MiraCosta College to Offer Highway 101 Course

In keeping with the academic tradition of offering introductory courses like Economics 101 and Biology 101, MiraCosta College will soon offer Highway 101 at its Cardiff campus.

The course will trace the nearly 100-year history of Highway 101 along its route through California, Oregon and Washington from Mexico to Canada. 

Because the approximately 1,700-mile Highway 101 has been traveled for nearly 100 years, a huge catalog of history has accumulated. The course will examine that history through written accounts, still photographs, movies and videos. The course will cover the various names for segments of the route and the origins of those names.

The MiraCosta College Highway 101 course will acknowledge the prominence of the route in the cultural history of the U.S. West Coast. Student response to the introductory course will determine if an advanced course will be offered subsequently.

Alila Marea Hotel Room Reservations Going Like Hot Cakes

Since the stunning Alila Marea Beach Resort announced that room reservations are available starting on February 28, 2021, they’ve been going like hot cakes.

The resort hotel is on the bluff above South Carlsbad (Ponto) State Beach at the foot of La Costa Avenue in Leucadia.

For cheapskates and budget-conscious people, a room for two is available for a paltry $427 per night. For those with a bigger purse, rooms go for $452, $627, $727, $827, $1227 or $4477.

“It’s such a lovely spot,” said Leucadian Edith Quesadilla. “I’m so looking forward to its opening so my hubby and I can do a staycation there.”

“Well, I don’t know what the big deal is,” said local Peter Wiener. “It’s not that great a beach, it’s all rocks in the winter, and the surf break is on the other side of the jetties. It’s a public beach, just like all the others in California. OK, I guess some of the rooms have a nice view.”

“If I stayed at one of the Hiltons a little north in Carlsbad,” said Suzy Cue, “I’d have to cross 101 to get to the beach. So I’d rather pay four or five times as much to be on the west side of the road. And Ponto has great volleyball courts.”

Feast your eyes, soothe your soul, and make your reservations here:

https://www.alilahotels.com/marea-beach-resort-encinitas#top

Mayor Blakespear to Open Encinitas Pot Shop

“Although the vote on Measure H is close,” said Encinitas Mayor Catherine Blakespear, “the margin between yes and no is big enough that it’s likely the measure will pass. Since only four pot shop licenses will be granted in Encinitas, I wanted to jump in early to ensure I get one.”

At post time, the margin between Measure H yes and no votes was 876. That’s a 2.24% spread with 11,000 votes left to tally countywide. It’s not known how many of that number are from Encinitas. Counts on recent days have increased the margin.

“I see owning a pot shop as a way to be close to and understand our city’s business community,” said Blakespear. “It’s difficult to truly understand a group’s interests without being a member. Running a retail business in Encinitas will give me an insider’s view.

“I considered other types of businesses before deciding on a pot shop,” said Blakespear. “Along with having so many restaurants, beer joints, bars and coffee places already, COVID made opening another look too risky. Pot shops in other cities in the county are doing well. Since we have none in Encinitas, the venture looked like a sure success.

“I’ll keep Encinitans up to date as my pot shop develops,” said Blakespear. “I look forward to my grand opening and seeing you all as customers.”

XANAX® Use Soars in Encinitas 

 “We noticed the spike on Tuesday, November 3,” said Chester Field, spokesman for the Encinitas Pharmacists’ Council (EPC). “Closer examination revealed it shot up when the San Diego County registrar of voters released the first election results for the three Encinitas City Council seats. Then the steep incline continued as the voting trend held. Cause and effect aren’t usually so easy to determine.” 

XANAX® is a controlled substance. It’s used to treat anxiety and panic disorder. It can cause paranoid or suicidal ideation and impair memory, judgment, and coordination. Combining it with other substances, particularly alcohol, can slow breathing and possibly lead to death. 

“XANAX® is a serious medication,” said Field. “It’s not like having a beer or glass of wine or toking on a joint. It’s not to be toyed with.” 

While doctors and pharmacists acknowledge the urge to resort to XANAX® when considering the consequences of the Encinitas election, they advise caution in using the medication.

Make Encinitas Great Again, Again — Vote to Keep Me as Your Mayor

I’ve been here for 100 years. No, wait, I’m delusional. My family has been here 100 years.

I’m the developers’ pal. I want to Make Encinitas Great Again, Again. You must re-elect me as your mayor so I can do that.

We can help solve the climate crisis by building more and denser housing in Encinitas. It’s common sense. More people packed together more tightly will release fewer GHG emissions. It’s the same as more cattle on less acreage burping and farting less methane.

My hands are tied when the city is up against state law. But it’s not a B&D thing. State law prevails over local ordinances, and there’s nothing we can do about it.

I know better than you. That’s why I don’t listen to residents and can do whatever I want. I’m sure you know that whenever the council faces an important decision, we don’t wait for the meeting. We decide ahead of time.

At council meetings, residents can talk until they run out of wind. They can appeal our land-use decisions, but it doesn’t matter. We’re not listening. We’ve already decided. The hearings are fake. We’re just going through the motions so it seems our local government is a democracy.

I’m all about power. It’s a drug I like. I welcome the Verdu and Gonzalez PAC money behind my re-election. The city’s $250-per-person limit is piddly. Only the PAC money lets me roll out the big artillery.

One of the ways I exercise power is to have fewer but longer council meetings. Residents get bored or tired and log off or go home. There’s weaker opposition and less the council has to pretend to listen to.

But the ultimate power is my ability to sue residents who refuse to bow to my will. The city attorney is at my disposal, and the city has bucks the residents don’t.

Of course, the real purpose of the Prop A lawsuit is to let a simple majority of the council make land-use decisions. Now it takes a super majority or unanimity. That and the pesky Prop A are in the way. I want them gone. They’re frustrating my big development plans.

Even though COVID has hurt city tax revenue, we still have a surplus. That’s how we can commit $7.3 million for the first phase of Leucadia Streetscape.

Then there’s the homeless problem. Everybody knows that experiencing homelessness is different from being homeless. Whatever you call it, it persists. Attracting more homeless people to our city will reduce the number experiencing homelessness.

I want you to re-elect me as your mayor so I can continue to destroy what makes Encinitas a fabulous place to live. And besides, if I’m not mayor, I wouldn’t know what to do. I don’t want to go back to being an estate-planning lawyer or a journalist. That’s behind me. What I want ahead is another term as mayor and to become SANDAG chair. Beyond that, who knows? The sky’s the limit.

Vote for me, Catherine Blakespear. Keep me as mayor of Encinitas.