Opportunities for Candidates Who Lose the Encinitas Mayoral Election

No candidate for public office can assume victory. They have to consider what they’ll do if they lose. In alphabetical order, longtime Encinitas resident Pat Dry offered these possibilities for the candidates:

Michael Blobe aka Myekah Beond

If Blobe aka Beond is in the job market after the November mayoral election or if he becomes a candidate again, it would be advisable for him to go with one name. Considering his options, it would also be advisable to provide a pronunciation guide.

Since Blobe aka Beond is a singer/songwriter, he might find an employment opportunity with Catherine Blakespear, regardless of a loss or win for her in the District 38 state Senate election.

If Blakespear loses, Blobe aka Beond could record the popular Please Cry for Me Encinitas, as seen in the March 15, 2021 post on this very blog. It’s a predictable best seller. Blobe aka Beond could also sing the song live at any public appearances Blakespear has the gall to make.

If Blakespear wins, substituting “California” for “Encinitas” in the title and lyrics would be a projection of what’s to come, while maintaining a paying opportunity for Blobe aka Beond.

Cindy Cremona

Cremona has run an executive recruiting firm for nearly 20 years. She’s been an activist in Encinitas for more than 10 years, advocating for local control and against mega-development.

Should Cremona lose the mayoral election, it’s doubtful she would become a shrinking violet. Her professional life is secure, and her public passions would continue.

Tony Kranz

If Kranz loses the mayoral election, he’ll have two years left in his City Council term. That’s assuming he survives the recall threatened on local social media, if that threat becomes action.

Should Kranz remain on the council, his role would depend on who his colleagues are and whether or not he’s still in the majority. If he is, he would continue his destructive ways and his solid record of betraying his heritage.

If Kranz is in the minority, he might as well hang up his spikes because his opponents on and off the council would render him powerless.

Either recalled or in the minority, Kranz would have more time to spend on his job as a printing broker.

Jeff Morris

In the history of Encinitas mayoral elections, Morris is the most insistent delusional candidate. In the highly unlikely event he wins, we can look forward to two years of embarrassments. His behavior would draw local, regional and maybe even national negative attention.

If Morris loses, he can continue to harass homeless people, gather phantom evidence of corruption in city government and post rants on local social media. He would hope that real estate remains a viable occupation for his spouse.

Let the Serious Campaigning Begin!

The California secretary of state certified the state Senate District 38 election results on July 15. Here are some statistics:

Reg'd Voters  Dem    Rep     NPP     Other  Turnout

SDC             41.3% 27.1%  24.8% 6.9%   34.9%

OC               37.4% 33.3%  23.7% 5.6%   35.2%

                                                     

Candidate   Gunderson (R)     Blakespear (D)

SDC Votes       69,652        78,171

OC Votes       36,706        21,412

District Votes 106,358        99,583

% of Total        45.9%          43%

More that 70% of the district’s voters are in San Diego County. Considering Blakespear’s longevity and prominence in city and county politics, it’s surprising her margin in San Diego County was only 5.8%. When the count was nearly complete, she had 51.3% of the votes in Encinitas. 

Gunderson is a retired businessman with no experience in electoral politics. His margin in Orange County was 26.3%. He had 34.8% of the votes in Encinitas when the count was almost complete.

While Democrats outnumber Republicans in both counties, about 30% of the voters are registered in neither major party. That makes using party preference to predict outcome unreliable. 

Which way the bulk of differently striped independents vote in the general election should strongly influence the results.

College Prof Says Buying Walnuts at Walmart Is Redundant

“We want to avoid redundancies in our everyday lives,” said Percival Poindexter, Ph.D., a language studies professor at the University of San Diego (USD). “Please get my place of employment right,” he added. “Don’t confuse it with San Diego State University (SDSU), the University of California San Diego (UCSD) or California State University San Marcos (CSUSM).

“But let’s get to the subject at hand,” Poindexter said. “Redundancies waste time. They’re awkward and inefficient. Identifying and eliminating them saves time, reduces stress and aids our pursuit of happiness.

“On a shopping visit to Walmart, I found walnuts,” said Poindexter. “I immediately saw an opportunity to eliminate a redundancy. I summoned the store manager and presented the problem to her. She understood my concern but said she would have to consult with corporate executives about withdrawing walnuts from sale because Walmart carries them at about 4,000 stores in the US alone.

“That magnified the opportunity enormously,” said Poindexter. “Here was a chance to eliminate a redundancy on a massive scale. The store manager thanked me for my input and took my contact information so she could get back to me.

“Hurting the walnut industry or depriving people of walnuts is not a concern,” said Poindexter. “Customers can buy walnuts at other stores or online. Ceasing walnut sales at Walmart causes no harm to businesses or consumers and yields benefits to all involved.”

Encinitas City Council Votes to Make Parking Spaces Smaller

To effect its Climate Action Plan (CAP), the city of Encinitas has:

• Mandated vehicle lane diets to reduce gas-powered miles driven,

• Replaced gas-powered vehicles in the city fleet with electrics,

• Installed charging stations at City Hall,

• Encouraged residents to buy electric or hybrid vehicles,

• Contracted to place rent-a-bikes at convenient locations, and

• Installed bike and sharrow lanes throughout the city. 

Noting that many residents own large, gas-guzzling cars and trucks, the City Council recently voted unanimously to make all parking spaces smaller.

In a statement accompanying the decision, the council said the little spaces will encourage residents to replace their gas guzzlers with small hybrid and fully electric vehicles.

The city’s new mandate will continue the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions that its previous CAP actions started, said the statement.