Why I’m a candidate to be a member of the Encinitas City Council in 2012
2012 began with big waves breaking upon the shores of Encinitas. During this surge of the sea, I spent a morning at sunrise, making photographs at Beacons Beach, when shorebirds and dolphins were being joined by surfers, to enjoy the life in the Pacific Ocean. It was a great reminder of why I love Encinitas.
Our community is special, and I will work to keep it that way. Here are some of the things I will bring to the council:
- Dedication to Open Government principles
It took a judge’s order for the city to release the draft document from a $100,000 consultant’s report. Thousands of dollars were spent by the city on their own legal defense, and having lost in court, the city had to pay for the other guy’s attorney. Citizens shouldn’t have to file a lawsuit to get government documents (not subject to privacy laws) released. I will make sure that the city adopts and implements policies that will make it unlikely these matters will have to be fought in court.
- New focus on getting things done
The Hall Property parkland is still surrounded by a fence, denying us access to a facility that we have paid millions for each year since it was purchased more than 10 years ago. A state grant of $2.7 million to improve beach access has not been used, also more than 1o years after the grant was awarded. Government is not known for doing things quickly, but this is ridiculous. - Address traffic issues
With Carlsbad to the north and San Marcos to the east, surface streets in our city get significantly more traffic due to the morning and evening commute congestion on I-5. It will take more than just freeway widening to make getting across town less excruciating. - Make certain the General Plan Update isn’t a step backwards
Our current General Plan is working very well, but needs to be updated to consider ideas about how we would like to see our city in 2035. That doesn’t mean we totally abandon the current General Plan, which seems to have happened with the Draft General Plan Update.