New Website: Friends of the Hall Park

A dense and comprehensive website with all the Hall Park info you could want (the background photo on the site is of Swami's beach and not the Hall property which is odd). The website could benefit from a photo gallery of the existing property and a better map. Maybe even add a message board where people can leave angry comments instead of on this blog? The theme of the website is "Scale Back the Park".

Friends of the Hall Property Park



Read the riveting discussion about the Hall Park on this blog post: Leucadia Blog: More Hall Park Drama

Just Fix It

Leucadia's coastal 101 corridor is the topic of today's Just Fix It column in the SDUT.

Pleas for Coast Highway stop sign awaiting officials' green light in Encinitas

By Ruth McKinnie Braun
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

August 10, 2007

THE PROBLEM: Larry Simondes didn't want anyone to die before the city of Encinitas installed a stop sign on North Coast Highway 101 at Athena Street, near busy restaurants and shops.

But in January, a 29-year-old man died after his car was hit when he made a left turn onto Coast Highway. The vehicle that hit him was going 80 mph.

Simondes and others who live off Athena pleaded to the City Council for a stop sign. This wasn't Simondes' first appeal for help, either.

A traffic study was conducted earlier, but a sign was not installed. There's a stoplight north of Athena at Leucadia Boulevard and a stop sign that was added in 1984 to the south at Marcheta Street after a woman was killed crossing the street. The distance between the two is nearly a mile.

With an estimated 20,000 cars a day using the highway – many to avoid Interstate 5 – Simondes said a stop sign would make Coast Highway much safer. “You'd keep it from being a raceway,” he said.

STATUS: Just Fix It called Encinitas Traffic Engineer Rob Blough, who said the city is starting an effort to improve the look and safety of Coast Highway. Public hearings at which Simondes and others can again appeal for a stop sign will be held, but the improvements could be years away.

WHO'S RESPONSIBLE: Rob Blough, who can be reached at (760) 633-2790 or rblough@ci.encinitas.ca.us.

Wow, all you have to is contact Rob Blough and the all the coast highway safety issues will be solved!

Leucadia Blog: Leucadia Blvd Intersection Brutal all Weekend

Rob Blough sent me this e-mail on May 15 2007

Dear JP,



Thanks for the input on the signal operation at Leucadia/101/Vulcan. I just made a signal timing change that I think will help address the problem in the westbound direction on Leucadia for the time being. The problem is exacerbated on busy Saturday weekends when everyone is leaving Beacons at 101. I am programming our central traffic control computer to document the green time for each signal movement on Saturday and will use this data to develop a special timing plan for those busy times.



I will also request that Public Works schedule repainting of the white dashed lane line in the middle of the intersection for the westbound dual left turns. This should help better designate the left turn movements.



Please let me know if you have any other questions.



Sincerely,



Rob Blough

Traffic Engineer

_______________________

Rob Blough, PE, TE, PTOE
City Traffic Engineer
City of Encinitas
505 S. Vulcan Avenue
Encinitas, CA 92024
RBlough@ci.encinitas.ca.us
760-633-2705

I noticed yesterday that the westbound Vulcan and 101 lights are finally synced to green. This seemed to help the traffic flow a lot. The intersection still desperately needs repaving and repainting though. Last weekend an SUV full of beach girls were in the left turn lane and cut off three cars by going straight to Beacon's. Lots of screeching tires and honking were the result but no collision this time. Rob Blough seems like a nice guy, hopefully the city will give him the resources he needs to improve this intersection asap.

New Surf Movie at La Paloma Friday night

There is a new surf film premiering , One California Day.



One California Day isn't just an aggro jump cut surf video. Shot in crisp 16 mm OCD is pure surf cinema with a lot of time, effort and money put into it.

You can catch the local premiere this Friday at the iconic La Paloma theater in historic downtown Encinitas.

Watch the trailer and making of featurette here.



ONE CALIFORNIA DAY
SAN DIEGO SCREENING
AUGUST 10th, 2007

471 South Coast Hwy. 101
Encinitas, CA 92024

Showtimes 7:00pm and 9:15pm

Buy your tickets in advance this week exclusively at the Cardiff Patagonia store.

PRICE: $10.00 (Adults)
$8.00 (Kids 12 and under)

The Patagonia Store is located at:
2185 San Elijo Ave.
Cardiff-by-the-Sea, CA 92007
760-634-9886



See Also: The Patagonia Blog

and,

Super secret sneak preview clip here.

Exciting News: Bids in for Leucadia sidewalks

Bids in for Leucadia sidewalk project

By: North County Times

ENCINITAS -- Nine companies submitted bids for a Leucadia sidewalk project and the lowest bidder looks to be Bonsall Construction Services, a city Public Works Department official said Tuesday.

The company bid $388,744 for the job -- a figure that is below the city's estimate, which was $400,000, Deputy City Engineer Leroy Bodas said.

Over the next few days, city employees will be going line-by-line through the bid offer, and if everything checks out OK, the contract could be awarded by the City Council at its Aug. 22 meeting, Bodas said.

The construction work would take in a 3,000-foot strip along the Coast Highway North Court to Juniper Street. Work is scheduled to begin after Labor Day weekend, and the project is expected to last about three months, Bodas said.

"We're filling in the open areas that don't have curbs and gutters," he said.



*NOTE--As pointed out in the comments section the photos above are not areas that are going to benefit from this latest sidewalk project. I used them to show that the entire coastal corridor of Leucadia needs some TLC and not just the area mentioned in the NCT article. Sorry for the confusion.

Slight Malfunction with new high tech trash cans

Citizens, we are experiencing a minor malfunction with the new $4,000 high tech trash cans we purchased for your disposal needs. Please remain calm and stay inside your homes until we sound the all clear.

thank you,

your friends,

THE THOUGHT POLICE

Encinitas buying high-tech trash cans


WARNING: graphic violence, do NOT watch.

La Costa Ave is getting worse every summer

Accident on La Costa Ave Monday afternoon August 6th, 2007


The Followng was originally posted June 2006

Guest Commentary by Herb Patterson

We all understand how city staff and city councils can make mistakes, we are human too. But how can a city fail to even begin to plan or budget for something deemed necessary when the city was founded and documented ever since ? That's what the City of Encinitas has done.

The stretch of La Costa between I-5 and 101 has always been planned to be a four lane developed highway from the inception of the city. This is again brought out in the North Highway 101 Specific Plan adopted in 1997. This plan comments that based on 1990 information, there were already intersections operating at less than the City's preferred Level of Service [LOS] C. Recent traffic counts show the average daily trips [ADT] are increasing by roughly 12% a year this without the impact of the nine planned projects directly impacting the area, the Carlsbad Ponto Project or the I5 expansion.

The City staff has covertly realized the problem and attempted to force Shea Construction to build a signalized intersection at Vulcan and La Costa, but calmer voices prevailed and only a modification of the Vulcan lanes was required. Both the City's and the developer's money would have been wasted when this section of La Costa is built to four lanes and the new intersection would have to be torn out.

The City of Encinitas has one catch-all LOS for every two lane street in the City an ADT of 11,000 for a LOS C. The current ADT averaged above and below Sheridan is over 16,000. It is more than clear that this section of La Costa needs to be expanded BEFORE the construction of all the other homes, hotels, etc. Besides being cheaper and more convenient for the residents, it will be significantly safer to do so without the additional trips generated by the on going development.

So given the facts, you would expect the City would have a plan ready to go, a source of funding identified, and be preparing to do the work.

Wrong.

There currently is no plan for the La Costa Expansion and no source of funding. There is no mention of this necessity in the current budget nor was it even discussed in the recent budget hearings. The fact is that the City of Encinitas has a series of priorities that are just more important than infrastructure. They will OK the development, but not do what is necessary to support it.

You may well ask, what happened to the traffic mitigation fees collected from the developers in this area? Good question. The code requires that collected fees “shall be used solely for the construction and reconstruction of Circulation Element streets and traffic facilities developed in conjunction with the new development. [23.94.040A]. So where is the money?

*blogger's note-I drive on La Costa Ave everyday on my work commute. The section between HWY101 and the freeway is reaching a boiling point. The addition of new homes in the surrounding neighorhood combined with people trying to get to the beach, trying to turn left onto Sheridan and Vulcan, people trying enter and exit the nurserys, the gas station, the freeway on and off ramps, will all reach critical mass when the new hotel goes in. It's like the powers that be are eager to develop that area into super suburbia while leaving this tiny section of two lane country road. It's bizarre and worse, it's dangerous. Somebody is going to die soon.

Visit Anderson's La Costa Nursery and buy yourself a sweet lawn gnome click

Leucadia Blog: La Costa Ave Expansion?

More Hall Park Drama

Rally to highlight Encinitas park concerns

A neighborhood group concerned over possible traffic and parking problems at the planned Hall property park is planning to rally at 17 locations Saturday morning, organizers said.

Members of Friends of the Hall Property will gather at intersections, beaches, markets and parks to collect signatures and pass out fliers and signs that say "Scale Back the Park," said Kim Lande, a Cardiff resident and leader of the group.

In January, the city issued a draft of the environmental report, which said the park would overwhelm nearby roads with traffic during sports tournaments. The city would be unable to compensate for some of the traffic delays because they would happen on state-controlled freeway ramps, the report said.

The report also warned of noise from the dog park and loudspeakers, but suggested walls and presetting speaker volume levels to manage the decibels. Glare from field lighting could be controlled by focusing the lights directly on the turf and shrouding the lamps with glare shields, the report said.




I think the Hall Park theme should focus on baseball.

There is no need for bright field lights that will shine in neighbors windows, play can end at sunset or the lighting should be carefully installed.

The skate park should be world class and built with input from the local skate community. The city should seek donations from the multi-billion dollar skate industry that is centered in north county.

Traffic will increase no doubt (think lots of SUV's with windows covered in pink graffiti reading, "Go Trisha U R #1!") But, traffic is horrible all over town, been to the beach lately?

The Hall Park is really expensive and is sucking funds away from other parts of the town, like downtown Leucadia. Is your street cracked and have potholes? Get used to it.

I would like to see some public art in the Hall Park. Maybe statues of soccer and baseball players or of families having fun together.

The Hall Park should be begin construction as soon as possible.

Leucadia Blog: Herb asks, "Wouldn't it be prudent?"

Leucadia Blog: Dan Dalager Constructs New Hall Park Statue

Leucadia Blog: Leucadia Property Owners Supply Massive Tax Base with Little Return

Surfing Luchadores Strike Cardiff

Disclaimer: I had nothing to do with this and I don't know who did it so please stop calling me.


Top photo from SignonSanDiego web story. All other photos collected off the internets.

The Greatest Headline in the History of Print

Coast News columnist, political activist and co-owner of the best coffee shop in town writes this stinging essay that features the greatest headline I have ever seen published in any periodical, ever. Even people who have given up reading Bob's columns because they are always about George Bush and global warming, won't be able to resist this one.

Homophobic surf Nazis attack Cardiff



See also:

Josh Hansen reacts to Cardiff Surfer statue

Read the Sculpture.net community message board topic about Cardiff statue click here

Watch a video about the Cardiff Surfer statue on the Surfer magazine website click here

BACKSTABBER?

Should Tim Flannery be kicked out of Leucadia for joining the vile San Francisco Giants?

If Bonds ties Hank Aaron's record in San Diego and if Flan high fives him while he rounds third, I am going to kick Flannery in the nuts next time I see him at Beacons.

FNKYLEU

Cardiff vs Leucadia

Let's Get Some Shoes

Sales tax revenue is down 2.6% in Encinitas so go out and buy some shoes.

warning, this video contains profanity and femme fatales

Attention Shoppers, please spend more money

Today the North County Times reports that sales tax revenue is down in Encinitas so I want all of you to go shopping this weekend and max out your credit cards.

Encinitas reports first-quarter sales tax decline

The city's sales tax receipts from January through March decreased by $62,987, or 2.6 percent, from the same quarter in 2006, finance manager Darlene Hill said Tuesday.

The reduction in first-quarter sales tax receipts would not require reductions of programs or services, she said, adding that a $1 million "budget stabilization reserve" built into this year's budget could absorb the shortfall.

"We're trying to be conservative in our projections," Hill said, "and we're hoping the economy remains stable."

In a memo to the City Council, Hill blames the sale of Mossy Chevrolet and an overall decline in automobile sales for contributing to the reduction. The city bought the dealership last summer for a public works facility, despite warnings from taxpayer watchdogs that the business was an important sales tax producer.

Hill provided the memo and an accompanying report to the North County Times.

The report also blames a sluggish housing market for reduced lumber and building material sales. The Home Depot store in Encinitas consistently ranks as one of the city's top 25 sales tax producers, according to The HdL Companies, the Diamond Bar firm that produces the quarterly reports.

"It would be unusual to see a home improvement store up this quarter," said Lloyd de Llamas, the company's president.

"The flatness we're seeing in Encinitas is not unusual," he said. "We're seeing it all over the state."

Sales taxes from electronics store are down 11.3 percent from the same quarter in 2006. Hill attributed that slump to the closure of Comp USA and Tweeter stores within the last year.

It sounds corny, but I try not to spend any money outside of Encinitas. I especially hate spending money in Carlsbad. For example, if I need a book I go to the Encinitas Barnes&Noble and not the Borders Books located in the parasitic mall, The Forum.


Hideous architecture awaits you at the Carlsbad Forum mall.

The Forum is mentioned in the NCT article as a boost to Carlsbad's sales tax receipts, while sales taxes are down in Encinitas. This is not a coincidence. It is now time for the city of Encinitas to look into attracting a modern multiplex movie theater. Currently, if you want to see a first run film in a theater with surround sound and stadium seating, you have to drive to Oceanside or San Marcos. If the city of Encinitas does not swiftly build a multiplex movie theater, Carlsbad will put one on the nearby El Camino Real area. Carlsbad will continue to bleed off our sales tax revenue.

By the way, sales taxes are way too high in California: Shoppers paid a sales tax of 7.75 cents on every dollar spent in those cities in that first-quarter period, and 1 cent of it is returned to city coffers. The state Board of Equalization allocates the rest of the money to other agencies.

If they want to stimulate spending the state should drop sales tax down to 5%.

Yeah, that will happen.