Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Stir, Tizzy, Spasm, Incredulous, Absurd, Ugly, Passion

Name-change proposal causes stir in Encinitas
By Angela Lau
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

August 16, 2006

ENCINITAS
– Change B Street to Amakusa Way, in honor of a sister city in Japan?

Some say no way. Others say it must be a joke.

The source of the commotion is a surprise proposal to change the name of B Street downtown, from South Coast Highway 101 to Moonlight Beach.

City officials who proposed the change – without City Council approval – had hoped to use it as a welcoming gesture to an Amakusa delegation that is expected to arrive Sept. 28 to participate in Encinitas' 20th birthday bash Oct. 1.

But what seems to have been an administrative move has thrown the city into a bit of a tizzy and prompted a business owner on B Street, who would be most affected by the proposed change, to ask: “Don't they have anything else to do?”

“Why in the world would they change the name of B Street to something that has nothing to do with us?” said Paul Rotsheck, owner of Moonlight Beach Motel.

“The sister-city program is a very exclusive group of people who get to participate. This is the only la-di-da cultural thing this city does.”

The objections were not directed at Amakusa, which politicians emphasized has been a gracious host since a friendship with the southern Japanese city started in 1988.

Instead, the spasm is about an official notice sent by the Engineering Services Department to 54 property owners around B Street without notifying the Encinitas City Council.

“This sounds like a prank,” Councilman Jerome Stocks said, laughing. “I find it hard to believe this is a serious issue.

“No, I don't support it. It is too arbitrary for me. We have A through K Street. The alphabet is all in order. I rather like an orderly way to do things.”

Stocks' counter-proposal is to give the sister city a nice plaque.

Councilman Dan Dalager said he would rather stick with B Street.

“It's been B Street all my life. It works really well,” Dalager said. “They want a new name, find a new street. If they want to do it as a temporary thing, it's absolutely wonderful. We can even rename Highway 101 (temporarily) to Amakusa 101.”

Councilwoman Maggie Houlihan saw little humor in the situation and accused city officials of bypassing the City Council.

“I was incredulous,” Houlihan said. “This is absurd. It costs money to change the name of a street. Why don't we name a park after the sister city instead?

“They are going to make the sister program into something ugly. This is a good program that needs public participation.”

Deputy Mayor James Bond said he prefers to name a new street after Amakusa, adding that Mayor Christy Guerin probably knows what's going on better than anyone else.

She's the one with the passion,” Bond said.

Guerin did not return repeated telephone calls.

Parks and Recreation Director Chris Hazeltine said the proposal originated from a visit to Amakusa at the beginning of June.

At the time, Amakusa officials told the city's delegation they wanted to name a street after Encinitas.

Members of the delegation, which consisted of Hazeltine, City Manager Kerry Miller, Fire Chief Mark Muir, Guerin and Bond, said they wanted to reciprocate, Hazeltine said.

The proposal is expected to be discussed by the City Council on Sept. 13.

Those farther away from the epicenter were blasé about it yesterday.

A homeowner near B Street, Jerry Mendelson, said he has no problem with the idea.

“Some people just don't like change,” Mendelson said.

Another resident, Travis Higginbottom, said he didn't really care.

“Let them do whatever makes them happy,” Higginbottom said.

31 comments:

  1. I hope none of the people believe that the city council did not know about this as they claim. If it is true and they didn't authorize this expenditure of public funds, then someone should be fired for going as far as they have. Who is running the city, staff of council? This is another example of a city out of control. Lets elect a council that can control the city manager, attorney and staff.

    DUMP THE COUNCIL IN NOVEMBER AND RECALL THE REST IN DECEMEBER.

    ReplyDelete
  2. "public participation" - who's kidding who. This is a VERY exclusive Christy club - they travel and party on the taxpayers dime and there is absolutely NO public participation.

    ReplyDelete
  3. J.P.

    Please do not make us wait any longer. Share with us the apology emails that you have by now reieved fron Dan Dalager and Jerome Stocks. They do not deserve your protection.

    I'll check back in a half hour to enjoy.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Now wait a minute, Adam Kaye reported that the suggestion came from The Sister City Commission. Now Angela Lau said it came from city officials. Most say the Sister City Commission was abolished several years ago and Jim Bond seems to say "ask Christy."
    My money is on Christy. We are probably going to see lots of these deals of hers until she gets out of here.

    ReplyDelete
  5. A little off topic but did anyone catch Hedgecocks show yesterday.

    He quoted our city councilman and NCTD chair JEROME STOCKS from May 2nd saying that the Sprinter is "ON TIME AND ON BUDGET". Fast forward only 3 months. It turns out the Sprinter is TWO YEARS behind schedule and 55 Million dollars OVER budget.

    Where did Jerome get so far off track? He is the grand Poobah of the NCTD.

    Hedgecock called our councilman a BOOB, a BLOCKHEAD and an IDIOT all in one sentence. I almost lost control of my bladder. Until I agreed.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I heard that too. Stocks is a regular listener and caller to Rodgers show.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Is it really too much to ask people at city hall, both elected and employees, to not spend time and taxpayer money on something so ridiculous when there are much more important ways TO SPEND OUR MONEY !!!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Jerome is right, "give them a plaque" and get back to something serious.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I agree with Paul R, "don't they have anything else to do."

    ReplyDelete
  10. Cut off their heads!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. You know what? I am upset about what the government is doing, at all levels. Locally we might have a prayer to voice our opinions, contact our city staff and council, make a small but significant difference.

    I think the person who is putting down this blog (previous comment on post by JP re name change) is a Guerin or somebody else on Council or staff.

    We are doing our best to be responsible for our own actions, and we cannot accept many of the changes. Change for the worse is not progress. And speaking out is the only way we can have some slight feeling of control.

    JP, we love you and your blog, but we are not with you on this issue. We liked Elm St. in Carlsbad, and we like B St. by Moonlight. Those Japanese tourists will come and buy your boards even though it's still named B Street. The previous poster's point about the downtown mainstreet refurbishing, with historical perspective is well taken. People do appreciate some tradition. Change initiated just to stroke the egos of a select few is not progress.

    Let B St. be!

    And if Bossypants has so much passion, she sure doesn't need a $2000 per month disability check at the taxpayers' expense. She should be replaced as mayor, ASAP. This waste of money, notifying people near B St., but not Council is one fine example. Will Bossy Guerin continue to hold the reins even when she "steps down?"

    ReplyDelete
  12. JP or Gil-

    Did anyone else submit papers to run in November? If not, it looks like no change in the future. At best, Teresa will win. At worst, she loses and things remain the same. Even if she wins the quality of life candidates are the minority. Stock, Bonds and Dalager/Ron will vote for the developer cookie cutter style of City with ugly houses and streets.

    With Maggie getting ill, the quality of life folks better step up or this town will end up just like Oxnard.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I heard the show yesterday and was taking notes. Hedgecock called Stocks "Dumb as a Block"... Not Blockhead.
    Otherwise as advertised.

    ReplyDelete
  14. in the following quote substitute "Mayor" for "Commander" and "President" and that about sums up CG's position on response's to questions having to do with local gov.

    "I'm the Commander, see...I do not need to explain why I say things. That's the interesting thing about being the President...[I] don't feel like I owe anybody an explanation."
    -President George W. Bush to the National Security Council

    ReplyDelete
  15. I heard the segment on the the Roger Hedgecock show yesterday. It was priceless. Roger really let Jerome have it. He said Jerome was either ignorant or a liar. Strong language. Only Roger didn't have his name quite right. He kept calling him Stock instead of Stocks. No matter. We still knew who it was -- Mr Doofus himself.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Roger Hedgecock often rants about the Coaster and the Sprinter. I don't think he cares about the tax money. I think he knows that his audience are commuters who sit in traffic and listen to his show. Maybe a good train system threatens him.

    ReplyDelete
  17. J.P.

    A good train system does not take 55 minutes to go from Escondido to O'cide. I can drive it faster if there is a south swell hittin the pier.

    A good train system is not $55 Million over budget and two years late.

    A good train system is not run by Stocks or Stock sidelining as an expert in anything other than insurance, and I know from first hand experience that thats a stretch as well.

    I would love to see a good rapid transit system in the county but the sphincter, er, the sprinter aint it! The county could have built several more lanes along the 78 for less and would have more users.

    Stocks is a loser and should be recalled.

    ReplyDelete
  18. And who will sit on Council? No one stepped up. I guess we better make it a 3 person council, because our residents dont think the hassle is worth 35-56k. Maybe we need to up the anti to get people interested. What do you think we can do to get more people to run? Maybe show some respect for people who are willing to serve our Citizens? I can start by saying I'm sorry for calling old Danny Boy, Slingblade. I still wont vote for Danny, but I do appreciate his willness to serve the community he live in.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Teresa is the only good candidate. Maybe she can get some freinds to run like Danny did with Ron

    ReplyDelete
  20. This is a classic example of city feel good politics!!! It will feel good for a few people so let's do it!!! Meanwhile there are stacks and stacks of paperwork that needs to be done at city hall, but noone feels good about doing any work!! So it doesn't get done, but we can all feel good about a name change now can't we!!
    Q- How long did it take to come up with this name change proposal??
    Q- How many city staffer sat in on the meeting to change the street name??
    Q-How much time will the city council waste discussing this issue?
    Q- How much $$$ as been wasted on this issue up to now and how much is still to be wasted???
    Q- So what are you going to do about it???
    How about meeting the Japanese city visitors with big protest signs telling them YOU don't want YOUR city street name changed.

    The Japanese HATE confrontation and any protest will upset them!! Is it a nice thing to do?? No of course not, will it let the city of ENC know that the citizens are in charge?? U betcha!!

    How this street thing has gotten this far is unbelievable, that there is NO council member willing to "nip it,nip it in the bud" is simply intolerable. This is what happens when you elect a bunch of candypants to office!! Gutless cowards unwilling to make any hard decisions, always looking for ways to make sure everyone is happy!!! Well I'm not happy ,I'm drunk!!! AND I DON'T WANT B STREET NAME CHANGE!!!!!

    Staggering down "B"street before the name is changed, it's your Roadside Park Bum!!!

    ReplyDelete
  21. That's great! Roger "the dodger" Hedgecock, the one time convicted felon and former mayor of the most incompetent and corrupt city on the west coast has seen fit to trash the Sprinter! WOW What a shock! Where the heck was he when the Mission Valley East Trolley extension was 80 million dollars over budget?
    He was a huge proponent of the convention center and thye downtown ballpark because they enriched his buddies like Doug 'Papa' Manchester who ripped off Oceanside for millions...
    Hedgefund advertizes that he had lasik surgery. It's obvious that good eyesight does not equate to good vision for the future of North County!

    ReplyDelete
  22. How about Hiromshima Way?

    ReplyDelete
  23. Yeah, more lanes on the 78 and a trolley instead of a train would have been better.

    ReplyDelete
  24. CA needs to get out their cars! Walk your fat butt off. Build public transportation. HW widening kill the surrounding area, and are not needed with the future technology in transportation! Do we want to look like the I405 corridor?

    ReplyDelete
  25. Everybody driving on the 78 is half drunk, high or on meds. Illegal aliens, old ladies, big trucks, rednecks, trophy wife on cell phone, teenagers. It's insane.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Fucking Yuppie politicians. Totally out of touch with our city.
    I'm not too worried though. If they change the name, I'll change it back, with spray paint, wax, a hacksaw or what ever's handy. I'm creative, unlike them. So their new signs will always look like shit. Every one will know that "Amakusa Way" is really B st.
    Here's a little history on Amakusa.
    In broken English, not unlike some of you posters here.
    "In 1637, the daimyo who ruled Amakusa country raised tax, and collected it severely from farmers. Amakusa was located on the west edge of Japan, so was influenced the western culture, such as Christianity, deeply. Farmers suffering hunger rebelled against the daimyo , and hold a castle. The daimyo couldn't handle the revolt, and called the help of shogunate. Then the crack army of shogunate arrived the next year, and crashed the farmers soon. The rebel farmers and their families were slaughtered to the last child."
    Nice.....Maybe they should change the name to "the Israel way".

    ReplyDelete
  27. Jon P., thanks for the history of the Amakusa, or Ama"suck" a, as it's mispronounced.

    Hey, JP, thanks so much for the good laugh re the adjectives, and noun, passion, in your posts title from the NCT story. Funny, and clever, too.

    Hey, I'm sorry to hear Maggie's sick. I don't think the money deal is why no one else could run. People are sooooo busy with their lives; we do what we can.

    It is ironic that we had Rob Wilder and Bruce Elhers running last time, and they may have kind of canceled one another out. Either one would have been way better than now.

    Stocks, like everyone has some good points and like the majority on Council, a lot of bad points. Whether Rodger is a dodger, or whether he "rants" or not about NCTD is beside the point. Stocks as chair of NCTD should be better informed and know that it was definitely on time and on budget only five mere months ago.

    Stocks is also one of the ones, along with Sneakypants Guerin, who was saying our City budget is fine, we can afford to sling money around (also Slingblade and shaken not stirred, James Bond).

    Yet they tried to stick that tax on our trash bills to bail out the general fund, without a vote. The only reason we got to vote is due to the fine work and concern of people like Donna Westbrook and Bob Bonde, Bill Rodewild, and many more. Yet I won't guilt trip anyone for not running this time. Maybe next time. I'd love to dump Bond, Stocks, and maybe Maggie will have to step down due to health problems.

    I still say what comes around goes around. We are keeping our eyes wide open, and on the ball, paying attention, not illegal taxes.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Another interesting bit of history on the Amakusa Shimabara rebellion was that the Shogunate beheaded the rebels and the heads are buried on the island.

    Did the Encinitas city delegation of council, city employees, and private citizens get a history tour of the tax uprising rebellion?

    ReplyDelete
  29. I'm sure that the "Sister City" delegation, part of the Country Club mentality set, is clueless about the history.

    There are a few buried heads in our own backyard, right Christy?

    Thanks, anonymous, for filling us in, here. The blog is great! Breaking news, everyday!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Whats in a name? Lets drop the whole idea. Wehave enough Jap crap on our streets now.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Whats in a name? Lets drop the whole idea. Wehave enough Jap crap on our streets now.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for posting on the Leucadia Blog.
There is nothing more powerful on this Earth than an anonymous opinion on the Internet.
Have at it!!!