Amtrak to stop in Encinitas beginning October 7

Coast News:

Those in North County who wish to hop on the Pacific Surfliner no longer have to make the trek to Solana Beach or Oceanside.

Six of Amtrak’s Surfliner trains will stop daily at all of the eight county Coaster stations beginning Oct. 7. North County Transit District (NCTD), which runs the Coaster stations, recently announced a deal with Amtrak and Caltrans to expand the Surfliner service.

This will be convenient for people going to or from Orange County, LA, and beyond. Amtrak is a fun, if overpriced, way for single people to travel. If you have two or more people traveling together, it's usually cheaper and faster to drive (it's often cheaper even to rent a car).

Locals will also be able to use Coaster tickets on Amtrak trains between Oceanside and downtown San Diego, though cyclists will have to buy much more expensive ($12 each way!) Amtrak tickets to bring bikes.

How Congressman Issa saved the Internet

Read all about it in Forbes.

Rep. Issa's media image as a bare-knuckled brawler certainly is part of the truth about him.  And we don't at all disbelieve his alleged youthful indiscretions which may have included felonies.  But Rep. Issa is a far more complex character than the New York Times would have you believe.  And sometimes, as in the SOPA/PIPA case outlined in the Forbes article, he's a principled crusader, reaching across the aisle to find allies to fight for what's right against powerful interests.

And then sometimes he goes along with the majority and the President and votes to allow the indefinite detention of Americans without trial.

Encinitas' thriving new industry: stock photo location

Encinitas has recently been all over national news stories:

Google apps are shown on an Apple iphone 5 in this photo illustration in Encinitas, California.

Shopping carts from a Target store are lined up in Encinitas, California 

U.S. postal service mail boxes at a post office in Encinitas, California

Gasoline prices are displayed on a signboard at a Shell gas station in Encinitas, California.

The Netflix sign on is shown on an iPad in Encinitas, California

A help wanted sign is posted on the door of a gas station in Encinitas, California

A Google sign is seen at a Best Buy electronics store in this photo illustration in Encinitas, California

Encinitas' new-found fame is thanks to Reuters photographer and Encinitas resident Mike Blake.

Roundabouts are hard

A sign in the middle of the Santa Fe roundabout was mangled, apparently by an eastbound driver, during a vibrant Labor Day weekend downtown.

The more we think about it, the more roundabouts make a lot of sense as drunk traps.  Far better for late night 101 drunks to get into single-car accidents crashing into the middle of a roundabout than to T-bone somebody running a red light or kill someone on the freeway.

A little common sense and elbow grease goes a long way

For years, goat head thorn puncture vines have plagued the 101 and Vulcan bike paths from Encinitas Boulevard to La Costa.

When residents and cyclists complained to the city, staff made excuses such as that they didn't have enough money or that it was NCTD's problem.

Frustrated with City and NCTD inaction, some residents took matters into their own hands and organized a clean-up, which was a good start but didn't eliminate the problem. The next year, the vines were back.

Recently, cyclists have once again been seen on the 101 and Vulcan bike paths, and the once-ubiquitous puncture vine plants appear to have been cleared by rakes. How did that happen?

Encinitas Undercover has learned that in early August, Council Member Tony Kranz e-mailed NCTD staff asking to put together a joint effort by the City and NCTD to solve the problem. Within weeks, NCTD was on it.

In response to an inquiry, NCTD Right of Way Officer Tim Morehead writes:

NCTD has instructed our contractors to use hand tools and to drag burlap sacks around to remove the remaining goat heads from the ground on the east and west side of the tracks from La Costa Ave. to Leucadia Ave. Moving forward we will continue our efforts monitoring this area and looking for a permanent solution.

Thanks to Tony Kranz for taking the initiative to fix a problem that has plagued the community for years, and thanks to NCTD for the quick response when asked. Why did no previous council members make a similar request years ago?

SPECIAL EDITION! City of Encinitas Strategic Plan Inside!

So this is what Gus Vina has had City Council doing all year while not addressing the chronic road maintenance backlog, not reforming pensions, and not right-sizing city staff.



And here's the result: a five-page PowerPoint presentation full of feel-good buzzwords.





Well played, Vina!

Aloha Kook

What's "G Aloha 7?"