Middle Ground?

Now that everyone has a stick up their ass about Leucadia I've been trying to figure out some compromises that could make both the laid back hippies and the fascist golfers happy (along with all the normal people too).

The denizens of New Encinitas have sent a loud clear statement by putting booze purveyor Beverages and More into our cities top 25 tax generators.



Also in the top 25 tax generators for Encinitas is Trader Joe's. Now, the majority of stuff for sale at Trader Joe's is tax exempt so how did it end up in the top 25?

TWO BUCK CHUCK! That's how, the yuppies can't get enough of this bargain swill.



So, we've established that drinking is very popular in Encinitas. So maybe what Leucadia needs in one of it's many vacant coastal lots is...a brewery!



Let's encourage a local brewery/ restaurant in coastal Leucadia. It can be cool, hip and funky. Karl Strauss already has a few brewery/restaurants around the county and local outfit Stone Brewing Co. is currently building a new restaurant/brewery in Escondido. Maybe Stone's next venture can be into Leucadia.



So raise a glass to your new drinking buddies as Leucadia, Cardiff, Encinitas and Olivenhain soak a few suds and eat chicken wings together in sweet harmony. It's all good, right?

Leucadia: funky, groovy, classic...home.

Rubber Sidewalks Anyone?

From CNN.com

Tires help urban sidewalks bounce back
Rubber panels withstand tree roots, weather better than concrete

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Pounding the pavement is getting a little easier on people's knees in many cities around the country.

For reasons of safety and ease of maintenance, Washington and dozens of other communities are installing rubber sidewalks made of ground-up tires.

The rubber squares are up to three times more expensive than concrete slabs but last longer, because tree roots and freezing weather won't crack them. That, in turn, could reduce the number of slip-and-fall lawsuits filed over uneven pavement.

The shock-absorbing surface also happens to be easier on the joints of joggers, and more forgiving when someone takes a spill.

And the rubber sidewalks are considered more environmentally friendly: They offer a way to recycle some of the estimated 290 million tires thrown out each year in the United States, and they do not constrict tree roots the way concrete slabs do.

"As our trees grow and mature sometimes the root systems begin to pull up the sidewalks," said Michelle L. Pourciau, acting director of the D.C. Transportation Department. "This is a compromise between having a beautiful and healthy tree and having a safe and passable sidewalk."

Rubbersidewalks Inc. of Gardena, California, manufactures the small squares now being used on some sidewalks in more than 60 cities, including Washington.

Since 2001, Rubbersidewalks has been grinding thousands of old tires into crumbs, adding chemical binders and baking the material into sidewalk sections that weigh less than 11 pounds a square foot, or a quarter of the weight of concrete. The panels are available in two shades of gray and a terra cotta orange.

Many of the squares have been installed in areas where damage from tree roots, weather and snow removal have required sidewalk replacement or major repairs every three years, said Lindsay Smith, founder and president of Rubbersidewalks. Rubber sidewalks are expected to last at least seven years, Smith said.

Read the rest of the story here.

Whayyda say gang? Rubber sidewalks cost more but last longer and need fewer repairs. Should future sidewalks in Encinitas be rubberized?

"That's a lot of asphalt."

Story from North County Times with comments from the Encinitas Taxpayer's Association in red.


LET YOUR VOICES BE HEARD E-MAIL YOUR CITY COUNCIL. JEROME STOCKS IS ALSO PRESIDENT OF NORTH COUNTY TRANSIENT.

Encinitas rail trail hits road block

By: ADAM KAYE - Staff Writer ENCINITAS ---- Plans to build a segment of a regional bikeway through Cardiff hit a buzz saw of opposition Tuesday, as residents told consultants that mandatory fencing would spoil views and that parking would be a problem.

Consultants and a city engineer hosted the informal meeting at City Hall, which drew about two dozen Cardiff residents.

They came to debate a plan that would place a trail head on San Elijo Avenue, halfway between Liverpool and Birmingham drives. From there, the plan calls for a 10-foot-wide, asphalt bikeway to run north to H Street.

While no action was taken, the plan appeared headed to the scrap heap.

Residents scoffed at the prospect of so much asphalt and a requirement from the railway owner, North County Transit District, to fence the railroad tracks. DON'T LET THEM PUT A FENCE UP DIVIDING OUR CITY

"I'm kinda bummed about this 10-foot-wide thing," said Barbara Cobb of the Cardiff Town Council. "That's a lot of asphalt."

"There needs to be a swell of opposition to the fence," added resident Carol Holub. "It's going to ruin the town."



As planned, the ribbon of pavement would comprise Encinitas' first segment of the Coastal Rail Trail, a route that someday will link San Luis Rey River in Oceanside to Santa Fe Depot in San Diego.

Carlsbad and Oceanside have completed sections of the rail trail, and in Solana Beach the trail is finished.

Federal grants would pay for the bikeway through Encinitas, but when construction would begin is anyone's guess, planners said.

Cardiff resident Julie Thunder told consultants from Dokken Engineering the rail trail in Cardiff didn't belong on the railway. The trail should run along the west side of Highway 101, where an existing, paved path is enjoyed by many.

Stephan Vance, a senior transportation planner with the San Diego Association of Governments, responded that that path is probably too narrow and would be difficult to maintain. But he did not rule out examining the location further. ITS ALREADY USED AND MAINTAINED BY THE STATE. SO WHY WOULD IT BE DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN? ANOTHER PUBLIC SERVANT'S WAY OF AVOIDING LOOKING AT SOMETHING THAT WAS NOT HIS IDEA.

Some speakers said the highest priority for the railway is for the city to deliver promised pedestrian crossings. Four are proposed, including Cardiff crossings at Montgomery Avenue and Santa Fe Drive.

Resident Michael Clark said a dedicated bikeway would become an attraction for visitors, who would drive to the trail head and add to Cardiff's parking problems.

"Aren't we inviting a lot of traffic into Cardiff?" he said. "It seems to me we're not looking at the whole picture."

Other residents said they worried that planting trees along a bikeway could block cherished ocean views.

The most consistent objection, however, was to any plan that would require installing fences along the railroad.

"I can't say that we could overcome the fence issue," Vance said, adding that North County Transit District would not approve the bikeway without the fencing.

"The fence," Cardiff activist Teresa Barth said, "is the deal-breaker."

ANY TRAIL BELONGS NEXT TO THE OCEAN.

*blogger's take: The NCTD is kind of pain in the butt. It's the NCTD that makes Leucadia ugly and now they are harshing on the rail trail. Remember when we gave them $50,000 bucks to paint their bridge? Comon' NCTD, be bros. You are harshing our mellow. Any fence you put up is just going to get climbed over or holes cut in it.


Solana Beach has a nice rail trail...with a fence. Is it a different situation because the tracks are lowered? I don't like the idea of a fence but is a small waist high fence a decent compromise? If they want to put in some huge 10-12 foot chainlink fence that is lame, but maybe a small fence would make the lawyers feel better and we can have a nice trail to walk on.

I'm not buying that a trail is going to do much to increase traffic or parking, the beach is already the big draw for that area.

The Ecke Shopping Center Needs a Fountain

You know that weird dead part of the Target/Ecke shopping center? I think it needs a groovy community fountain.

Top 25 Sales Tax Generators in Encinitas

This was posted in the comments section on the public works topic. I found it interesting so I am re-posting it:

Ok, This is a bit lengthy but good information.

The top 25 sales tax generators is a public document titled Encinitas Sales Tax and is circulated to the media and groups like the chambers of commerce and town councils. It's very available for those who choose to look.

It comes out quarterly and the data is about one year in the rears.

The data is the sales tax that the merchants pay to the Board of Equalization, and then that total is reported in the city that it was generated in and further reported in geo areas within the city and in per resident income.

So it's real world data and cannot be spun as speculative one way or the other.

The per capita or per resident sales tax income is the important number. Essentially this is how much money/income per resident that the city has to spend providing services to it's citizens.

The other large income chunk for cities is property tax which is of course not addressed in the sales tax report.

We all have a natural tendency to focus on the cost of projects and what we want as citizens but very few of us focus on the income side of that equation that gets to pay for it all. That is just as important so here it goes.

For example, sales tax income income as reported in the latest report:

Carlsbad, $6500 per quarter year per resident.

Encinitas, $3800 per quarter per resident.

San Marcos, $4440 per quarter per resident.

Oceanside, $1950 per quarter per resident

Vista, $2650 per quarter per resident

Solana Beach, $4200 per quarter per resident.

You can see the marked differences in cities and then assess for yourself the lever of services provided in those cities.

The top 25 change from quarter to quarter depending on seasonal sales. They appear in alphabetical order and no information is provide as to dollar amount. Good reason forthis because it's private business and competitors would love to see it.

Albertsons
BMW Harloff
Barnes & Noble
Beverages and More
Chevron
Circuit City
Comp USA
Encinitas Ford
Encinitas tile Supply
Financial services vehicle trust
Hansens Surfboards
Herman Cook Volkswagen
Home Depot& Expo
Home Goods
Linens N things
Longs
Mossy Chevrolet
Office Depot
Ross
Sports Authority
Stater Bros.
TJ Maxx
Target
Trader Joes
Vons

You can thank these folks (or blame them if you're so inclined)for helping to pay for everything.

My summery (subjectivity follows)

Although there is a lot of personal wealth in Encinitas, it was set up as mostly a bedroom community at incorporation and we have few large tax generators. Our income as a city is just over half of what Carlsbad is and less than San Marcos, Solana Beach, Escondido, and more than Oceanside and Vista.

That income = service levels.

All in all, encinitas does a really good job with what it has to work with.

Plus its a great to live and work.

Thanks JP for the blog
hope the info helps.

July 20, 2006

*blogger's note--I think it's important to remember a couple of things about life, work and our government. Sometimes lifetime civil servants (aka career politicians) start thinking of you as an employee instead of a citizen. The reality is, your mission in life is not to generate tax income, your mission in life is whatever you want it to be. The government is supposed to be low key and behind the scenes, running the infrastructure so you can express your constitutional rights. Sadly, the government is always in your face trying to control what you want to do.

Notice that there are no restaurants in the top 25. Restaurants are not huge tax generators yet it is the numerous restaurants in downtown Encinitas that add greatly to our quality of life.
Target may be a huge tax generator because everyone shops there for stuff but would you rather get a pizza at Oly O's or get a room temperature hot dog in the Target food court?

Cities like to collect property tax, this is why so many beady eyed civil servants hate Prop 13. But it is Prop 13 that has allowed California to be diverse and strong in the long run. The city may resent you that you bought your house in 1970 but who cares? You are not here for them, they are supposed to be here for you. The city is supposed to keep the pot holes filled so you can drive to work and do business. The money you earn is your money. You pay taxes to contribute to the pot hole filling fund. If you are 65 years old and have been working since you were 15 you did what you did for you and your family. Your motivation for working hard your whole life was not fill the city coffers although that happened along the way.

You are much more than a taxpayer, you are a human being. This is why you should be wary of governments that try to control what books you read, what websites you visit and what churches you worship in.

Personally I try hard to only spend my money in Encinitas city limits. Even though I'm not a big spender or much of a consumer I make sure that all my money goes back into the community. I don't drive to Carlsbad and shop at Costco, I buy all my groceries locally. In fact, I do most of my shopping at Just Peachy and El Torito (and Trader Joe's which is in the top 25. Man, that place cranks. What is crazy is that most stuff you buy at the grocery store is tax exempt).

I don't spend my money locally just to keep the tax here, I do it to support the business owners and employees who are also our friends and neighbors. If you support your local small business they in turn do things like sponsor the local little league team. The waitress you left a tip for at Roxy? She lives in Cardiff. It's good to support each other.

Now I have a question for you smartie pants. Last week I spent $83.43 at Trader Joe's. The tax was only $0.83 cents (a total of $84.26).
How much of that $0.83 does Encinitas get?

Mayor Guerin Seeks Mathematical Impossibility Instead of Re-Election

NCT.com story

Christy Guerin says she won't seek re-election

By: ADAM KAYE - Staff Writer

ENCINITAS ---- Mayor Christy Guerin tearfully announced Thursday she will not seek re-election in November so she can focus on her new job as district director for U.S. Rep. Brian Bilbray, R-Carlsbad.

"I want to be able to throw in 110 percent at the congressman's office and at the same time I don't want to neglect the city," Guerin told reporters at City Hall.

Guerin's departure means one of two seats will be uncontested in November's City Council race.

Councilman Dan Dalager collected candidacy papers earlier this week and said he plans to compete for a second term.

Three other hopefuls ---- Teresa Barth, Doug Long and Robert Nanninga ---- have taken out candidacy papers so far. Because Guerin isn't running, the deadline for returning candidacy papers will be extended from Aug. 11 to Aug. 16.

Guerin, 49, ran unsuccessfully in 1996 before being elected to the council in 1998 and re-elected in 2002. In December, she began her second, one-year stint in the mayor's seat, which rotates among council members.

Guerin began working in Bilbray's Escondido office July 1. She said she delayed announcing her re-election plans so she could learn more about what the job for Bilbray entailed.

The job could be short-lived: Bilbray is completing the remainder of imprisoned former U.S. Rep. Randy Cunningham's term, which will end next January. Bilbray faces Democrat Francine Busby in the general election this fall.

For Guerin's remaining time in office, she said can "do a good job as mayor and still do a good job for the congressman."

Guerin choked back tears as she announced her decision.



"It wasn't easy," she said, dabbing her eyes. "I don't want anyone to think it was easy."

Also emotional was Guerin's daughter, Caylin, 20, who accompanied her mother to the press briefing. The younger Guerin is one of four siblings. She said her mother remains available to the family despite the demands of her new job and of being mayor.

"She's very balanced and has her priorities," Caylin Guerin said. "She's a good mom."

Christy Guerin said she would return the $6,500 in campaign contributions she had collected earlier.

She said she would endorse candidates for City Council after the filing period is over.

She reflected proudly on having contributed to the completion of the Encinitas Community and Senior Center, Fire Station No. 5, Cottonwood Creek Park and the Downtown Encinitas StreetScape Program.

"Those are projects that had been in a holding pattern," Guerin said.

She said she was proud to have been on the City Council that hired City Manager Kerry Miller and approved the purchase of the 43-acre Hall property as a park site.
Working for Bilbray will allow her to learn more about the workings of the federal government, but the position won't be a springboard to running for federal or state office, she said.

Before her election to the City Council, Guerin worked as a sheriff's deputy from 1980 to 1990. She left that job because of knee and back injuries she suffered on duty. She said she can continue to receive a $2,000-a-month disability pension despite her return to the workplace.

Guerin's husband, Alfred, is a commander for the San Diego County Sheriff's Department and oversees four stations as well as other operations.

She said her religious beliefs influenced her decision not to seek re-election.

"I'm a faithful person," she said. "You don't get handed a position like this (for Bilbray) and get greedy and do both."

Car lot to become public works yard

NCT.com story

Car lot to become public works yard

By: ADAM KAYE - Staff Writer

ENCINITAS ---- The three-year search for a public works facility is over.

By a 5-0 vote Wednesday, the City Council approved $9.5 million to buy the Mossy Chevrolet dealership on Calle Magdalena as a permanent home for the public works department and San Dieguito Water District.

The approval triggers a 60-day escrow, which means the city could take possession of the 4.4-acre car lot well before Dec. 1, when the department's $1 annual lease expires at the former Pacific View School campus.

The vote followed alternating remarks of praise and criticism from nearly a dozen speakers.

Praise came from residents of Quail Gardens Drive, where officials previously had considered building the facility.

"I would like to encourage you to buy the Calle Magdalena property," said resident Kathleen Gille. "I don't think the (Quail Gardens Drive) site next to my home is appropriate."

Critics struck a sharper tone.

They demanded explanations for why an appraisal and environmental analysis were not included with a published city report. They said the car dealerships provide sales taxes that the city would regret losing.

"Let the citizens see how you made your decision," council watchdog Donna Westbrook said.

Mayor Christy Guerin responded that the city was within its rights to withhold the appraisal and environmental study. She said both documents would be accessible to the public after the vote.

Guerin rejected criticism that the council had rushed into the purchase.

"Working on this for three years is not rushing," she said. "I'm just grateful we have an opportunity to purchase a site. We're very blessed we came upon this."

City officials began negotiating with property owner Philip Mossy last month. Mossy did not attend the meeting.

Speaking to the loss of one of Encinitas' top-25 sales tax producers, Councilman Dan Dalager said Mossy Chevrolet is the fourth dealership to fold at the location just east of Interstate 5 and south of Encinitas Boulevard.

For some time now, Dalager said, Mossy has searched unsuccessfully for a buyer.

The service bays, office space, parking lot and equipment on the car lot were facilities the city would have needed to build and buy at great expense, he said.

"It's unfortunate it was a bad site for them," Dalager said.

The council's action included setting aside $100,000 to buy vehicle lifts, portable buildings and furniture.

The property is zoned for commercial uses and includes 16,927 square feet of offices, covered work and storage areas, service bays and an employee break room. Outdoor parking and storage space total 182,373 square feet.

Under the agreement, Mossy must remove any soil contamination or underground tanks at his expense.

Good location, too much money, happy the issue is finally resolved? Discuss in the comments section.

4 Pull Candidacy Papers, Guerin's Intentions a Mystery

Four pull candidacy papers for Encinitas City Council

By: ADAM KAYE - Staff Writer

ENCINITAS ---- The race for two seats on the Encinitas City Council has officially begun.

Two Parks and Recreation commissioners, a community activist and incumbent Councilman Dan Dalager have taken out their candidacy papers for the Nov. 7 City Council election, City Clerk Deborah Cervone said Tuesday.

In addition to Dalager, the field so far includes parks Commissioners Robert Nanninga and Bert Long and Teresa Barth, an activist from Cardiff

The filing period began Monday and ends Aug. 11. By that date, candidates must return their paperwork, a $25 filing fee and the signatures of 20 registered voters to qualify for the ballot in the vote-for-two race.

While Dalager said Tuesday he intends to seek a second term, the intentions of Mayor Christy Guerin remain a mystery.

Earlier this month, Guerin accepted an offer from newly elected U.S. Rep. Brian Bilbray, R-Carlsbad, to work as director of his district office.

At 3 p.m. Thursday, she is scheduled to announce whether she will seek a third term at a press conference at City Hall.

If Guerin runs, Nanninga, 42, said Tuesday his focus would be to unseat her.

"If Christy's in the race, I'm in the race," he said. "And if she's not, it's very unlikely I'll be in the race."

Nanninga, a small-business owner, freelance writer and environmental activist, said that among other things, he disagrees with Guerin's endorsement of recent ballot measures that sought to allow housing on agricultural property and to institute a citywide clean-water fee. Proposition A and Proposition C both failed.

A native of Vista, Nanninga has lived in Encinitas since 1992.

In contrast to Nanninga, Long said Tuesday he supports the council's policy-making and is running because "too many people came and asked me to do it."

"So far I'm looking at the other people who've pulled papers," he said. "I don't agree with them and I don't want the council to stray that way."

Long, 56, attended San Dieguito High School and has lived in Encinitas since 1952. He owns a plumbing business and is a former Little League coach.

He said he'll run regardless of whether or not Guerin runs.

Barth, 53, said Tuesday she plans to run because she has a lot to contribute to the community.

"I also feel the current council is out of touch," she said. "Prop. A and Prop. C said that loud and clear."

Barth is a lifelong resident of North County and has lived in Encinitas since 1994. She serves on the board of the Cardiff-by-the-Sea Chamber of Commerce and is president of the Friends of the Cardiff-by-the-Sea Library. She also is a board member of the Greater San Diego Resource Conservation District and the county Fish and Wildlife Advisory Committee.

Dalager, 56, said Tuesday he has not launched his campaign but has already received $500 in contributions. The lifelong resident and small-business owner said he gave away leftover money from his 2002 campaign to Patrons of Encinitas Parks.

Before he won his City Council seat, Dalager served on the Parks and Recreation Commission. He said he's in no real rush to begin campaigning.

"After 56 years here, a lot of people know me," Dalager said. "There are people who'll never vote for me and others who will."

My take on the canidates:

Nanninga is nutcase, there I said it. I mean that in the best way. I don't think Nanninga is a bad person. I love his coffee shop and I think he is a pretty nice and interesting guy to talk too, but seriously dude comon'. I read his Coast News columns more for comedy than anything else.

I admit I don't know much about Bert Long. I don't hang in those circles.

I like Teresa Barth, she seems to have a pretty good head on her shoulders. I think a solid common sense local woman could pull in a lot of female votes in this town. She is the favorite of the three newbies I think.

Dan could be re-elected easier than people think. I've noticed a change in Dan. He used to look either sleepy or grumpy up there but now he seems more alert and enthusiastic.

I think Christy should run. I know her new job pulls in the sweet moola but it's kind of like sports, if you win an event you should always enter the next year to defend your title.

It will probably come down to who has the coolest sign posted on the coast highway.

Personally I'll vote for ever brings back the Stone Steps chug-a-lug surf contest.

Cool Crosswalk/Speedbump/Paver Thingy's.

Sunday morning the better half and I enjoyed some sidewalk dining for a late breakfast at A Little Moore on coastal N. Leucadia. Between bites of omelet and gawking at the squadrons of Harleys I started studying at this sad little bus stop:

This bus stop has no shelter, no sidewalk, and no schedule posted. Even if I wanted to take the bus I couldn't cross the street because there is no pedestrian crossing. Even if I was already the same side of HWY101 there is no sidewalk to use. If I was on Vulcan Ave. and wanted to take the bus (or eat at A Little Moore for that matter) I would have to chance getting a $200 ticket from the coaster cops crossing the tracks or walk all the way down to Leucadia Blvd. (it's not that far of a walk but the reality is people are going to cross the tracks and why shouldn't they?).

This morning I stopped in the new Henry's market on Rancho Santa Fe Rd. They have these decent looking paver speedbump/crosswalk things. I was thinking this might be the kind of thing HWY101 could use.

These paver crosswalks would be better than a stop sign because traffic would flow instead of stopping every time (think Santa Fe Dr. Roundabout, hee hee).


I wonder how much it would cost to install a few of these across HWY101? Say one at Grandview, one at Phoebe St. etc.

Update-A raised crosswalk probably isn't the call for the coast highway, think more like this photo. It's easy for the motorist to tell a crosswalk is coming up, even if they are talking on a cell phone.

Mossy Public Works Center

Encinitas considering $9.5M purchase of car dealership

By: ADAM KAYE - Staff Writer

ENCINITAS ---- Public Works Department Director Phil Cotton is recommending in a report that the city spend $9.5 million to purchase the Mossy Chevrolet Dealership on Calle Magdalena for a public works center.

If approved Wednesday by the Encinitas City Council, the purchase would bring an end to a years-long search for a new location for a public works facility.

Property owner Philip Mossy approached the city last month to negotiate a sale.

The department of 56 employees lost its home on Cornish Drive in 2004 to make way for a library, and since then has operated on leased space at the former Pacific View Elementary School campus.

A purchase agreement attached to Cotton's report calls for a 60-day escrow, which means the city could take possession of the 4.4-acre car lot well before Dec. 1, when the department's $1-a-year lease expires at Pacific View.

Cotton has said the dealership just east of Interstate 5 and south of Encinitas Boulevard would be an outstanding spot for a public works yard. He could not be contacted Friday.

In May, Cotton gave the council a $9.3 million estimate to build a public works facility on 4.6 acres. The estimate did not include land costs, nor did it identify where the facility would be located.

In his report, he states that the dealership could be occupied with minor modifications. Cotton is requesting that the city set aside $100,000 to purchase vehicle lifts, portable buildings and furniture.

The Encinitas lot is one of nine Mossy dealerships in San Diego County, according to the company's Web site. A Mossy Nissan also operates in Houston. Philip Mossy, who owns the Encinitas lot, did not return a telephone message Friday.

Most of the lot is paved and covered with shiny, new automobiles.

The property is zoned for commercial uses and includes 16,927 square feet of offices, covered work and storage areas, service bays and an employee locker room. Outdoor parking and storage space totals 182,373 square feet.

"It looks pretty darn good to me," Councilman Dan Dalager said Friday.

A City Hall watchdog disagreed.

Bob Bonde of the Encinitas Taxpayers Association said Friday that removing a car dealership from the city's tax base was preposterous.

"That (public works) yard could go anywhere in the city," Bonde said, "and most communities would kill to have a dealership because of the amount of sales tax they generate."

Quarterly sales tax reports prepared by a consulting firm show automobile and transportation enterprises as the city's second-biggest sales tax generator, behind general commercial goods.

In the fourth quarter of 2005, the most recent period for which data is available, auto sales comprised 16 percent of sales tax receipts, according to a report produced by HdL Cos., a Diamond Bar firm.

Mossy Chevrolet appears regularly in the company's reports as one of Encinitas' "Top 25 Producers."

State laws prohibit the city's disclosure of sales tax receipts from individual businesses.

Mossy Nissan is one of five automobile dealers that belong to the Encinitas Chamber of Commerce. The others are Encinitas Auto Sales on North Coast Highway 101; Encinitas Ford on Encinitas Boulevard; Harloff BMW on Encinitas Boulevard and Herman Cook Volkswagen on Encinitas Boulevard. Another dealership, Cardiff Classics, sells used cars from a lot on South Coast Highway 101.

According to Dalager, Mossy was preparing to close the Encinitas lot before he approached the city with an offer to sell it.

"We were going to lose the tax base one way or another," Dalager said.

Bonde also raised concerns about soil contamination at the site, which has been used for a car lot for more than 10 years.

The purchase agreement obligates Mossy to remove any contamination or underground tanks at his expense.

"We have an environmental consultant out there," Dalager said, "and anything that's not up to snuff will be the seller's responsibility to take care of."

"Extremely Flattered and Surprised and Intrigued"

Encinitas mayor joins Bilbray staff

By: ADAM KAYE - Staff Writer

ENCINITAS ---- Encinitas Mayor Christy Guerin has taken the job of district director for Republican U.S. Rep. Brian Bilbray, who took office last month after a hard-fought election to replace imprisoned former U.S. Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham.

Guerin, who supported Bilbray's candidacy with letters to her Encinitas constituents, said Friday that Bilbray called her shortly after his victory to offer her the directorship of his office in Escondido. Her first day was July 1.

"I was extremely flattered and surprised and intrigued," Guerin said, referring to Bilbray's job offer.

She said she plans to complete her second term on the Encinitas City Council, which expires in December, but does not know whether she will seek a third, even though she's already collected $6,500 for the campaign.

During an interview, she became teary at the prospect of leaving the position at City Hall she has held for nearly eight years.

NCT.com story


From my point of view Bilbray and Guerin have only one job, and that is to fight to keep state worker's comp. rates in single digits.
There is no issue that affects my family shop more than worker's comp. rates. When the rates were in double digits (thank you Gray Davis) we were under tremendous pressure to either hire illegal aliens or close down the shop and move to China. Neither options are moral, especially outsourcing to brutal communist China.
My family has always done all the right things, pay taxes and take care of our employees. Our competitors use cheap slave labor in China, Thailand or are local operations that use illegal aliens or cash under the table workers. It hasn't been easy but we are staying true to our path. We have put quality over quantity and our customers have responded positively even if they do pay more. If state worker's comp. rates hit double digits again I even doubt if we could continue what we are doing.

Wikipedia's Encinitas Page

I'm going out of town until Monday so I figured in the meantime the regular posters here would enjoy signing up to Wikipedia and editing the Encinitas page. For example, the famous resident list lacks Peter Sprague and Brad Gerlach. Have at it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encinitas,_California

United States of America!

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Amendment II

A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

Amendment III

No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Amendment IV

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Amendment V

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Amendment VI

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.

Amendment VII

In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

Amendment VIII

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Amendment IX

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Amendment X

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

Fight For Your Right (To Party)

You wake up late for school - man you don't wanna go

You ask you mom, "Please?" - but she still says, "No!"

You missed two classes - and no homework

But your teacher preaches class like you're some kind of jerk


(chorus) You gotta fight for your right to party


You pop caught you smoking - and he said, "No way!"

That hypocrite - smokes two packs a day

Man, living at home is such a drag

Now your mom threw away your best porno mag (Bust it!)

(repeat chorus)

Don't step out of this house if that's the clothes you're gonna wear

I'll kick you out of my home is you don't cut that hair

Your mom busted in and said, "What's that noise?"

Aw, mom you're just jealous - it's the Beastie Boys!

(repeat chorus twice)