Destiny Preston threatens public safety if Kranz’s sales tax increase doesn’t pass

Coast News letters:

Destiny Preston, District 2 candidate, recently warned residents that if the 1% sales tax increase (Measure K) fails to pass, there will be “trade-offs” that involve “investing less in public safety.”

The comments were posted on Preston’s and District 1 candidate Allison Blackwell’s BikeWalkEncinitas website in response to a questionnaire but have since been removed. This was done, in all likelihood, under pressure from a public that reacted negatively to such coercive language.

For the record, Kranz has wasted tens of millions of dollars on non-essential services. For example Pacific View which Kranz purchased and then left abandoned for nearly a decade before pouring even more money into it to make it safe enough to even occupy. On top of that, the huge expansion of city staff in a time of near-zero population growth, including the creation of a new and unnecessary permanent city department of homelessness. Homeless and other human services have historically been the domain of the county. Then there's the unsafe and unwanted separated bike lanes that require a city sand Zamboni staff.

Shaffer re-flip-flops (un-flip-flops?) on taxpayer-funded push-poll to advocate sales tax

Just days after Lisa Shaffer flip-flopped on her vote to use taxpayer funds to hire a consultant to run a push-poll to create the illusion of public support for tax increases, Shaffer seems to have re-flip-flopped back in favor of spending public funds on the push-poll.  Shaffer's e-mail newsletter didn't mention the flip-flop, and city sources tell Encinitas Undercover that Shaffer has re-reversed her position and now once again supports the taxpayer-funded push-poll.

For some background on Gus Vina's hand-picked tax pollster Catherine Lew of Lew Edwards, see what she did in Modesto. Kinda reminds us of the pre-determined outcomes Vina got from the supposedly neutral report from notorious pro-developer attorneys Rutan & Tucker on Prop A.

In related news, Shaffer, Barth and Kranz  appear to have decided to buy Pacific View at EUSD's asking price of $9.5 million.  It remains to be seen where the money will come from in a city that is completely broke.