A cool ride and the Breakfast of Champions

8am at Santa Fe Plaza.

City Council Mudslinging: Stocks vs. Barth

Sounds like there's a lot of bad blood on the City Council.

Sure would be nice to know what's in that envelope:

A long-simmering conflict between several Encinitas City Council members moved into the public spotlight Wednesday evening when Councilman Jerome Stocks sought to unveil what he said were legal documents related to "petty political grievances" filed by Councilwoman Teresa Barth.

"I believe that this City Council must daylight these reports so that the press and the public can see what one council member ... unilaterally has insisted we squander taxpayer dollars on in her attempt to intimidate, harass and silence Mayor Dan Dalager and me," Stocks said, as he held up a large envelope marked "confidential."

Stocks said that his envelope contained two privileged attorney-client reports that he couldn't release unless the council as a whole agreed to do so, and then he got permission from others on the council to place the issue on a future agenda. His request came during the final moments of Wednesday's council session when council members typically give informal reports on recent events they've attended.

Speaking by telephone after the meeting, Barth said Stocks was engaging in an election-year publicity stunt. Barth and Dalager's seats are both up for election this year.

"He's just trying to bully me," Barth said, adding that she has no problem with having the reports released. "I welcome a full, public discussion about the issues I raised."

Let's see it!

Would somebody with some inside info please spill the beans?

Delicious

Jamaican jerk veggie wraps, regularly at the Encinitas farmers' market.

Gangs of Encinitas

Big gang action in little Encinitas:

Just over a year ago, Juan Carlos Balderas, 21, who police said was a documented Encinitas gang member, was shot dead in a downtown Carlsbad park.

But not by rivals, prosecutors say. In the heat of a fight with Carlsbad gang members, Balderas was accidentally shot by members of his own gang, who had invaded enemy turf looking for trouble, according to prosecutors.

I'll be honest. I've lived in this area on and off for 20 years and I never knew Encinitas even had gangs. But I was overseas when this happened.

Encinitas' only documented gang, in existence at least 40 years, has historically been linked to an area south of Leucadia Boulevard and east of Interstate 5, as well as some patches of the city farther south.

However, many of the younger gang members appear to have been priced out of their traditional turf and moved to other North County cites, Encinitas detectives say.

A list of San Diego County gang injunctions is here, with none apparently closer than San Marcos.

Free samples at the Santa Fe Vons

I don't think it's supposed to work that way.

Coaster begins drunk service to Encinitas

The Coaster is a nice idea, but totally useless unless you're a 9-to-5er who happens to work downtown. Weekend runs are so few and far between (and expensive) that you're better off driving. And God forbid you want a night out on the town -- Coaster don't run past 7pm.

Until now. The Coaster has just added new Friday and Saturday night service leaving downtown at 10:45 and arriving in Encinitas at 11:26. Enjoy -- I will!

Vampires among us

Man bites his married girlfriend, runs over her husband.

Switchboard and Zabasearch show no James Meadows as a resident of Encinitas, so he may have just been passing through.