Orpheus Park is getting all the attention but there is a lot of hot tree action on the coast highway this week. There has been lots of trim trimming activity. I don't think any trees have been chopped down yet.
As I watch the workers trim the trees I am feeling validated by my stance that if the city maintained the trees more they would look good and be healthy. example: even though I am a huge advocate for preserving the coast highway trees I've always kind of hated those two bushy Ficus in the second to last photo. They look much better trimmed.
I'm not looking forward to seeing the big trees getting chopped down later this month. *sigh*
Instead of downing all the old growth throughout Encinitas, council should be focused on downing the HUGE pensions that the City slackers are getting.
ReplyDeleteAs more and more of these slackers retire at 90% of full pay, there will be no money for tree trimming, build any parks, plant any trees, or even water them.
Without addressing the HUGE Pensions (3% of their highest paid year times the number of years they work in Government), are City's future we go down faster than the trees throughout town.
Take the lead from Escondido; focus on lowering the pension costs. The more money we waste in exuberant pension costs, the more money we have to plant and maintain trees in parks and along our roads.
Escondildo had a $6 million deficit.
ReplyDeleteEncinitas would be over $10,000,000 if they didn't borrow 20 million dollars last year and raised our debt big time.
ReplyDeleteEncinitas will be running big deficits if Council doesn't address the bloated staff levels, high salaries and HUGE Pension costs.
Recent comments widget test 123
ReplyDeleteWhat's a widget test 123?
ReplyDeleteIf people go to next Wednesday's Council Meeting, and speak out, stand up for the trees, including the trees along 101, then we can use the Orpheus tree removal to put attention back onto the remaining trees in Leucadia, especially along the 101 corridor.
ReplyDeleteYou know, when we all spoke out against declaring Leucadia, or parts of Leucadia, blighted in order to form a RDA (redevelopment agency, another government bureaucracy without public accountablity), we made an ENORMOUS difference!
Come to the next Council Meeting, and tell Council we care about community character and want to keep as many trees as possible. West Coast Arborists are NOT experts on preserving and maintaining trees, but on cutting them down, if past experience is any indication of future results.
“I DID IT MY WAY”: FRANK SINATRA AND THE CITY OF ENCINITAS
ReplyDeleteI imagine most people working for the City of Encinitas do not remember much about Frank Sinatra and his merry bunch of men, known as the Rat Pack. In one of his more famous songs entitled: “I Did It My Way”, Sinatra seems to have summed up his life in 5 words. It appears that some people at Encinitas City Hall are using Sinatra’s“playlist” and doing things their own way as well.
In an action that did not go “public”, until almost after the event, the City chopped down 10 healthy trees in Orpheus Park in Leucadia, a community within the Encinitas city limits. Perhaps very few of us would known, if Councilwoman, Teresa Barth, and a tree hugger named Drew, had not drawn attention to the situation. The City of Encinitas seems to have resurrected Mr. Sinatra’s song, using it to benefit 8 property owners in Leucadia. On January 30, 2009, City Manger, Phil Cotton, and other Staff “higher ups” decided, apparently on their own, to honor an unwritten verbal agreement with some Condo owners in Leucadia. This agreement, which was never written, signed, or even passed on to future City staff, seems to be a good enough reason for City Manager, Phil Cotton to order cutting down ten healthy trees, so that eight property owners can have better views and maintain property values. There is a problem with this reasoning, besides the obvious fact that there is nothing written to honor this “alleged” agreement. There are no view ordinances, at this time, in the City of Encinitas. Furthermore, property values cannot be used as a legitimate reason for the City to do anything. I found this out the hard way in 2003 (Greene vs. Ross (2003). How and why did this happen?
Apparently it is a mystery, at least to one sitting Councilwoman and a whole lot of citizens. The condo owners state that their ocean views and property values have been negatively affected by the height of the trees. They further state that the City told them that this would never happen if the City planted trees in the park. The fact that it was never written down is a bit puzzling, at least to me. In 2003, seven people on Oxford Ave. in Cardiff-by-the-Sea attempted to use adverse effects on view and decreased property value in 2003 to dissuade the City from allowing a homeowner a height variance of 29’6. At that time we were told our views and property values could not be used as an argument. My only whitewater view, which was an estimated $50,000 loss of property value, was just too bad. We lost the appeal to the City Council.
So, why does this argument work for some and not for other citizens? Apparently the City of Encinitas does it their way. No other explanation is needed. I guess if it was good enough for Frank Sinatra, then it is good enough for the Staff and three Council members of Encinitas.
Lorri A. Greene
Anon 9:32 I'm trying to add a recent comments widget on the main page but I'm having trouble finding one that actually works.
ReplyDeleteThe rule of law or our city ordinances only apply to those citizens that staff views befitting. Staff will go out of its way to abet a friend to circumvent the codes and ordinances. But if they so decide for whatever excuse they will go out of their way to screw you over and put roadblocks at every turn. It borders on criminal.
ReplyDeleteThe Council does not run the city nor does Cotton, it is run by lower staff who make most decisions by how they feel at the time or how much they like or dislike you.
Is that tree-hugger still perched in Orpheus park?
ReplyDeleteHope he has some rain gear.
For those that have been laid off. Go apply for the OC tree cutting company West Coast Cutters and Arborists. They need more chain saw operators and have an endless amount of work ahead in Encintas.
ReplyDeleteThese are the Glory Days for West Coast Cutters. They cut down the wrong trees and then get more business. Go Figure. Profits are up for that company and the president just bought a new plane.
Here is their address and phone number:
ReplyDeleteWEST Coast Arborists Inc
2200 E Via Burton
Anaheim, CA 92806
A.2200 E Via Burton
Anaheim, CA 92806
Could the City pick a tree cutting business any further away?
Someone at the City must be related to someone at West Coast Arborists, that the only reason I would think Encinitas would use an LA company.
Why not pick one based in Arizona? Geeze What morons!
More than likely someone is getting a kickback. Why else push unneeded work to an out of town tree trimmer. I would think there is plenty of our own tree trimmers not that busy here in North County and Encinitas.
ReplyDeleteAlso how much is the City paying the developer for the funky dirt they are dumping at Sea Bluff? Anybody look that up?
I bet he would pay dearly for dumping it somewhere else. Another kickback?
Why is the City letting him dump trash along with the dirt? This morning I saw many pieces of clay sewer pipe, treated 4X12 wood beams used for shoring at the site, plastic sheeting, yellow caution tape, big nails used for grading, plus other junk. The city should make the developer pick this stuff up, but I guess nobody over there cares.
ReplyDeleteAny photos of the trash? This definitely needs to be documented and brought to the City's attention.
ReplyDeleteDirt is more carbon based, and sand is silica based, Even if this were not construction dirt, uncleaned, it would still be destructive to the natural flora and fauna at the beach. I wish someone could afford to appeal the City's automatic "negative environmental impact declaration" that is given for all sand replenishment. The Coastal Commission needs to be notified.
ReplyDeleteThe developer should have to pay to dump his construction dirt. The taxpayers shouldn't be paying him to dump it on our beaches, here! That does verge on criminal, too.
"Dirt is more carbon based, and sand is silica based, Even if this were not construction dirt, uncleaned, it would still be destructive to the natural flora and fauna at the beach."
ReplyDeleteAhhh Haaa Hasaaa Haaaa Ahh haaa. What a dumb ass. You have no common sense.
What do you think happens when it rains and millions of cubic yards of coyote, rabbit, skunk, bird, and squirrel, turds and soil runs out of each river mouth?
what do you think happens when a natural bluff along the pacific ocean like in the trails area of Sano collapses and replenishes the beaches with sand.
Do the Gods need an EIR?
Please this little dirt dumping has no lasting impact except for some muddy coastal waters for a few weeks. Nothing more.
If you think otherwise, please tell me how you will filter all the rivers output. The last poster sound like a dumb ass Stanford environmental masters loser! Yet they create more waste in unread reports than any other profession.
About time this problem was addressed.
ReplyDelete