August 9 & 16, 2017.
I have moved to a new newsletter format with a short summary of the topic and a link to the full blog entry on my website. Enjoy!
DISTRICTING
Encinitas received a letter from Shenkman & Hughes that challenged our at-large (whole city) election of City Council Members and asked us to move to district elections (only part of the city) to better accommodate "communities of interest" -- in Shenkman's view, latino voters. To date no city has been able to win a California Voters Rights Act case in court. If we voluntarily move to districting, we have a 90-day grace period -- early December -- to finalize all maps and timing for elections in 2018. The process requires at least two public hearings before maps and timelines are created and at least two public hearings afterwards. So with this tight timeline, on Wednesday we reported from closed session that we directed staff to move forward with public hearings for the districting process.
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A BETTER PLAN FOR BEACON’S BEACH ACCESS
Beacon's Beach's active landslide area has been a difficult issue to solve since 2002. Given the safety, beach access and liability issues at this beach, the Council had consensus on Wednesday for to come back with a better plan for Beacon's Beach access that could be approved by the California Coastal Commission.
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SANTA FE DRIVE SOUTH SIDEWALK PROJECT
In order to improve the safety and mobility for all road users on Santa Fe Drive from Gardena Road to San Dieguito Academy, the Council directed staff to implement several changes recommended by national mobility expert Dan Burden, including realigning the travel lanes, adding some sort of bike lane buffer, improve the pedestrian experience at intersections and look into the feasibility of a crossing median at Gardena Road on Santa Fe Drive.
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EV FAST CHARGING COMING TO CITY HALL
Corridor Power, a non-profit, received a grant and final approval by the Planning Commission and City Council to operate an electric vehicle (EV) fast-charging station out of the City Hall lower lot. A subcommittee of Mayor Blakespear and myself will work out the details of the licensing agreement, which will include free charging to Encinitas residents, City vehicles and City Staff; Encinitas branding and tourism information; an onsite valet to maximize parking and charging; and solar power panels and battery storage and more.
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PEDESTRIAN CONNECTIVITY NEAR MOONLIGHT BEACH
The north side of B Street will be safer and more accessible. The Council voted to extend the sidewalk improvements planned for a short section near Highway 101 all the way to Moonlight Beach, adding much needed safety, connectivity and ADA accessibility. This is a huge win for visitors, locals and businesses alike!
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PAVEMENT REHABILITATION AND OVERLAY PROJECT
Our roads will receive over $3.3 million in overlaps to improve the poorest of our streets, including striping that will increase mobility for all road users.
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UNSCHEDULED COMMISSION APPOINTMENTS
We appointed Christina Simokat as the New Encinitas representative on the Traffic and Public Safety Commission; Christian Adams and Inge Bisconer to the Environmental Commission. Thank you Maryam Babaki and Leah Bissonette for your valued service!
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TURMOIL AT SANDAG
SANDAG -- the San Diego Association of Governments -- is in trouble and it looks like there is light at the end of the tunnel. The SANDAG Executive Director resigned and state legislation is looking to add transparency and accountability, though some details are still being worked out. And SANDAG will still need to regain public trust if it wants to see voter-approved sales tax increases for future transportation and transit in our county.
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