ENCINITAS: Council to weigh in on Lumberyard performances
The Lumberyard has to higher a consultant to monitor acoustic street musicians playing by the fountain. Meanwhile, 500 ft away a massive train is blaring it's obnoxious horn while motorcycle clubs rumble down the coast highway. How the hell can anyone even hear the musicians?
Encinitas passes ban on novelty lighters
Novelty lighters are banned! I ask, has any kid in Encinitas actually bought a novelty lighter? Who the hell would buy one of those crappy lighters anyway? How much income do liquor stores make a year off those goofy things? How many times have you heard Encinitas city council members say outloud "I am a free market kind of guy?" Now I can't light up a grit at the beach with a lighter shaped like a dolphin? I feel safer already.
Speaking of smoking at the beach, the giant ashtray that is Moonlight Beach has been replenished with that itchy crappy sand the city's Prop R Sand Barons love, Grainy gift for Moonlight. It's funny that would dump ashtray sand on the beach the same year they banned smoking at the beach. This "replenishment" comes during a spring that has our local beaches covered in bountiful natural sand. I haven't seen this much sand down at Swami's since the 70's. Meanwhile, the Sand Barons are taking credit for all prosperity in Encinitas in this funny op-ed piece, Mike Andreen lobbies for more taxes in Encinitas.
More "free market" Encinitas news, we are banning new billboards. Okay, I support this because I find billboards to be crass and obnoxious. I despise the billboard above the cool Yu Me Ya Sake House restaurant on Leucadia 101. Not only does it look tacky above a mom&pop business, the owners of that billboard keep chopping down trees that don't belong to them. I personally boycott any product or service that appears on a local billboard, so there!
The city of Encinitas held it's public budget workshop on a Tuesday at 3 pm in the afternoon when everyone has a lot of free time to attend stuff like this.
Oh yeah, and your sewer rates are going up, ENCINITAS: Sewer-rate increase
thats OK.
ReplyDeleteThanks for paying my fat salary and pension so I can retire at 55 at 100% of my highest paying year FOREVER!!!!. I love all you taxpayer for making my life sooooo nice and easy. See you at City Hall!
Oh I am busy alright.
ReplyDeleteI am going to build a regional sports park that will be the talk of the town. who cares if it only cost $60 million plus?
I am also going to build some fancy ass fire station for my favorite union supporter boys in those nice looking trucks. Who cares if it costs $20 million for three remodels?
Remember I also gave you that fancy dandy $20 million dollar library. Who cares if it cost 20 to 30 million dollars?
Remember I also gave all the unions every pay raise and benefit increase ever dreamed up by the union bosses and now 90% of our budget is consumed with operations and overhead costs. Who cares if we don't have any money to fix existing problems in our community.
What?
You want me to spend one or two million to fix an intersection and roadway where people die each year and cause the entire community of Leucadia grief since incorporation?
Well.... you don't understand. That project is complicated and we don't have the money!
What?
You want me to look at fixing a flood problem that was caused by the approval of too dense of building zoning without addressing the ramifications?
Well.... you don't understand. That project is complicated and we don't have the money!
What?
You want me to fix up that roadway where people have a debate whether the area is blight?
Well.... you don't understand. That project is complicated and we don't have the money!
OK OK… enough questions
Lets get back to talking about building a $60 million regional sports park with a huge aquatic center with slides and things, plus a bunch of sports fields with tall lights and a snack bar that sells fried bananas, and a teen center with all kinds of video games so we can ship off our kids and never see them after school. With all those fancy facilities we will need to hire all kinds of staff. But its worth it and the people want these things.
What? Of course we can afford it!
......Now I have to go. I have important things to say to people.
JP, great blog. You should run for city council. Too bad Teresa and Maggie don't have your intelligence and insight into our communities. Notice I left out the boys gang of three. That's because they don't even care about this community.
ReplyDeleteYo go J.P.
When I asked abut the novelty lighter ban, I was told they really won't enforce it anyway. So I guess I have to ask "Why ban them"?
ReplyDeleteAlso, in the news: The tattoo parlor's (in Cardiff ) owner, Gary Hernandez, said he didn't know he could not sell the parlor unless he went back to the City to get rid of a pesky little additon to his varience that stated in 2003 that he could not change ownership without going back to the planning commission. Oops! Anyway, our dear planner, Kerry Kusiak (watch it if he is on yor project) encouraged him to fight on. Should be interesting, as Jim Bond is the one who put the addendum on it. Poor Gary.
Let's see. Yes, J.P. already mentioned the sewer rates going up.
Did you know that Cardiff only has 2 schools and pays a full time super over $100,000 to make sure they are? Meantime TIP Academy is being scrutinized to make sure all i's are dotted and t's crossed. Maybe the district need money?
So much more and so little time. Got to go to work to pay everybody.
City Leader said: Very well said.
ReplyDeletecity leader: classic post!
ReplyDeleteCity Leader: PS - What ever happened with the $4+M Mossy building? Was it out of business already and no one else wanted to collect 8% of car purchase prices? How much did you spend to convert it to non-tax-generating use? Or did you ever finish that one?
ReplyDeleteThere may be sand at Swamis, but the sand at Beacons to Grandview is WAY down right now.
ReplyDeletePer Dr. Lorri's note: Not only does Cardiff School District have "only two schools", they each have only around 400 kids or so per site- AND, one is only for Kindergarten - 3rd grade, the other 3rd - 6th grade, AND, in addition to the district superindentent., BOTH of these little schools have a principal! HUH??
ReplyDeleteNext time you call Jerome and Dalager anti-regulation dudes in an article, make sure to look at their voting record, not just the hot air coming out their mouths.
ReplyDeleteThere is more than plenty of sand at Beacons and Grandview.
ReplyDeleteIn order to obtain even close to 100% of salary at the city you would have to work for 37 years The amount of medical insurance is approx. 100.oo per month for a retired person. If you worked there for 20 years and retired at age 55 your % would be 54% at 25 years it would be 67.50 %. Most people won't be there that long. The employees pay a significant amount towards this retirement. The investment by PERS is what pays them at the end. From what I have heard,Encinitas was one of the last cities to have this retirement of 2.7 @at age 55 and the bulk of the financial burden is paid out of the employees pay.
ReplyDeleteHey Notaxlady, just because someone can complain doesn't mean that they have the answers. So you would want a person that can point out what is wrong without viable solutions to run for council? You've got to be a Democrat.
ReplyDeleteSorry anonymous. Your math is wrong regarding city employees. As a former City employee I can tell you it is a great deal working at the City. I get great retirement benefits and besides Medicare, the City picks up the rest of my health insurance. Not sure where you got your info, unless, of course, you are a shill for the City.
ReplyDeleteOh, I forgot. Don't forget our illustrious City Attorney, Glenn Sabine. He makes so much from Encinitas it is almost a crime. We usually get bad advice, which adds to his payceck as well. Can't say much more than that, or he will sue me.
ReplyDeletemost people needing to work, work from say 25 to 65. Thats 40 years. Many work beyond that range. 40 years at 2.7% is 108%. Thats over 100% of their highest paying three years. Now thats what I'm talking about. Thanks taxpayers.
ReplyDeleteTaxpayers will be giving the City Manager $200,000 per year forever when he retires. That not bad at all, unless your the tax payer.
Hence the reason there is no money to underground utilities.
ReplyDeleteThats right Bob- Hence the reason council a few years borrowed 20 million dollars to help finish the library and built the super expensive New oceanview firestation in Leucadia and get some money for the $60 million dollar regional sports park.
ReplyDeleteWe have no money to build anything. We are in big debt now that to the council before us giving everything to the unions and reckless spending on trophy projects.