Planning Commission meeting gets contentious

U-T:

The Encinitas City Council should take another look at the 19 sites it is proposing to rezone for high-density housing and reconsider some of them before putting the list on the ballot in November, the city's Planning Commission unanimously agreed Thursday.

After hearing hours of testimony from 50 public speakers, commissioners said the speakers had made some very convincing points about the unsuitability of some of the sites. The commission didn't vote on which ones ought to be pulled from the controversial list, saying that highly politicized decision was the council's to make.

But, several commissioners said, at least three sites added late in the review process were prime removal candidates and one new site mentioned Thursday night should be added to the list. Both audience members and commissioners forecasted gloomy prospects for the ballot measure if the list remains as it is.

"If these three to four (sites) remain on here, there's really no shot it's going to pass," Commissioner Al Apuzzo said, referring to several sites that faced intense opposition from neighboring homeowners that night.

Kellen Winslow II arrested in Park Encinitas trailer park burglary

CBS 8:

Former NFL tight end Kellen Winslow II, the son of San Diego Chargers legend Kellen Winslow, was arrested Thursday night on suspicion of burglarizing a residence at the Park Encinitas Mobile Home Park.

Winslow was spotted around 2:40 p.m. walking into a residence at the park in the 400 block of North El Camino Real by a neighbor who lived nearby, according to Lt. Karen Stubkjaer of the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.

The neighbor confronted Winslow because he did not recognize him as being the resident who lived there, Stubkjaer said.

The 34-year-old Winslow left the scene in a black SUV and deputies spotted him a short distance from the park, she said.

Winslow, a Cardiff homeowner, has had brushes with the law before.

Levin claims victory in 49th Congressional District

Coast News:

Republican Diane Harkey emerged as the top vote-getter after the June 5 primary election in the race to replace Darrell Issa, who did not seek re-election. The State Board of Equalization member will likely face Orange County environmental attorney Mike Levin, who leads Sara Jacobs and Doug Applegate with thousands of ballots remaining to be counted.

Sara Jacobs is still ahead of Levin by 200 votes in San Diego County's results, but Levin has a 2000-vote lead in Orange County.

Rehab racket comes to Encinitas

Coast News:

The proliferation of addiction recovery centers in Southern California coastal communities has given rise to the catchy nickname “Rehab Riviera.”

Largely unregulated and often incredibly expensive, these sober-living homes and rehab facilities for drug and alcohol addiction have led to numerous homeowner complaints in cities like Costa Mesa.

Leucadia residents at the City Council meeting on May 23 voiced their concerns that Encinitas could be the next stop on the Rehab Riviera if the city does not do something to regulate sober-living homes.

A lot of these places are a complete scam. They lure people to do rehab in a luxury location, bill the insurance thousands of dollars a month, then throw the patients out on the street when the insurance runs out. More on the racket at NBC Los Angeles.

Election results

Encinitas politicians go 1 for 5: Boerner advances to general election, Gaspar distant 5th, Stocks and Muir fail to break single digits but siphon enough votes to keep Graham and Republicans off the general election ballot.

It will take a while to count since so many people vote by mail now, but a lot of the races aren't very close. Jacobs and Levin are neck and neck for 2nd in the Congressional race though. Results here.

Leucadia Bull Taco location to get trendy Asian restaurant from D.C.

Eater San Diego:

Chiko, the Eater Awards 2017 editor’s choice winner for Game Changer of the Year in Washington, D.C., is winging its way to North County, where it will open in Encinitas later this summer. Named for the two cuisines — Chinese and Korean — that the menu most represents, it’s been an out-of-the gate hit since its opening last July and remains one of the toughest tables to score in the nation’s capital.

Housing update effect on traffic gridlock

From the Inbox:

Does the state law on the Housing Element upzoning require traffic gridlock?

To be fair, we already have LOS level F gridlock in many places around Encinitas, and you can't get worse than F, can you?