Pacific View McMansions denied: a tale of dual fiscal mismanagements

Surprise.

That was my reaction to the 4-0 city council decision to deny EUSD's request to re-zone Pacific View Elementary for McMansions.

Surprise that Dan Dalager would recuse himself over a financial interest conflict.

Surprise that Stocks and Bond finally found a development they didn't like.

The city council has painted itself into a corner with massive pension liabilities so that they need the new tax base that new development brings. That was Dalager's plan all along: make his city worker buddies rich with outrageous pensions, and then pay for it by letting his devloper buddies develop everything in sight.

The EUSD, for its part, was trying to follow the Schwarzenegger death spiral plan of selling assets to fund operating budgets. This just after persuading voters to take on 30 years of debt to fund a few years' worth of technology.

Have we turned a new page? Will we get more reasonable development and real pension reform? Much hinges on the unknown new council member Kristin Gaspar. Kristin, are you with us or are you against us?

Citizens fight CalTrans plans for I-5 expansion

10 News:

The debate over plans to expand Interstate 5 has prompted a state senator to get involved.

On Monday, Sen. Christine Kehoe hosted a town hall meeting so CalTrans and other agencies involved in the expansion could clarify the five different options ranging from doing nothing to widening I-5 to 14 lanes.

"The impacts are huge. The benefits are minimal at best," said Oceanside City Councilmember Esther Sanchez.

La Jolla Resident Elizabeth Rudy said, "The CalTrans plan just makes it more convenient to drive more."

When asked if there was an option she was in favor of, Kehoe said, "I don't think so."

Kehoe said she and her constituents still have a lot of questions about the proposed project, which would cost about $4 billion.

Many residents said they want the money spent on mass transit instead of traffic. This includes a group called I-5 PLAGUE, which stands for "Prevent Los Angeles Gridlock Usurping Our Environment."

"L.A. has been expanding freeways for 40 years and they still have gridlock for seven hours every day," said PLAGUE spokeswoman Noel Spade.

[...]

The public has two more weeks to comment on the environmental impact report.

Solana Beach and Oceanside seem to be taking the lead on this. Teresa Barth is involved, but without support from the council majority.

If you care, contact PLAGUE for how to submit comments to CalTrans.

Bandwagoners

Public hearing on I-5 expansion Monday

This isn't a silly little community meeting, either. It's a state Senate Committee meeting, complete with state Senators, CARB, and CalTrans officials.

Be there if you care.


11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday November 8 at the Solana Beach Presbyterian Church's Debin Hall, 120 Stevens Ave.

Meet the new boss

... same as the old boss.

Jane Twining-Blair and the developers succeeded in purchasing the swing city council seat for airhead Kristin Gaspar, who has no positions and no knowledge of anything other than that she wants to put 90' stadium lights in Cardiff. The Jerome Stocks 3-2 union-developer majority is preserved.

The best government money can buy.

How low can they go?

Bonus question: if Barth and Kranz are the socialists, then why are the taxpayers supporting them and the public employee unions supporting Dalager and Gaspar?

Late 'lection links

Everyone reading this already has his mind made up. You're either a hardcore Dalager/Gaspar supporter, or a hardcore Barth Kranz supporter.

So we're not going to change any minds among the informed. But you could still call a few of your less engaged friends and neighbors and fill them in.

A few parting links, then good luck to all for the election.

Gerald Sodomka writes in the new Encinitas Patch site: City responsible for construction delay on Hall Park Property.

And scenes from the Friday 10/29 press conference on dirty campaign funding: Bruce Ehlers, Marco Gonzalez and Bruce Ehlers, Teresa Barth, Tony Kranz, Maggie Houlihan, and Marco again.