone??
DeleteIn the fast lane? We’ll toast your Darwin Award.
Delete"ena of highway planning has suddenly spawned intense debate and colorful alliances. Libertarians have joined environmental groups in lobbying to allow government to use the little boxes to keep track of the miles you drive, and possibly where you drive them — then use the information to draw up a tax bill."
ReplyDeleteOnly a stupid uninformed Libertarian would endorse this moronic idea.
DeleteSo, tell us what you like about the current system that makes you willing to defend it.
DeleteMore leftist socialist Bee Ess. These America hating jerks need to be stopped. Let them move to the failed Europe if they like that type of living so much.
DeleteJeremy sounds like a real A--hole!
ReplyDeleteJeremy Blakespear is a hate-filled cuckold married to a she-male. This male nurse is owned and dominated by his feminist wife (who continues to not wear any make-up, not dye her hair and looks more and more like a man everyday - ewww). Her cuckhold husband Jeremy appears to have a ton of pent up anger and likely from being a tool much of his life. I found some photos of him shooting guns. Coupled with his rage against anything 'small government' or conservative, he should be placed on 'hate' watch group. He is a threat and a liability to Encinitas residents and his co-workers. If he threatens Gasparilla and other conservatives, the ADL and FBI should put this 'hate-filled shooter' on a watch list.
ReplyDeleteSo how do you really feel?
DeleteAnd that, kids, is what psychologists mean by “projection.”
DeleteQuestions?
The problem with the Jeremy situation is that he was sent by the wife to explain her position, a serious miscalculation if you look at the negative reaction he's gotten here and on Encinitas Votes. Not only is the opinion he and Catherine hold not acceptable to most voters, the two grossly overestimate the level of trust given the Blakespear. The fact is, many people have come to very much distrust her.
DeleteSneaking around and hiding behind others has become her M.O. Refusing to say where she stands goes back to her first council run and was asked her position on Proposition A. She gave a variety of debate responses that ranged from "I don't remember how I voted" and "I think I voted for it," to "I didn't vote in that election."
More recently, she dithered over taking a stand against SB50, something other cities had no hesitation opposing. (Then again, Marco and his sister were all for it, so....)
Nope, Catherine is nothing more than a sneaky politician who has has an agenda so obviously unpopular with the masses that she simply won't discuss it.
Expect to hear more from the Mr. and others as the election nears. She'll send everyone else to be her mouthpiece, thinking she's keeping her hands clean.
What is Encinitas Votes?
DeleteFacebook group over 500 members.
Delete2:16, you're an asshole.
Delete"a serious miscalculation if you look at the negative reaction he's gotten here and on Encinitas Votes"
DeleteHa ha for real?! You're using the rantings and verbal flailing of a half-dozen cranks from a blog and Facebook group that no one reads as evidence of some kind of popular reaction?
Heh. OK.
No. Check with folks who never read or post here or on EV and they will tell you that blakespear has burned bridges across town.
DeletePeople from Olivenhain having issues along Santa Fe Rd. and area overdevelopment to the rail trail orientation to surfers over the Beacon's staircase fiasco cannot stand the woman. She manages to make enemies everywhere she goes. Talk to folks inside city hall who say she marches around like she owns the place.
We're not talking the half dozen people you claim, we are talking about word getting out.
Both Blakespears are spending too much time getting their ear bent by a certain bff attorney friend. He also happens to have trouble making new friends and keeping old ones.
85%
DeleteHAHAHAHA. Blakespearites really shouldn't be wearing that 85% as a badge of honor. When you consider her opponent...it's really rather embarrassing. If she were my candidate I would not be proud of that showing, considering the competition. But you guys can't figure that out for some reason.
Delete85% is embarrassing.
DeleteKeep your day job, because no politico is going to call you for spin.
I know Jeremy shoots his deadly bow and arrow in our canyon, does he shoot guns too???
ReplyDeleteprobably. Lots of frustration when your controlled by a Developers whore.
ReplyDeleteSo what high density low income property did the whore approve in backroom deals yesterday?
Her and her buddy Newsome want to convert Encinitas to Santa Cruz and welcome all the homeless tent camps and treatment homes.
Say Goodbye to the Encinitas you loved because the Developers Whore is working hard to crush it into the history books. Huntington Beach here we come!!!
Say goodbye??? Where the hell have YOU been? I said goodbye the day they replaced the lumberyard with a retail shopping center. Paving the Cardiff Reef and Seaside parking lots didn't help either. Now I just go with the flow. Much easier on this ole' timers vitals. And yes, I plan on staying in Encinitas forever - no place I'd rather be (even though it's "gone").
DeleteAh yes. Sounds like you've given up. I understand and enjoy settling into your sunset days.
DeleteNot me. The changes are not good and without citizen oversight the sellout to developers runs ramped.
The next election will show, Encinitas voters do not want Encinitas to become Hungtington Beach or even Pacific Beach.
If needed, we will vote our coastline areas to succeed our coast to Solana Beach and keep it more natural, less vertical and crammed packed on every inch, and not concrete everywhere other than tall buildings.
Not so, and I'm not in my sunset days. Change is inevitable - some is good, some not so good, and some awful. Encinitas will never be Huntington Beach. Look at the rail trail - it's sorta OC-ish but still has the Ency vibe. It's only a matter of time before kids figure out they can jump the fence with a towel. Streetscape will be the same - it will still retain a hint of Leucadia vibe - it has too - it's in freakin' Leucadia! More natural? That's tough since most of it is gone already, but go fight the good fight - knock yourself out - I'm right behind ya with my vote and my money.
Deletechange is inevitable. There is good change like what happens in citizen controlled towns like RSF, Del Mar, and Coronado.... then there is bad change which is what has happened in Huntington Beach, PB, and Oceanside.
DeleteWith Blakespear at the helm, the trend is towards bad change. I will be voting for a whole new cast of city Council who will work toward good change. Its that simple.
She is a developers HO, but is also in it for herself and her mommy. She has changed the EMC so that her mommy ( trisha smith ) can finally develop their Smith Canyon Trust Property ( Rossini Park/Creek 5.7 acres acquired by her grandma in the 50's ) to a high density. Grandma and her mommy tried to develop the parcel in the 80's and again in 1999, but were shot down by the CCC due to an appeal by the community. Also, they own the parcel next to Rossinni Park on Rubenstein that She can now also develop to the highest density too... She has gotten away on voting on the HEU w/o recusing herself b/c she does whatever she wants, regardless of violations of the law. She needs to be removed from office.
ReplyDeleteThe Smith Rossini Canyon parcel is zoned R-3. It hasn't been upzoned in the HEU, so it can't be developed at high density even if it were developable, which doesn't seem likely because it's, well, a canyon. Plus, Tricia Smith and the Blakespears live adjacent to it. It seems doubtful they would want a high-density housing project so close to their own homes.
ReplyDeleteSo, 9:50 AM, do you have any idea what you're posting about?
Q-How much more damage can Kathy do in the next 3.5 years??
ReplyDeleteA- A lot.
3:48 PM Do you know anything about Encinitas government? The mayoral term is two years. Blakespear was elected in 2018 and has to win again in 2020 to keep the job.
ReplyDeleteShe will be re-elected in 2020 because Encinitas doesn't have anyone to run against her, but by 2022 the voters will toss her ass or she'll move on to greener pastures.
Deletewe shall see.
Delete9:50 is dangerously close to having his identity exposed and a lawsuit.
ReplyDeleteLast year someone used anonymous accounts on the internet to slander people. They quietly got a court to order his cable provider to cough up the name tied to the IP Address, and he was exposed as an El Cajon city council member and sued.
Keep it up, and you’ll find out if history repeats.
That would require Google keeping a date/time log of every post on every blog, of which there must be hundreds of millions, and being able to match each post to an IP address. Doesn't sound likely.
Delete4:49 bff attorney running interference for her as usual.
DeleteIf I was an attorney supporting Blakespear, why would I warn anyone?
DeleteI think I’d sit back and quietly collect examples.
Ummm...lack of impulse control?
Delete4:49 is just dumb and a loser. Go ahead a sue me, my lawyer will be happy to take your money, I’m not 9:50 but I would like to see who gave a law degree to someone dumber than 9:50.
Delete“But newly subpoenaed records from Facebook and Cox Communications show that the Facebook profiles were accessed 194 times at councilmember Kalasho's residence. In addition, Kalasho's address and IP address were the ones used to delete the Facebook profiles not long after Tawfiq filed her lawsuit.”
Deletehttp://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2017/nov/06/ticker-el-cajon-councilman-framed-dirty-tricks/%3Famp%26page%3Dall
Do what you want. I don’t really care.
Minus the ad hominem, what about 9:50's post is not true? The Smith family was in fact denied permission to develop by the CCC. The Smith family property is in fact an "alternate" site in the current Housing Element Update.
DeleteBlakespear devotees can wave their arms all they like and threaten lawsuits all they like (gosh, who could that be?), but these are actual facts so not sure what the Smith/Blakespear clan could legally dispute. Just the ad hominem part?
If and when the Rossini Canyon parcel is designated in the Housing Element for upzoning and high density development, 7:33 would have a point. But it's not, so 7:33 doesn't.
Delete9:36 - the fact that the Smith property is in the HEU as an alternate is A-OK in your book - have we got that right? Are your initials MG?
Delete10:05,
DeleteTime for you to put up or shut up.
Here’s a link to the draft Housing Element sites analysis. Please point us to the page with the list of “alternate” sites you have referred to several times. Also highlight for us where you see the Rossini Canyon property owned by relatives of the mayor.
http://encinitasca.gov/Portals/0/City%20Documents/Documents/Development%20Services/Planning/Advanced%20Planning/Housing%20Plan%20Update%202019/HCD%20Submittal%20Mar%2015%202019/Appendix%20C_FINAL_03132019.pdf
You won’t, because it doesn’t exist. Your statement falsely accuses the mayor of a crime.
Earlier, you also said: “She has gotten away on voting on the HEU w/o recusing herself b/c she does whatever she wants, regardless of violations of the law.”
This is a second specific accusation that the mayor has committed a crime. If true, then please show in the link above in which property named in the HEU the mayor has a financial interest for which she was required by law to revise herself.
Please be as specific and detailed as you can about your accusation of criminal conduct.
Or, just admit you were making stuff up, apologize, and STFU.
recuse not revise.
DeleteWhile 10;05 is a little off base now, he/she won’t be in the future. Fact of the matter is that we will have to keep adding thousand and thousands of units each housing cycle because we fail to build our affordable allotment in any cycle. If the mayors clan wanted to up zone their properties in the past why wouldn’t they take advantage of the law and do it now? The mayor has bent over backwards for developers, lied to residents, gave away more than was required to people who fund her campaigns and send her on trips. Sue 10;50 and it’s pretty easy to prove she is lIes. Also, Nothing in 10:50 post would result in a judgement against him or her let alone even being heard In the first place, The only thing that would come out of the lawsuit would be more proof that blakespear lies and some sad sack local attorney with a second rate law degree getting owned and haven’t to pay the defense legal fees.
DeletePost on her if you do,get sued 10;50. I’ll give you the direct line and a warm intro to a couple of the best, and highest paid, attorneys in the world. It will be an easy payday for one of their junior associates.
to top it all off, the mayor is asking the court to invalidate prop A for good. if that's not proof that she wants voters out of the way of development, what is.
Deleteget voters out of the way FOR development..
DeleteSo aside from the fact the Rossini Canyon parcel turns out not to be an alternate site in the HEU for upzoning and high density development, has the person or people who say Smith wants to build there actually gone and looked at the property? It's in her back and side yard fer chrissakes. Do you really think she and her daughter want major development including "affordable housing" in their yard?
DeletePage 409, the "Above-moderate sites inventory" in the current Housing Element Update shows the Rubenstein Ave. parcel near the bottom of the page. This is the HEU's description of "above-moderate sites:"
Delete"The sites contained in this inventory of moderate and above-moderate income sites were previously presented to HCD as part of the Housing Element placed on the ballot as Measure T. This Appendix C contains a selection of those sites that are most likely to be developed. Sites have been removed that have already been developed, and those that could accommodate fewer than four units, in mixed use zones, or only one unit, in residential zones. The City has relied on the detailed analysis contained in the Measure T Element regarding the development potential of these sites."
12:49, what is that parcel doing in the plan - do you know? It does show a moderate upzone allowed in this version of the plan unless you read it differently? It may be this citation that is causing concern, perhaps you could shed some light.
https://encinitasca.gov/Portals/0/City%20Documents/Documents/Development%20Services/Planning/Advanced%20Planning/Housing%20Plan%20Update%202018/Environmental%20Assessment%20-%20May%202018/Technical%20Appendices%20-%20Complete.pdf
Are you meaning to cite the Smith-owned Rossini Canyon parcel but missing the mark? Its APN is 2602840100. It's not on Rube Ave. The bottom end of it is on Rube Dr. It's R-3. The two Rubes on p409 are R-8. Both are under an acre.
DeleteOK, thanks for clarifying, so not the Rossini Creek parcel.
DeleteBUT still at least one Smith family parcel in the HEU. If you look at the link you'll see the upzone opportunity. Begs the recusal question - or should, dontcha think?
Ask Sabine.
DeleteThere is no upzoning, no financial gain, and no reason to recuse.
DeleteUnder state law, the city is required to document existing parcels that are zoned for more units than they currently host to demonstrate potential to meet new unit expectations for moderate and above housing.
The parcels on that list are not being upzoned. They are illustrating additional housing unit capacity if they are ever redeveloped to currently allowable zoning density.
What about "This Appendix C contains a selection of those sites that are most likely to be developed."
DeleteIt's not "if," 10:30, it's "most likely." Those parcels are not in that plan by accident.
There are tons more parcels in this city zoned for more than what is currently built on them - why aren't they in the plan if they're "required" to be documented? Nah, I'm not buying what you're selling.
If you think they are being rezoned, then you are uninformed and I can’t help you. Go ask the city or do 10 min of research for yourself.
DeleteGo look at the zoning maps and find out the current zoning and compare to what this HEU table says. You’ll find they are the same.
This isn’t about your opinion. These are facts.
The chosen ones that include the mayor's family are in the HEU and "likely" to be redeveloped at the higher zoning.
DeleteFolks are questioning why their properties are in the HEU at all. Wouldn't it be prudent of the mayor to have left them out? As they say, "the optics are bad."
If there’s a large lot with one old run down house on it, and it’s zoned for more, and it’s in a high demand neighborhood, then it’s “likely” to be redeveloped.
DeleteThat’s math, and reality. There’s nothing sinister about it.
Optics, man, optics. That's why we're having this discussion now. And why details were posted on EV. And why Blakespear can look forward to more speculation.
DeleteSo I see by clicking on the link near the top at left that Encinitas Votes is a closed Facebook group. To join it or even see it, you must have a Facebook account. Who is the administrator, and is the group and discussion worth the risk of being invaded by Facebook?
ReplyDelete1. Encinitas Votes is moderated by Lorri Greene.
Delete2. The discussions are timely and in general very, very good. Lorri handles it professionally and keeps it clean.
3. No personal attacks are allowed in the group.
4. It was an open group until last week, when the mayor's husband posted a personal attack on Kristin Gaspar...while Lorri was taking a few days off for her daughter's wedding. While many (most?) of the site members appear to dislike Gaspar, they have greater dislike for somebody who makes unfounded personal attacks, and were shocked one was made by Mr. Blakespear, just after Lorri announced she couldn't moderate for a few days. Chaos ensued, Lorri closed the group, and Facebook won't let it be opened again for a few weeks.
5. Are you seriously not on Facebook?
I don't think EV is closed, just no more commenting allowed under Mr. Blakespear's outburst.
DeleteThere is newer, trolling member on EV urging people to ride their bikes and asking whether EV shouldn't be made private.
Seems on both counts he was sent by Blakespear/her mouthpieces to both push the cycling agenda and tamp down too much bad press getting out to the masses.
5. Seriously not on Facebook.
Delete4:38 Click on the Votes link above left. It says closed group, there's a description of the group but whatever is posted there doesn't show.
It was inadvertently closed, will reopen once Facebook reinstates after the required waiting period.
DeleteIn the meantime, think about what WC posted above and consider whether Mr. Blakespear, who apparently represents the wife, represents you.
No thinking time needed for that one. Not representing me or many others.
DeleteThe new trolling pro-bike guy on EV doesn't even live in Encinitas. He just uses Encinitas to ride through on the weekends. He's one of those delusional "everybody can bike to work!" guys with no sense of where people live, where they work, and how horrible public transportation is here.
DeleteDude just told everyone coming north to bike to the fair to avoid the Del Mar traffic. Delusional is right. How exactly do you transport yourself and your family there and back, not to mention all the stuff people buy at the fair?
DeleteAgree with another poster that he didn't stumble on EV by chance. He was sent. This is the same cowardly M.O. that had Hubbard asking the EV administrator to explain for the council why they weren't taking a stand on SB50 and now have Mr. Blakespear posting for his wife and the rest of the council.
The EV moderator is unbelievably naive. She respects city government and thinks it's working for her and other residents. She doesn't understand that controversy attracts attention. Attention brings results. The squeaky wheel get the grease. Otherwise, you get a few people politely agreeing with each other. Every once in a while, something edgy might come up, but the moderator squashes it. If she can't stand the heat, she should get out of the kitchen.
DeleteShe can stand the heat - that's why she's keeping the group public, not taking it private. Leaving it public does attract the attention and does invite differing opinions. So you've got it exactly backward, 1:19.
DeleteIt's the biking troll who wants it to go private. Keep the information in the dark, just the way the council wants it.
I'm gonna disagree with 1:19 on the city government thing. It's clear he doesn't know the EV moderator, because she actually has a very healthy suspicion of our city hall and routinely makes PRA requests to check up on them. Talk about making up crap in the dark!
DeleteShe doesn't brook profanity, that is true. Which is why Jeremy Blakespear was shown the door. Have a problem with that? start yer own site.
Well, no, she hovers over the site like a mother hen and pretty soon she's coming around with milk and cookies. She has publicly declared her respect for our current mayor. EV has almost 600 members, but how many actually post anything? Watch out: There's profanity at the top of this column!
DeleteIf you don't respect or like her rules, start your own page. She actually lost members over Jeremy's post. Now that she's taken him to task, she's gaining again. Most people don't post that is true, but many more read and learn and share. How inconvenient for the city.
DeleteSo...yeah, start your own page. Or continue whining, your choice.
EV was started by someone in Carlsbad. Lorri took over later. Dr. L is a bit of a flake. Her claim to fame is a book on how to deal with the trauma of losing a pet. First world problems.
DeleteShe seems to be a hypochondriac.
She’s also deeply insecure and constantly seeks approval. She claims to ask for feedback, but if you offer anything critical she loses her shit.
She also has this weird history with Stocks where she claims he sexually harassed her, then deleted it, then hints at it. All while she says nice things to him directly on Facebook.
She’s an odd duck for sure—too flaky and inconsistent to be a good moderator. She should turn it over to someone else.
Like I said: start your own page.
Delete4:21, 5:48 If you have an argument, make it. Instead of doing that, you resorted to the extremely weak "whining" accusation.
DeleteAs a devotee of EV, why are you posting here? Is it because EU allows free speech, while EV claims to but as soon as it happens it's shut down?
I'm happy with both EV and EU. I don't have an argument to make, just don't know what anyone can say to make you happy. If you're looking for agreement that EV's administrator sucks, you're not going to get it from me - or a lot of others. You're on a one-man mission to what? Make her take it down? Let Jeremy post more propaganda?
DeleteEV explained that they (there's more than one admin, but you wouldn't know that) shut down the group to the public in error. Anyway, as a non-devotee of EV, why do you care what goes on over there? Weird.
6:29 You've wrongly assumed that the posts critiquing EV above are all from the same person. Speaking as 6:09, I care about what goes on with EV and EU because they're supposed to be public forums, and I'm an Encinitas voter. I don't think that's weird.
DeleteAnd you've got your answer that the site was made private in error and that is being rectified. You want blood? What's the problem? Calm yourself and be patient.
DeleteI’m 4:40.
Delete9:59 asked “Who is the administrator, and is the group and discussion worth the risk of being invaded by Facebook?”
4:40 was my answer to the questions.
6:59 Selective put-down response because, as you posted earlier, you don't have an argument to make. In the context, "argument" means a rational defense.
DeleteI'm none of the above!! My opinion is that the only "risk" with public access is to the city. Lordy Lordy, having more residents than the city is comfortable with being privy to information they don't want getting out is a good thing, right??
DeleteI'm an EV member and have noticed the bot-like behavior of one in particular. He pushes the militant cyclist position AND wants to make the group private!!
Does that count as an argument in response to the "risk" question? :D :D
8:09 Is this the risk question you referred to? ". . . is the group and discussion worth the risk of being invaded by Facebook?"
DeleteMy guess is the risk question has to do with Zuckerberg the Careless.
DeleteI would disagree, only because of who made the suggestion to go closed-door. Guy is a total troll.
DeleteBlakespear especially takes a lot of heat on that site, with people having no qualms about using their real names. It's no co-inky-dink that the troll is pushing hard to shut down public visibility to the site.
It wouldn't seem getting invaded by Facebook has anything to do with a troll who posts.
DeleteAny supposed risks from Facebook are known to anyone not living under a rock. The scare has been promoted solely by said troll in an attempt to make the group private.
DeleteSupposed? Is Rip Van Winkle posting here?
DeleteGuess you're not on Facebook, 11:55. Or if you are, you have a blank profile and zero posts.
DeleteThe rest of us are aware of the issues and simply choose not to let it run our lives. Or hide in private groups.
Have you ever noticed Jeremy talking to himself - its very wierd!
ReplyDeleteIts the only way he can have a conversation without getting bitch slapped.
DeleteI can't wait until next election. Blakespear and the the other 2 Developer HOs are going down. I can't believe they are approaching the crap level of Jerome Stocks. Uggg.
ReplyDeleteI NEVER thought I would say this, but here goes! I would vote for Stocks over Blakespear if they both ran for Mayor. Okay, I said it. Wash my mouth out with soap, but I really mean it and I bet there are many others who feel the same way.
ReplyDeleteOMG.... I would cast a write in. JP and his little dog from IE would be better than both. Ha!!
ReplyDeleteTried that, didn't work!
DeleteWell try and try again. Current status is worse than being in the County. Lets dissolve and be like RSF, or get annexed by Solana Beach.
ReplyDeleteBlakespear's legacy will be green cones, elevated crosswalks and restriping the streets. Pretty sad..
ReplyDeleteAnd that's if she's lucky. My guess is her legacy is going to be a lot worse.
DeleteIt's too bad Lorri took down Jeremy's post from EV. It should be left up in public for all to see forever. And why hasn't this made the local news publications (at lease Coast or Advocate)? The mayor's husband verbally attacked his wife's predecessor (and former opponent's wife), and the president, in a public Facebook group. If a national politican's spouse had done such a thing, the news would be all over it.
ReplyDeleteBecause it's par for the course during election season, it was mild as those things go, it's insignificant, and you're making a mountain out of a mole hill. The fact that local media didn't pick up on it proves that.
Delete10:52 - all you say is true. Except in our little tiny town, it is a mountain. Only a few hundred people are on EV, and who knows how many read this blog, but its likely not that different. The other ~59,000 residents get their info and make voting decisions based on public info, not little facebook groups and anonymous blogs. I'm sure knowing that the mayor's husband spewed hatred towards other politicians would be of interest to the majority of Encinitas voters.
DeleteWith what's been coming out of Washington for the last several years, the little knock on EV wouldn't be a blip on local voters' radar. The nitwit moderator and a few other childish dipshits made a Big Fucking Deal out of nothing.
Delete...which is why Jeremy's behavior should be publicized in the media. Complaining about our leaders in anonymous blogs and facebook groups won't change anything at the ballot box, and the cycle of ineffective city leadership will continue. Can we get some qualified opponents in 2020?
DeleteThis was gaslighting by Jeremy Blakespear. People want our SANDAG tax money, which we voted for, before, to be put to the use for which our votes intended.
ReplyDeleteThe issue isn't Trump in this case, I hope he gets booted out of office, after impeachment protocol. But I agree with KG, and I don't want a "black box" to record when I drive. I support public transit, including maintaining local roads for the vast majority of users, who are motorists.
What are the oranges of this controversy?
ReplyDeleteWe need to get the Blakespears out of office; inluding her crazy Mom (Ms Smith) and her crazy husband. They're all kooks and riuning our city!
ReplyDelete