I said I'd show up for the council meeting. I had forgotten how much fun it could be.
I had to laugh when Lynn stood to the side of the podium. The "city" moved the podium so that the speakers couldn't face the audience when addressing the council.She made the point that it was lame that staff claimed that they cut down the trees to honor a written resolution that they seemed to only know about after the trees were cut down.
Three former mayors (Cameron, Aspell, Hano) were in the audience because of their concerns about how staff dealt with the tree issue. I saw Hano and Cameron speak. They pointed out that the property was designated and permitted for a park even before the city incorporated or the condos were planned.Cameron quotes:
What we have is a failure to communicate
This was more than devastating, it was disastrous.
[Jru] is an ecowarrior. He is our Hero.
This was more than devastating, it was disastrous.
[Jru] is an ecowarrior. He is our Hero.
Cameron then put staff back in their place:
Then Jru busted out some zingers.
"We're going to win no matter how many trees you cut down" and told the council how he's got a sound track with him and kids singing about the trees and chainsaws in the background. He said he was going to release the song right here on the Leucadia blog!See Also: Trees vs. Views and Local Hero Saves Trees and Goes on Vacation
That was the best council meeting so far this year. I hope there is more of this caliper.
ReplyDeleteThe best part was when Sheila Cameron reminded Council that they are supposed to represent the public and the staff works for the Council who are accountable to the public.
The staff should not be acting like dictators with any accountability for their actions.
To date, the City Council and staff have not explained who gave the order to cut down the trees without a valid plan. To date, there is no accountability with our city employees.
Its time to trim dead wood staff that are hazardous to the public’s health, safety and welfare.
Whoops- Spelling police reminds you. Its Caliber not Caliper.
ReplyDeleteCaliper - an instrument to measure internal or external dimensions. Spelling police - maybe this exactly what 9:53 meant. Our city council may need to be measured for its effectiveness for representing the will of the residents of Encinitas. I think most of us do not support cutting down all the trees.
ReplyDeleteThe best part of the meeting was about 1 hour 8 minutes in. Check the background of the video. I wonder who that was directed to?
ReplyDeleteSheila Cameron may understand a few points about our city, but she is clueless about how its run.
ReplyDeleteWe are the smart ones who know whats right for Encinitas. This is not your town. Its our town. The public doesn't know shit.
Our unions and developers get people elected to the council that beleive we know what we are doing, we are financially capable (just like San Diego and the State), and listen to everything we tell them to do.
You can complain all you like, but the fact is you don't matter.
Keep squacking on the "Blog" and paying your taxes. We will keep running "Our" City the way we want and spending your tax money on our most comfy salaries and unbelievable pensions.
Working at the City is great- High pay, higher life long pension, free healthcare forever for the whole family, no social security tax, and ZERO ACCOUNTABILITY. Could life get any easier?
Remember in the next years election to support Danny "Our Boy" Dalager. He is a God-send for supporting our Staff Regime. Totally clueless and believes everything that we tell him.
Continue rambling on the Blog Minion. Bwaaaaa Haaa Haaaaa..... What losers!
Jerome did a perfect job just like instructed. Great job Jerome. We will sure to stroke your ego today.
ReplyDelete"I guess its all our fault". No one person made the decision about anything.
You are great Jerome, once again supporting our objective of No Accountability.
Hail to our Staff Regime! We are great.
Cut down every tree in Leucadia and stop the whinning crybabies on this blog site.
ReplyDeleteAny attorneys out there. Now that it is official that there is NO tree ordinance I am really thinking of suing the City for property loss when they allowed a height variance to a homeowner in front of our home and we lost our view and $50,000 in property value. I am really serious.
ReplyDelete7:22-
ReplyDeleteWelcome. Another City Staff blogger. So predictable.
Time for Jru to go back up in the tree he came from.... This town makes Del Mar and Solana Beach look civil.
ReplyDeleteThe citizens wouldn't be so upset and disappointed if Council and Staff would focus on open government and quite trying to run the City as a dictatorship. Welcome public comments, don’t squash them.
ReplyDeleteSolana Beach and Del Mar get it. When will Encinitas get it.
was Jerome late for the meeting? I could swear I saw him at the Liquor Store on Regal and Santa Fe coming out with a bottle in a brown paper bag at about 5:45 p.m. Does he drive a silvery car?
ReplyDeleteI like it when our council meetings are just as wacky as the ones on the Simpsons.
ReplyDeleteLast month I asked one simple question for the record at public comments. I thought for sure it would be answered last night so I didn't waste anyone's time repeating myself. It wasn't addressed. Looks like I have to go again next week and re-ask the question. WHO gave the order to cut the trees down in Orpheus Park? That's all I wanted to know and it was danced around all night. What gives?
ReplyDeleteSalaried professionals are expected to work more than 40 hours per week. Yet, the city's non-hourly staff seems to put in no extra time.
ReplyDeleteCouncil needs to cut staff to the point where the remaining staff works as hard as everyone else.
Ask again Fred, and keep asking until you get an answer. Then ask again and again and again. It's all public record. Where was Barth last night, why didn't she ask the question and provide the answer?? She know the answer!! Let's ask her. Hey T. Barth who gave the order to cut down the tree?? All the council people know the answer. Let's ask them. Hey council who gave the order to cut down the trees??
ReplyDeleteThis is YOUR city council at work. Congratulations !! My aren't they doing a wonderful job!!
Staff is running things, and Council is a victim, just like all of us.
ReplyDeleteJerome's Stocks' contention that "nobody told us," is BS. Teresa made it clear that all of Council knew by four days before the initial ten trees were cut down, on 1/30/09. By January 26, all of Council and many on staff, including the City Manager had been copied Chris Hazeltine's reply to her letter to him and City Manager Phil Cotton, asking for time for Council discussion and public input before ANY trees were cut.
ReplyDeletePhil Cotton said, "No." Fred, the "buck" stops with Phil Cotton, and Chris Hazeltine, who would not wait to have a consensus from Council AT OR AFTER A PUBLIC HEARING.
Hazeltine said in his bogus report that he received 22 phone calls from people after signs were posted giving a phone number to call, with questions (or protests). He did NOT incorporate the hundreds of phone calls, e-mails and letters that were sent to the City AFTER the first ten trees were cut, asking that the last tree could be saved. That was not done either. Public outcry and community sentiment were totally disregarded by arrogant, meanspirited staff and the three man majority on Council who would not wait.
The trees were cut on a Friday, when there was not to be another Council meeting until 2/11/09.
Chris Hazeltine, Phil Cotton and the City of Encinitas did the wrong thing.
Jru is brave, and I respect his willingness to do whatever he could to allow time for the public to air our grievances and concerns, and to have a public hearing, before that last tree was cut.
Dan Dalager and Jerome Stocks were not truthful, and as usual, tried to put a deceptive "spin" on the facts. They both knew ahead of time. They ignored the public outcry. Dan said he did not want to "get involved," but he went over to Paul Ecke school and lectured about how the students should not be involved in their peaceful protest to save the last tree. He also wrote his hateful e-mail blasting Teresa for supposedly questioning staff, and copied it to all of Council, to the media, to the Encinitas Union School District and to Captain Fowler at the Encinitas Sheriff sub-station.
Also, Russell Marr talked, during oral communications about being hassled for picking up one bag of flat rocks at the beach. Later in his report, Dan bragged about all the excessive dirt that is being used to cover all these "protected" cobblestones!
Recall Stocks. Recall Dalager.
ReplyDeleteSheila Cameron had the right idea. Take the portable microphone and face the audience when you what to address the public. Have a visual or two for projection so you won't be pinned to the podium.
ReplyDeleteSheila was very effective. The portable mike allow her to speak directly to the council, the public, and the staff.
Shelia talked to long and diffused her effectiveness.
ReplyDeleteThis issue is reflective of the dysfunction of Encinitas and Leucadia.
ReplyDeleteYou have a train that whips through the city at 70 MPH and has killed and will continue to kill and no one raises an eyebrow. Yet some yahoo at city hall cuts down a bunch of trees and everyone goes ape shit nuts!!
Q-What did Hano do to prevent train crashes?? Answer: NOTHING
Q-What did Cameron do to prevent train crashes?? Answer:NOTHING
Q-What has Jru done to prevent train crashes?? Answer:NOTHING
Will these 3 yahoo's ask the council why there are train crashes at Leucadia Blvd after the next train crash?? Answer:NOPE
Ol'Jru will probably have a hard time understanding why anyone is upset about death and destruction involving trains, trucks, cars or school buses. Why?? Because he cares more about trees than people. I'd have a lot more respect for him, if he sat on the tracks and protested the Amtrak going 70 MPH through town.
Both Cameron and Hano care more about trees than people. If they care about people they'll protest the city's inaction regarding the Leucadia-101 intersection. But they don't. So they won't.
So it goes, on and on. More worry about trees than people. More worry about views than safety.
Sad but true.
Save me from Encinitas, save me from Leucadia, save me from the City council and staff.
Lower the tracks.
ReplyDeletePlant more trees and flowers on the coast highway.
Save water, shower with a friend.
Bravo and Hail to Surfy Surfy-
ReplyDeleteConcise words for concise action needed.
Lower the killer tracks or put a speed hump in the tracks.
Lets get to the point about bettering Leucadia. A 90 mph hour train barreling through a populated beach community is not smart. Why does an Amtrack train go 20mph in San Clemente, but 80 to 90 mph through Leucadia?
Is Leucadian, Encinitain, and Cardifian lives less valuable than San Clemente Lives?
Ask Jerome. He is the one responsible for the actions of trains through Leucadia.
Ask Dalager- What do Leucadia children thing about train going 80 to 90 mph by there school kicking up dust and cause air pollution problems for our local kids. Does this affect our kids health? Is this good for our kids safety? Does this affect our quality of life or property values.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GKz6XDU2Z4
Hey Dan- Trains are coming through Leucada about 48 more times a day than when you were in school.
Hint: I have heard Jerome in council meetings and he says nothing can be done to change the railroad. I beg this question. How was San Clemente able to lower the train speed limit?
Apparently Jerome is not on Encinitas citizen’s side. Apparently his action seem to lend towards self interest of getting elected to higher office so he can suck the GOVERNMENT TIT FOR MORE TAX PAYERS MONEY. He apparently has no interest of helping Encinitas with our Death Problem.
Sorry Jerome that will not happen, because your own home town does not support you. We have plenty of contact with hire ups in the county and state and federal government to assure your future in Government is going no where. I am a Republican and I think you are part of the reason why the Repulican party is in shambles. You support big government perks just like George Bush. You lead the big $30,000.00 a year raise forever for our City Manager. Your lead the HUGE increase in pensions that will KILL OUR CITY’S FUTURE. You are bad for Encinitas. You are bad in any public office. My humble suggestion is Honestly- You should Just go back to selling insurance.
Back to the problem. The Locomotion engineers brag about hauling ass through Encinitas. Just google it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H47fvS3JX5A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GKz6XDU2Z4
there are hundred examples of cluesless uneducated conductors or trains bragging about hauling ass through N. County San Diego.
Unless we do something like San Clemente did, nothing will change.
Come on Council get with the )(&)(* program. Address this problem.
When will thing change?
Your right. I just googled San Clemente trains and it does look like they are going about 20 mph.
ReplyDeletewhat gives?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JF3sMX-t79w
Get real. The trains are on tracks. Speed doesn't kill. Impacts kill. Impacts don't happen unless you are in front of the train.
ReplyDeleteThis is all nuts. Where were these crowds when a local teen was killed on Santa Fe Dr.? Why aren't these folks helping to get the infrastructure improved around the Hall property park? Oh yeah, that would require thinking and years of planning, not cheap theater.
ReplyDeleteOur city council appears to spend more energy on plastic bags and trees than it does on the safety of it's citizens.
Fuck Cameron, Hano, the city staff, the city council and fuck Jru. Losers everyone of them. They have allowed this city and continue to allow it to fall farther into idiocy.
ReplyDeleteThey are pathetic morons only working for themselves not the citizens.
On a brighter note, the city is open to it's citizens today. Not that their hearts nor minds are with their physical being.
Go Jru Jru Binks, you're our "hero"..
ReplyDeleteWhat is the beef with the city over the removal of the park trees? No public hearing or no administrative manual program? The city doesn't need another layer of department employees. The "Urban Forest Management Program" up for approval at the next Council meeting is a BIGGER impediment to community involvement and saving trees. The proposed program needs a severe rewrite or abandon the proposal altogether.
ReplyDeleteOnce a lawyer did an interview with me when I overheard (on a CB radio) what an engineer said after hitting and killing someone. "Well, I got me one".
ReplyDelete"Did it sound like he was trying to hit the man?" The lawyer asked me.
"Yes" I said. "I think he swerved".
What an idiot argument to make. Trains have never veered from their course to kill anyone in Leucadia. It's always someone getting too close to them. The man I saw killed was just having fun and trying to jump across the tracks before the train went by. The last thing I saw was his body in mid air, hair flying, lit up by the light on the front of the train - only about 5 feet away from the front. I didn't know if he had made it across or not until I saw the train put on it's brakes. That's usually a bad sign.
He had just came out of the Neighbor Saver with a buddy and they got 2 cigars to celebrate his coming wedding. His bride could not be consoled.
Definately a tragedy, but fully preventable. Stay away from the tracks. Most of the deaths are suicides. One was a woman chasing her dog. One or two others were kids playing cards as they sat on the tracks. There are countless other stories, but they were all preventable. Burying the tracks of course would remedy accidental deaths by and large, and hopefully things are headed in that direction. But it would take more than any Mayor could do to achieve such a thing.
Yet a mayor can lead. A mayor can use political will and demand the highest level of quality from the city, state, region and national bodies and people available to the office. Moreover, a mayor can envision the finest aspects a community can offer and empower as many people as possible to voluntarily work to make it so. No mayor can do it all alone - you are right to point that out. But, what does a mayor or council member have to lose to give their very best to the elected task. I expect it and I will back it as a citizen.
ReplyDeleteI am sick to death of elected officials' self-interest above all else. We expect troops to give their lives for freedom, so I expect elected officials to give their lives and no less.
If someone gets killed by a train, they deserve it. Its much more dangerous crossing the street at Leucadia Blvd than it is crossing the tracks.
ReplyDeleteDust flying up? Are you kidding? You're really worried about that?
While we're on the subject of trees, there will be a ceremonial "Tree Planting", in honor of Robert Nanninga at Cottonwood Creek Park on Sunday, March 15th at 1pm.
ReplyDeleteTorri, from ENVIRONGENTLE, donated two saplings that she grew from oak acorns, in her back yard, and gave them to Bob's partner, Keith Shillington. At least one of these will be planted Sunday.
This will be the final event to help Bob find his way to the next realm. I'm not usually sentimental about this kind of thing, but please respect this moment and Bob's memory. And if want to say something about Bob, then this will be the last time to do so.
we will be there and my children who Bob was going to do the 6th grade play with and who they miss.
ReplyDeleteOut of respect for Bob and Trees, I will adhere to the moment of silence and let us all appreciate the gifts that Mother Earth has blessed us with.
ReplyDeleteLowering the tracks is not about preventing suicides dummies. It's about improving the infrastructure. Soon Leucadia will be double tracked with 100 trains a day. Imagine the traffic gridlock at the intersection during the summer.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Anyone who doesn't understand the value of lowering the tracks does not understand how to better a community. Having 100 trains per day racing at 70 to 90 mph at grade is not good for the surrounding community.
ReplyDeleteLower the tracks like Solana Beach.
Don't the patrons using the park have a right to an ocean view? Plant the new trees on the perimeter of the park so the gorgeous view is not blocked again. Here in Encinitas as most everywhere else there are literally tens of thousands of new trees with more being planted everyday than just ten or twenty years ago. Almost every tree you see in town is planted by us and not native so why do so many of you treat this as if Jesus has been crucified again. Is nature your new God? Maybe its time to wake up and see the real crisis that is happening in the USA. Instead of having a cow regarding the axing of a few trees maybe you could feed and clothe a homeless or hungry person or demand that our elected representatives follow the will of the people or become a patriot and demand the constitution and laws of the country be enforced.
ReplyDeleteBut above all save the eucs on 1o1. Don't cut down even one more.
Also, I don't remember one death from the trains here in town that was an accident, but after the tunnels are installed they are going to install six foot tall chain link fences with three strands of barbed wire atop on both sides of the tracks from Cardiff Slough to Batiquitos Lagoon. That's going to make the ten trees axed seem pretty pale in comparison. GET A LIFE
I have a great life.
ReplyDeleteLower the tracks.
If you want the tracks lowered better talk with Rick Smith at Leucadia glass and Ray from Sub palace. These two loons have conspired with Enc. Chamber of commerce fat boy Mike Andreen to destroy Leucadia Streetscape and will be responsible for the lack of infrastructure for years and years to come.
ReplyDeleteImagine if you will, 4 minutes of backup X's 100 trains per day = 400 minutes or 6 hours and 40 minutes per day or pure gridlock. You can thank your Encinitas City council for such glorious workings. They are always on top of every situation.... NOT!!!!
For the amount of pedestrians using the tunnels and the cost to build them, (6-7 million each) it would be much cheaper to hire a shuttle bus and just give free rides from Vulcan and San Elijo to the other side of the tracks.
ReplyDeleteOr how about just letting us cross the tracks legally like the prior 100 years.
Those killed by trains are either suicides, playing "chicken", sitting on the tracks, a women chasing her dog, or at the street crossings, but not one of these would have been prevented by tunnels.
How come some attorney or Law Group won't sue the NCTD for egress that used to be legal? There has got to be some way to challenge the legality of closing our access across the tracks.