House cleaning begins: Planning Director Jeff Murphy out!

This from an EU source who has been consistently solid in the past.

Murphy is reportedly gone as of October 2, and will be taking a job with the City of San Diego.

Murphy was hired by former City Manager Gus Vina, and had a rocky relationship from the start with both the council and the public. The perpetually failed Housing Element Update was the responsibility of his department, and residents say Murphy's Planning Department often encouraged property owners to build denser developments out of character with their neighborhoods. The City Council famously ripped into Murphy in 2013 when he tried to replace the 4/5 majority rule for upzoning with a 3/5 simple majority.

Murphy was most recently responsible for the new full-time, pensioned code enforcement officer who did almost nothing to address the downtown problems but instead harassed a Cardiff bar that wasn't bothering anybody.

A longer, but surely incomplete, history of Murphy's travails can be found here.

Former Sierra Madre Councilman Joe Mosca appointed to Parks & Rec Commission

In February, controversial former Sierra Madre Councilman Joe Mosca applied for the Parks & Rec Commission.

Last night, the City Council appointed Mosca to fill a vacancy on the commission.

Judging by his past and his political affiliations, Mosca will run for City Council, and he'll align with the Barthist "Smart Growther" faction on the council.

More on Mosca's history at Sierra Madre Tattler.

9/9/15 City Council meeting open thread

The current city council has continued prior councils' practice of not providing written summary minutes of council discussion, but only "action minutes" which state the outcomes. Encinitas Undercover will provide a forum for observers to record what occurs at each council meeting.

Please use the comments to record your observations.

2016 Election Pre-game

By request.

There are a lot of interesting structural dynamics in the 2016 election.  Here's how we see the players. We'll categorize them by the three local factions: Republicans, Barthists, and Prop A folks.

Kristin Gaspar (Republican): Already announced Supervisor run.  Opponents are Escondido Mayor Sam Abed and incumbent Dave Roberts (or a Democratic replacement if Roberts doesn't recover from the hostile work environment and improper use of taxpayer funds scandals).  Gaspar is thus likely out of Encinitas politics unless she fails to make the top two in the June Supervisor primary and then announces she'll seek re-election.

Catherine Blakespear (Barthist): Likely to run for Mayor from her safe council seat (as Tony Kranz did in 2014).  May not face a serious challenger because most other candidates would find it easier to win a council seat.

Tony Kranz (Barthist): Will run for re-election unless he moves out of state.  Likely to win due to large number of open seats (4 if Blakespear wins Mayor seat) and likely weak field.

Mark Muir (Republican): Likely to run for re-election, won't challenge Blakespear for Mayor because it would a lot riskier than running for council.  Likely to win re-election.

Lisa Shaffer (Barthist): Has said she wouldn't run again, but don't count on it.

Paul Gaspar (Republican): Seems politically ambitious and could probably win a council seat given his name recognition and fundraising ability.

Sheila Cameron (Prop A): Won't run again.

Julie Graboi (Prop A): Seems inclined not to run, but would be among the stronger Prop A candidates due to name recognition and practice on the campaign trail.  Remember, Tony Kranz got elected on his second try.

Al Lerchbacker (Republican): Hasn't been seen much since failed 2014 campaign, so it's unclear whether he's still interested.  However, with party backing and an earlier start and easier field this time, could probably win a seat.

So at this point we'll pencil in Blakespear for Mayor, Kranz and Muir to keep their council seats, and two other seats up for grabs.

We can think of several other Barthists who might run: the "Engage Encinitas" women and a traffic commissioner or two.  We're not aware of any other Prop A folks getting ready to run.  What have you heard?

UPDATE: Welcome former Sierra Madre Smart Growther Councilman Joe Mosca to the race!

UPDATE 2: Apparently the rules are such that if Blakespear wins Mayor and thus vacates her council seat, the seat does not go to the fourth-place vote getter, but is appointed by the council.  The vacancy wouldn't occur until the new mayor is seated, so presumably the new council is the one to make the appointment.  If Mosca wins, the Barthists would have a 3-1 majority and make an appointment to give themselves a 4-1 supermajority (which could resurrect the Barth-Shaffer-Kranz sales tax increase).  If Lerch or another Republican wins, we'd have a 2-2 stalemate which could lead to the appointment of an independent, non-partisan compromise candidate.

Happy 50th Carol Kook

Stocks, Gaspar, Muir launch North County Republican PAC

There's a new PAC in town. North County Leadership Council:

Despite the fact that North County holds a large proportion of the county’s population (approximately 57%), serves as an important economic hub, and holds practically unlimited potential, the region lacks an established political network dedicated toward promoting and electing the next generation of pro-prosperity candidates.

Consequently, a coalition of North County elected officials and community leaders has established the North County Leadership Council, an organization dedicated to supporting and electing strong leaders for the future while advocating for issues that matter to the region as a whole.

We believe an alliance among elected officials from all North County cities and jurisdictions north of State Route 56 can create stronger political leadership and new opportunities for the region.

Primary among the organizations activities will be the establishment and growth of a Political Action Committee geared toward supporting local and regional candidates who have received the endorsement of the organization.

In addition, the NCLC will also seek to organize regional leaders to address, advocate for, or oppose issues that have an impact on the entire region.

Former Mayor Jerome Stocks is the Chairman of NCLC, and current Mayor Kristin Gaspar and Councilman Mark Muir are on the board of directors, along with other north county Republican mayors and council members.

Filings show that the PAC was established in May, with its initial funding coming in June from Gaspar, Muir, and Stocks Insurance in addition to Oceanside Councilman Jerry Kern and two others.

Anyone interested in supporting stronger political leadership and new opportunities for the region can contribute here.

Local Summer

In the 1890's, early German settlers in Olivenhain coined the term "Lokalen Sommer," referring to that time from early September to early October when the Zonies headed back home and the grommets were back in school, but the weather remained spectacular and the beaches were all for locals.



In the tradition of those early settlers, Encinitans from every corner (especially Merle), rejoice in Local Summer to this day.