The Encinitas community garden effort will be discussed at the City Council Meeting on Wednesday, October 28th, 6 pm. Gordon Smith and Elizabeth Taylor will address City Council Members about the community garden committee's progress.
Lobby your city council members for a community garden by calling them on the telephone:
Jim Bond 760 633-2623
Jerome Stocks 760 633-2622
Dan Dalager 760 633-2624
Maggie Houlihan 760 633-2621
Teresa Barth 760 633-2620
Use this email to contact all 5 city council members council@ci.encinitas.ca.us
All the council members seemed to like the idea of a community garden last time it was discussed, but the 3 boys want the garden to be located on the Indian Head Canyon open space reserve and not the 9 acre city owned parcel off Quail Gardens Drive, because they already promised that land to one their developer friends (an oral agreement apparently).
Suggesting the Indian Head Canyon location was a crafty move because it pits the open space preserve folks against the gardeners, which for the most part is the same group of people. Encinitas doesn't have a lot of open space left and installing this garden will set a nice precedent for the city to use our open space in the future.
If it were up to me I would put the community garden in the Pacific View school location.
A community garden sounds like a slam dunk, but if you want this I suggest you lobby hard for it. I predict a 3-2 vote against the garden because some of the Encinitas Elite have been grumbling that the community garden is a waste of time and for hippy losers (a strange belief considering that gardening is one of America's oldest and greatest traditions). Good luck.
Read the NCT story from April
The community garden committee wants Quail Garden property, however Dalager and Stocks will never allow it. Dalager has offered Indian Head Canyon, the committee should take it, it will make a good garden site in a beautiful setting with easy access.
ReplyDeleteIs the community garden on Quail propsed for the entire site, or just the sliver on the west side?
ReplyDeleteTake Indian Head. It is the best chance.
ReplyDeleteTHIS WOULD NOT BE A COMMUNITY GARDEN. IF YOU WANT TO USE IT YOU WOULD HAVE TO DRIVE TO THE GARDEN. It is a nice sounding greenie thing and a waste of time and for hippy losers. The only community in the "community garden" it would serve are the people that live across the street.
ReplyDeleteIf the city is serious about the community garden concept then they should set aside an area in each and every park and roadside park for people to garden in.
I even have a better idea. Why don't people grow plants in their own yards? How many apt dwellers do we have in Encinitas? Enough to spend millions on this hippy greenie idea?
Indian Head canyon is out of the way at the north end of the city the Quail site is more centrally located. The Quail site is closer to people who live in apartments and also closer to bus routes than Indian Canyon.
ReplyDeleteThe boys want to sell the Quail Gardens site to fund the building of the Hall property sports park.
ReplyDeleteRead the staff report on tonights agenda about the Hall property design contract....estimated cost to build phase 1 is 16 million. Current amount of money set aside...just under $10M. RJM contract for design construction documents is just over one million.
Cost of demo of exisiting buildings and grading....unknown.
Where is the money coming from to pay for this Money Pit?
Not the sports leagues...they get exclusive use of the fields for free.
The Community Garden discussion will be a presentation not an agenda item.
ReplyDeleteThis way there can be no public speakers or council discussion/action.
Pretty tricky of the staff.
But the public can always comment during oral communications.
The Indian Head Canyon idea shows how nasty Dalager can be.
ReplyDeleteCan I grow pot in my portion of the community garden??
ReplyDeleteI received an email from a disingenuisly titled group, Defeat Dalanger, with the same wording as the first commenter. It comes off as a sit down and shut up command.
ReplyDeleteHell, I'd rather see Hall property filled with gardens - and the Pacific View property - plus every available empty lot. JP is right, about gardening being one of the oldest traditions. And, on a practical note we get to eat the food too. Only the rich are unaware of the economic crisis that has swamped many and is threatening millions more.
The people participating in the garden are not hungry.
ReplyDeleteover the top. Only closed minded fellows think that a community garden or even back yard gardens will have an important impact on food security and hunger. This another example of hippies wanting to do something small and feel big about it while big problems spin out of control. Fight for polices that reduce reproductive output and immigration if you care about our future food security.
How many people will promise to not drive their car to the community garden?
Why not both sites? Have them renewed as a conditional use permit on an annual basis.
ReplyDeleteAnd, let's find other sites throughout Encinitas. Maybe railroad right of ways?
Keep it small, practical and on a trial basis. Emphasize locations near apartments. Charge a small fee for administration and grants for those with low income.
We need to defeat Dalager at all costs. He's in bed with the developers, and a bumpkin.
ReplyDeleteMaggie is Mayor. She sets the agenda. Ask her to put this on as an open item.
ReplyDeleteanon 1052,
ReplyDeletewhat are you willing to do about? most people think dan is a swell guy.
"(Indian Head Canyon) will make a good garden site in a beautiful setting with easy access."
ReplyDeleteYeah, if ya like to share with mountain lions.
"Can I grow pot in my portion of the community garden??"
No, but you may be glad to hear there will be a bill soon for medical meth.
... as soon as they learn the benefits.
ReplyDeleteIndian Head Canyon is tribal land, and is slated for a casino in 2114. Gonna have to find some place else to grow your carrots.
ReplyDelete10:58, this is 10:52. I am willing to walk door to door, host tea parties, donate money, and more. I am not able to run myself, but I am willing to do a lot. Sadly, I have done so year after year, only to see good, balanced candidates lose to the developer's and union's boys.
ReplyDeleteWe need a good candidate to emerge and I don't how that is going to happen. I don't want to see a Teresa vs Dan and Doug Long show. With the vote splitting Dan and Doug would win and we'd have 4 boys owned by the developers and unions.
@9:29 - You are wrong about home gardens not having an effect on food security. It is a myth that only industrialized agriculture will feed people in this country or abroad. Victory Gardens in the 40's provided more than 40% of American food.
ReplyDeleteMore importantly, it is a false argument to pretend that it is an either or proposition. Our existing Agri-business model is broken. The vast majority of the crops grown in this country are for livestock rather than people. We need all kinds of diverse options for feeding people.
If people grow food they know it is safe and non-toxic. Children learn where food comes from, people are empowered and it does no harm. That is a winning combination and it doesn't mean we don't confront the massive problem of 4 corporations controlling 90% of the food produced and the spectre of becoming dependent on foreign commodities rather than locally grown food.
Calling people hippies, or otherwise disparaging those interested in gardens is a closed minded perspective. I think you are confused too with your strawman argument regarding "reducing reproductive output" (whatever the hell that means) and immigration. These are specious if not bigoted comments.
The old Pacific View Elementary School property is large, centrally located, gets plenty of sun, is spacious, fenced, and will be empty for years to come. Like Mr. Ledgerwood (the seed man) in Carlsbad used to do, collect and store rainwater from the school's roof to help irrigate the garden until whatever ultimately happens there, happens there.
ReplyDeleteCommunity gardens are not just about growing food, they are about people meeting each other, sharing, working together, having children learn the pleasure of hard work and its reward. Dalablabber may have sharpened many shovels but I doubt he has ever shoveled anything besides shit.
ReplyDelete8:11
ReplyDeleteHow do you think gardens grow?
Fred, that's not a site I'd like to see irrigated too much, unless you want the community garden down on the beach.
ReplyDeleteWhat part of community do you angry loners not understand? It's a chance for people to mingle and garden together. What is wrong with driving your car to the garden? Encinitas is only 10 miles wide. Many of the gardeners will carpool, especially the senior citizens.
ReplyDeletePut the community garden at the Hall property. Take one of those fields that will only be used part of the year and put it to better use as the community garden.
ReplyDelete9:15
ReplyDeleteYou might have a point if the property is over satruated. But a garden might not require much more than normally falls on that land anyway. Sea Bluff used to be a tomatoe patch that was irrgated for many years. Even all the huge lawns at Sea Bluff still require a lot of water. It's true, poor irrigation can contribute to bluff failure as with Swami's sixty some years ago, the Gufstafson house on Neptune, and that hillside in La Jolla recently. It depends on when we get a we year of course, but I just wonder how much rain could be retained to water such a garden. The Hall property would probably work better. Both areas seem to be in limbo.
A vegetarian driving a Hummer does less less harm to the environment than a meat eater with a Prius.
ReplyDeleteYes - replace one of the Hall property's fields with a community garden. Let the private sports clubs build their own fields.
ReplyDeleteThe Hall Property is also on tonight's Council agenda. Better be there if you want a garden on that site. You can speak during oral communications.
ReplyDeletelet the gardeners build their own gardens in their backyard.
ReplyDeleteThis is another giant city boondoggle!! Who is going to decide which residents get a plot a land to grow vegetables?? So the city will form a committee so create a panel that will draw up the guidelines that the city will need to approve and then be voted on by the council. Yammer, yammer, yammer!!! Such total and utter nonsense!! If you want a garden grow one in your own backyard!! If you don't have a backyard, move somewhere where you will have a backyard.
ReplyDelete-Who's going to police this garden??
-Is this an organic garden?
-What if you want pesticides on your tomatoes and I don't, who decided what pest controls are permitted??
-How are you going to stop one farmer from stealing someone else??
-What if your garden isn't properly tilled and rain runoff floods my garden, can I sue??
-Will this "city" garden be ADA compliant?? If not why not??
This is nothing but a giant "feel good" project to get people to ignore the real problems this city faces.
My only recommendation for this garden will be to keep it out of the hands of any ex-CoC board members!!
Interesting discussion...
ReplyDelete9:29 "Fight for polices that reduce reproductive output ... if you care about our future food security."
"How many people will promise to not drive their car to the community garden?"
(My comment: Don't mix good arguments with bad ones. The point about immigration is not logical. Even if "they" live in Antarctica, resources are still finite.)
5:43 "A vegetarian driving a Hummer does less harm to the environment than a meat eater with a Prius."
Well played. Well played.
@2:07 - Overall, I like the idea, but idealism isn't based in logic. You state: "Victory Gardens in the 40's provided more than 40% of American food."
Did you forget the population has more than doubled, and is more dense now? So...should we knock that figure down to 20%?
The comment I quoted above ("reducing reproductive output") is a little closer to the crux of big picture, but your point about livestock is also spot-on. Do you realize that if each couple only had one child, they would effectively DOUBLE the standard of living in one generation? Not to mention double ALL resources per capita. Just sayin...
josh- these poster that feel that America is the source of evil in the world are idiots. Stop listening to them and shun them for the folls they are.
ReplyDelete"fight for policies that reduce reproductive output", what horseshit!! That's code for KILL ALL BABIES!! They ARE PRO ABORTION IDIOTS!!! Shun them.
The only people we need less of are wacko left wingers. If abortion was still outlawed 35 million US citizens would be alive today paying taxes. Instead we have 35 million illegal aliens who swear allegiance to another country and send there reparations home to the tune of 25 billion tax free dollars a year.
ReplyDeleteMost normal cities have community gardens. And without this kind of drama. It just a community garden. It has nothing to do with overpopulation, illegal aliens, abortion, global warming. It's just a community garden. Everyone was really excited about the bocce ball court a few years ago and nobody freaked out about driving there vs staying home and playing bocce ball in their own backyard. It's just a community garden.
ReplyDeleteSurf Surfy,
ReplyDeleteCOMMUNITY Gardens should be in your community.
The proposalis not a community garden, it is a CITY garden. A community garden would be in your community. In most communities you don't have to drive around, you can walk. I renew my argument, if the city wants a COMMUNITY garden then they should set aside property in every city park, pocket park and city site for a garden, so a real community garden can be put in place. A CITY garden, one that will service 58,000 people is unrealistic. Perhaps the Hall property is large enough for the entire CITY garden.
If the city isn't willing to put them all over the city they should drop the idea altogether. I ask again how many people in our city don't have enough space at their homes to plant their own garden?
Anon 6:05--
ReplyDeleteWhy are you such a grump? What bothers you so much about people farming? You must live next to one of the city's many unused properties and can't stand the idea of large groups of people from your community getting together to play in the dirt, where you'll have to see them enjoying their lives.
You're right though: we should find a place to allow gardening in each of the five distinct communities that make up Encinitas. Let's get started.
http://celosangeles.ucdavis.edu/garden/articles/startup_guide.html
"What bothers you so much about people farming?"
ReplyDeleteNew York is where she'd rather stay.
The city of Encinitas may be composed of 5 distinct communities, but look, you can ride your bike across the entire city is less than 30 minutes. We live in a small town. Much larger cities have community gardens without this kind of drama.
ReplyDeleteyah I believe in their skills.
ReplyDelete