A Note from Peder Norby

HI J.P,

Just FYI, information sharing for those interested in the North Hwy 101 street-scape plan.

I uploaded images and the presentation by Dan Burden to the L101 website this morning. http://www.leucadia101.com/Streetscape%20information.htm The images were provided by Peltz & Associates. The PowerPoint is a very large file (70megs) and I had no way to compress it so folks need to be patient downloading it.

As of yet, the city has not posted any graphics or presentation material on the city website. I am told they are working on it.

L101 has a new office as you know on Hwy 101, The office will have the large sheet renderings of the alternatives posted on the wall in the very near future, a week or two. The office will be a good place for those interested to stop by and see the concepts.

and on another topic,

Tonight is the Draft Specific Plan meeting at the Panning Commission. The CSP was crafted by the community during 20 meetings, eight months, and represents the consensus of the community as expressed by the 13 committee members. There are some very innovative approaches in the plan to promote single story development, preserve views and community scale, and deal with underground parking and potential future large parcels such as NCTD and the Cardiff school, that I think might have interest to Leucadians.

In any event, it was a professional privilege and honor to be able facilitate the meetings and work with the Cardiff stakeholders as they authored the CSP.

My sincere hope is that the collective voice and those thousands of hours donated by both committee members and the public who participated, represented in the draft CSP document will be adopted in the near future.

Cheers
Peder

"Encinitas will not be a sleepy little beach town but an urban city by the sea. "

Quote by Encinitas Planning Commissioner Gene Chapo in the North County Times,

"I am thinking that one day, Encinitas will not be a sleepy little beach town but an urban city by the sea. "

source: ENCINITAS: Questions about state law emerge in Pacific View debate

A Quick Q&A with 2008 Encinitas City Council Candidate Bob Nanninga

2008 Encinitas city council candidate Bob Nanninga often post comments on this blog. The following was posted in the comments section of this blog post:

Bob said,

In the spirit of brevity I have kept the answers short. I am open to meeting with residents individually or in groups to discuss these issues at length.

Q: Lowering the train tracks?
A: Underground and covered

Q: Pacific View school
A: Naylor Act = School House Historic park

Q: Hall property park
A: It's time to stop wasteing time and money and build the damn park

Q: New fire stations
A: The old ones are ghetto. New ones should be cost and energy efficient. And the Cardiff station should be moved to a less constrictive location.

Q: Plastic bag ban?
A: Absolutely!

Q: Bike lane on 101 through Leucadia?
A: Long overdue

Q: City staff salaries and benefits?
A: Non sustainable

Q: Consultants versus staff?
A: If staff can't do the job replace the staff with those who can not consultants.

Q: Open meetings?
A: At all times.

Q: Rail trail?
A: On top of undergrounded LOSSAN Rail corridor

Q: Rail under crossings
A: Boondoogle. Absolutely not!

Q: Scripps expansion and impact on surrounding properties?
A: All traffic should enter and exit on Sante Fe, not into the long established residential neighborhood.

Q: Up-zoning with out a vote of the people?
A: All zoning changes and changes to the general plan should be brought to a vote of the people. No exceptions!

Q: A city wide bond for rooftop PV cells
A: Solar is good but should not be forced on property owners.

Q: A citywide bond for under grounding utilities
A: Worth exploring, as it would improve views and property values, enhance tourism, and make Encinitas a truly 21st century city.

July 30, 2008 8:29 AM

nanningaforencinitas.org

The Neptune 500

Neptune 500 coverage on outoftherain.blogspot.com

Breaking News: Series Of Concentric Circles Emanating From Glowing Red Dot

Breaking News: Series Of Concentric Circles Emanating From Glowing Red Dot

North County Times Attempts to make Encinitas City Council Race a Republican vs Democrat Thing

northcountytimes.com: ENCINITAS: City Council race is one to watch

Stupid quote:

"It is going to be an interesting election because Encinitas is basically split down the middle with traditional Democrats and traditional Republicans each holding 50 percent," said local political watcher Mike Andreen.

I guess there are no third party members in Encinitas and I guess citizens of Encinitas only vote the party line?

Bond, Stocks and Councilman Dan Dalager make up the conservative block on the council; Houlihan and Councilwoman Teresa Barth are viewed as more liberal. Stocks is now serving as the city's mayor; the largely ceremonial mayor's post rotates annually among City Council members.

Bond, Stocks and Dalager conservatives? Oh really? You might want to check their policies and voting records.

Teresa Barth may be viewed as a liberal by the media, probably because she is environmentally conscience (wanting to manage your local environment and resources is a very conservative value in my opinion) and Barth is without a doubt the most fiscally responsible member of the council.

But, in 21st century USA the talk radio screamers have redefined conservative vs liberal into some sort of strange Yankees vs Red Sox ideology.

Avocado St Demolition

North Leucadia Eyesore Removal

It's a shame the owner of this property didn't take care of this place over the years, because it was actually cool. But a lack of upkeep combined with irresponsible renters spelled doom for this coast highway property. The bordered up windows did nothing for Leucadia's ambiance over the past couple of years.

The new property owner is finally tearing the place down. I'm not sure what the plans are for the lot.

There was a couple hundred angry bees swirling around when I took this photo, so maybe there was a hive inside and that is why the bulldozer didn't finish the job that day.

Olivenhain Municipal Water District Declares Drought Level 1

Olivenhain Municipal Water District Declares Drought Level 1 and Says No New Service Connections If It Moves To Level 2

Encinitas, CA –The Olivenhain Municipal Water District (District) Board of Directors adopted a Drought Response Conservation Ordinance (Ordinance) at its Board Meeting this morning. Immediately following the adoption of the Ordinance, the General Manager declared a Level 1 Drought Watch for the District’s service area effective immediately. The ordinance consists of four levels and is modeled after the regional drought ordinance developed in partnership with the San Diego County Water Authority (Water Authority) and other local water suppliers. Water suppliers throughout San Diego County have adop ted or will adopt their own drought ordinances generally consistent with restrictions that are being enforced across the region.

Level 1 – “Drought Watch” effective July 23, 2008

A Level 1 condition calls out six primary use restrictions. Compliance with these restrictions during Level 1 is voluntary; however these same restrictions become mandatory and will incur penalties if the District moves to Level 2. Level 1 restrictions, which are also generally considered best water management practices, include not washing off paved surfaces, not allowing runoff from irrigation, watering before 8 AM or after 6 PM, using a shut off nozzle on hoses and repairing all leaks promptly. During a Level 1 Drought Watch condition, the District will increase its public education and outreach efforts to emphasize public awareness of the need to implement the water conservation practices adop ted in the Drought Response Ordinance. At Level 1 the District is asking customers to help conservation efforts by voluntarily cutting back their water use by at least 10% within and around their homes and businesses. If 10% water reduction goals are not accomplished in Level 1, a Level 2 Drought Alert could be declared.

Level 2 - The District diverges from the Regional Ordinance to Stop New Connections Earlier at Level 2

In a Level 2 “Drought Alert” (up to 20% reduction required) all water reduction measures in Level 1 will continue; however they will become mandatory and will incur penalties.The District Board decided to diverge from the Regional Ordinance by providing that no new potable water service connections will be allowed in Level 2. “The Regional Ordinance did not call for the discontinuation of new service connections until Level 3; however the District felt that we owed a duty to our existing customers to take this step earlier. If we start telling our existing customers that they have mandatory restrictions and penalties, we didn’t feel it was right to keep setting new meters. ,” sta ted Mark Muir , the District’s Board Treasurer and the District’s representative to the San Diego County Water Authority. The only exceptions for new service connections in Level 2 will be for public health and safety, previously issued and unexpired building permits, or if the developer can offset all of the water demands of the new service connection. More information and additional customer notices will be provided if and when the District moves to Level 2 or higher The District’s Drought Response Ordinance may be viewed at its website www.omwd.com.

Why has the District moved to a Level 1 “Drought Watch?”

San Diego County is a semi-arid region and local water resources are scarce. The region is dependent upon impor ted water supplies provided by the Water Authority, which obtains a substantial portion of its supplies from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Metropolitan Water District). The Water Authority is responsible for notifying its member agencies, including the District, that there will be supply shortages and that certain consumer conservation measures are needed in order to ensure that sufficient supplies will be available to meet anticipa ted demands. On June 4, 2008 Governor Schwarzenegger declared a statewide drought, and on June 10, 2008 in response to the Governor’s proclamation, Metropolitan Water District declared a Water Supply Alert throughout its six-county service area to help preserve water storage reserves. “The plain and simple of it is that the entire state is in a drought and we are drawing down storage at an alarming rate in order to meet demands. We do not have the ability to replenish those supplies as we did in the past due to court ordered restrictions on pumping from the Delta. Unless demand is reduced voluntarily, we will be moving to the next levels in the Drought Ordinance which include mandatory compliance, penalties and allotments. ” stated the District’s General Manager Kimberly Thorner.

California is experiencing a drought due to two consecutive years of below-average rainfall, very low snowmelt runoff and the largest court-ordered water transfer restrictions in state history. The water transfer restrictions have been placed on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay-Delta pumps on the State Water Project pipelines that provide water to most of Southern California including San Diego County . The District receives 40% of its water supply from the State Water Project. These restrictions are from federal rulings set to protect several protected fish species in the Delta, and will prevent delivery of up to 30% of the water from the State Water Project. This restriction is anticipated to remain in effect for several years.

The Metropolitan Water District has projec ted that there will be shortages in our water supply from 120,000 acre feet up to 600,000 acre feet for 2009. 120,000 acre feet is roughly the amount of water for approximately 120,000 families of four for one year. Even if more rain is received and snowpack goes up next year it will not be enough to make up for the deficiencies in our water supply that already exist.

These factors have triggered the necessity for the District to adopt its drought response ordinance and declare Level 1 Drought Watch.

www.omwd.com.

Best Regards,

Mandolyn (Mandy) Rodriguez
Staff Analyst/Public Information Officer
Olivenhain Municipal Water District
1966 Olivenhain Road
Encinitas, CA 92024
P (760) 632-4650
F (760) 753-1638
www.omwd.com

Save Water Now! 20 Gallon Challenge
For Tips and Information Visit www.sdcwa.org

Cooperative Interagency Resources Coalition www.sdcirc.org

US Drought Monitor-West

New Leucadia 101 Small Business-Calamari Baby

Since there is a full on baby boom happening in Encinitas I thought I should pass this on,

When I say Calamari Baby is a small business I mean it literally, the store is tiny but well stocked. Calamari Baby is located in the funky little strip mall in north Leucadia between Glaucus and Phoebe St (where the Plant Lady is).


Awwww, wook at all dah wittle shoes 'n stuff...awwwwwww.


Calamari Baby Owner Allison Kosty.


I bought my 10 month old son a soybean fiber onesie from Calamari Baby, it's nifty (he's not actually wearing it here, but this photo cracks me up).

Calamari Baby
1114 N. Highway 101, Unit #11
Leucadia, CA 92024

~ Monday - Friday :: 10:00am - 2:00pm
~ ...........Saturday :: 10:00am - 4:00pm
~ .............Sunday :: Closed

phone
760-633-3857

www.calamaribaby.com

Duncan Hunter's Bizarre Plan to Hunt/Kill/Feed Wildebeest to War Refugees

I don't stray from local politics for this blog too often, but this odd story about San Diego's Duncan Hunter caught my attention:

Take California GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter's nifty idea to help the neediest of the needy: the 230,000 refugees in Chad who have fled the slaughter in Darfur and are desperately in need of food.

Hunter's staff contacted the embassy in N'Djamena, Chad, last week to see whether Hunter could distribute food at a camp. Hunter also wanted to put together an outing to hunt wildebeest and distribute the meat to refugees.

Um...I guess that sounds sorta okay. But wait,

· The embassy will "make the necessary arrangements for" Hunter to watch a food distribution in a camp.

· "Regarding the Congressman's desire to hunt wildebeest and distribute the cured meat to refugees, wildebeest are not present in Chad." (We're told some have been there, mostly in a no-hunting wildlife refuge.)


Washington Post story read here.


This is a refugee camp in Chad.

This is Duncan Hunter.


This is a wildebeest.

Darfur News

www.savedarfur.org

More Money, Fewer Cops

From Sheffo4council.com:

The North County Times has an article (”Police budgets rise as street presence declines” July 22) this morning about a study finding that North County cities have fewer cops per 1,000 residents compared to the national average, DESPITE THE FACT THAT LAW ENFORCEMENT BUDGETS CONTINUE TO GROW.

The article states:

Throughout the region, law enforcement budgets increased by 20 percent over the past five years, including 6 percent between fiscal years 2006-07 and 2007-08, which ended this month.

The report said the increases are being driven by rising expenses for retirement and health insurance benefits, workers’ compensation and training.

Of course, this imbalance is a direct result of the lopsided benefits that the local police unions have been able to squeeze from compliant politicians.

It’s also why I’ve made the conscious decision not to seek an endorsement from the police union, in our case the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association.

Of course the police argue that the below average cop presence hasn’t hurt public safety and that crime is actually down across the region.

While that’s true, it’s most likely the result of demographics rather than policing (fewer young people + more old people = less crime).

Unfortunately, demographics can always change. What happens if crime starts inching upwards and we don’t have enough cops on the street because cities can’t afford the high benefits unions demand?

source

More Encinitas Canyon Fire photos

photos by the Leucadia Honsbergers.

Encinitas Canyon Fire

The brush fire in the New Encinitas area off Leucadia Blvd got some impressive air support today.

NBCsandiego.com story