Would the Mayor of Encinitas Rise to the Challenge?

If a vacancy were to open on the Encinitas City Council, what would Mayor Catherine Blakespear do? 

Would she call for a special election so the voters could choose a replacement? Would she appoint another toady who would fall in line and vote with her 100 percent of the time? Would she have the courage to appoint a rival, namely Julie Thunder, the candidate who came within 10 percent of beating her in the November mayoral election?

Lincoln had the courage and strength of character to appoint a team of rivals as cabinet members. Would Blakespear match Lincoln’s action, or would she round out the City Council as a team of toadies?

Considering her past appointments and endorsements, the chances are Blakespear would appoint another toady. But if she’s politically ambitious, that would look weak, would be unpopular, would generate serious criticism and wouldn’t shape future campaigns well.

What would Blakespear do about a vacancy on the Encinitas City Council? Take a guess.

 

Encinitas Will Build Gateway Arch – But Where?

The Encinitas City Council has decided to build a gateway arch as a way to welcome visitors to the city. Council members are debating among themselves as to where to put the arch.

“Most sales tax revenue is generated in New Encinitas,” said Councilman Joe Mosca, “so I think the arch should be at the El Camino Real or Rancho Santa Fe Road entries to the city.”

“The city treasurer would probably confirm that,” said Mayor Catherine Blakespear, “but most visitors arrive via the freeway or Highway 101, so I think the appropriate choice is one of those routes.”

“A lot of tourists fly to the San Diego airport and then come to Encinitas on the coast route,” said Councilwoman Jody Hubbard, “so putting the arch across 101 at the Solana Beach border sounds good to me.”

“You might accuse me of bias because I worked for the Leucadia 101 Main Street Association,” said Councilwoman Kellie Hinze. “Nevertheless, I think the border with Carlsbad along 101 is the best place for the arch.”

“I’ll join the discussion, and maybe we can come to a consensus here,” said Councilman Tony Kranz. “Here’s my reasoning: There are six freeway exits to Encinitas. We can’t put an arch at one or more, so that takes the freeway out of contention. Councilman Mosca is probably right about sales tax revenue, but that’s almost all from residents. The arch is to welcome visitors, so El Camino Real and Rancho Santa Fe Road are gone from the discussion.

 “Most visitors come from north of us,” continued Kranz. “That puts the Solana Beach border out of consideration. Visitors driving 101 from the north would go under the arch if it crossed 101 at the Carlsbad line. Those exiting the freeway at La Costa Avenue and heading for the fabulous Alila Marea Beach Resort, the fantastic Marea Village adjacent to it, or anywhere south of those two would see the arch looming over 101 just north of the intersection.

“The facts point to what I think is the inescapable answer. I’m not saying this only because my choice is in my district,” concluded Kranz. “The arch should cross Highway 101 at the Carlsbad-Encinitas border. After careful consideration, I think the other council members will agree.”

Encinitas Announces Graffiti Competition

Following the success of the I-5 underpass murals at Santa Fe Drive and Encinitas Boulevard, the city of Encinitas has announced a graffiti competition. The competition is part of the city’s public art initiative.

Only graffiti artistry displayed on public property surfaces will be considered in the competition. They are available throughout the city.

For example, the city cited the surface shown above. It’s near the corner of North Coast Highway 101 and Phoebe Street and close to the Leucadia post office. The front and back are eligible as individual surfaces.

Only the first and sole graffiti on any public surface will be accepted in the competition. Defacing done following the original graffiti will disqualify it. Spot graffiti are discouraged. The more of the surface the artist uses, the better the chances of winning the competition. 

Judges will look for originality of concept and design, and quality of execution. The city cited Banksy’s and Keith Haring’s graffiti as outstanding examples.

Winners will be announced in January 2021.

It’s Official: The Votes and the Mandate Are In

The San Diego County Registrar of Voters has counted all the votes cast in the November 3, 2020 election and posted the results.

I beat Julie Thunder by 10%. Tony Kranz beat Alex Riley by 11.7%, and Kellie Hinze beat Susan Turney by a whopping 23.3%. Measure H, which lets four pot shops open in Encinitas, passed by 2.3%.

To be honest — you know I’m always honest — I’m surprised by the comfortable margins. The four council members and I inflicted so much pain across the breadth of the city that I thought the three eligible positions were in danger. 

Of course, I see our triumphs as a clear mandate. I assure residents who didn’t vote for us, who opposed us at council meetings and who slammed us on local social media that we will not only continue to ignore you, but we will actively pursue policies that are opposite your wishes.

For those who don’t agree that my victory is a mandate, witness my unanimous election as the upcoming chairwoman of SANDAG. If I didn’t think I deserved it, I would find the board’s gushing praise embarrassing. The position will let me impose my power countywide, at least regarding transportation.

Encinitas residents can look forward to my doubling down on the agenda I’ve been pursuing since my first election as mayor in 2016. Some specifics: More and denser development, abusive land use, bigger population, fewer and narrower traffic lanes, more and wider bike lanes, more bollards, letting the state tie my hands, fewer and longer council meetings, inviting more homeless to our city, killing Prop A dead as a doornail, fully funding and building Streetscape, pursuing an ineffective climate action plan, suing residents who organize to oppose me, and packing the commissions and staff with acolytes. 

I’ll soon start my third term as your mayor. My policies and I will become so firmly entrenched that we will be very hard to undo. I only wish I didn’t have to run for reelection every two years. That’s really a pain. With so many voters on my side, maybe the majority will pass a measure to make the mayor’s term four years.

For those who are stressed by my secure position in seats of power, I suggest sampling the wares I will offer in my soon-to-open Encinitas pot shop.