Encinitas Mayor Declares Devotion to Developers

For the sake of transparency and to make sure Encinitas voters understand where I’m coming from, I want to supplement what I’ve said in my happy-talk newsletters and in my Facebook posts and video sessions.

Like most Encinitans, I want to preserve and enhance our paradise. The way to do that is to encourage and permit more development.

We must comply with state housing laws. We must keep up with city employees’ pension payments. We must pay city employees’ salaries and benefits. We must pay city consultants. We must pay vendors who sell products and services to the city. We must pay bond interest and other financial obligations. We must continue capital improvement projects. The list goes on and on.

It all takes money. The city has two main sources of revenue: property taxes and sales taxes. Property taxes bring in well over three times as much as sales taxes. Sales tax revenues are projected to fall because of the coronavirus. Property taxes are stable.

To maintain solvency and keep up with the city’s financial obligations, we must increase property tax revenues. More development will do that.

People have said I’ve never known a developer or seen a development I didn’t like. That’s true and now you know why. I hereby declare my continuing devotion to developers.