There is nothing to do in Encinitas on New Year's eve

No old hotel with a swanky ballroom, no place to get all dressed up for, no central location to all meet up, no fireworks at midnight.
*yawn*

Christmas Wishes to All

Flags at Half Mast at Paul Ecke Central Elementary school as humankind attempts to enter the new era

Because who wants customers parking in front of their business the week before Christmas?

Mayor Barth

Photo poached from the North County Times
nctimes.com story
KPBS 
Encinitas Patch 
Coast News
UT San Diego

Small cute children stretching at school, a religion?

With the recent election, and arguing about pensions and the other going ons,  the Leucadia Blog has not covered the newest bizarre controversy in town: Your cute wittle kids are totally getting indoctrinated into an Eastern religious cult because they are learning how to do yoga stretches at school.

 It's hard to know where to begin with this story, back when I started this blog in 2005 I would have dedicated an hour of my life to typing up some witty commentary skewering all the players involved, but these days I've kicked the blog over to Krazy Kevin, who only cares about the pension crisis and I just don't have time for this goofball nonsense anymore.

So, let's keep it short. Dean Broyles is an Escondido attorney who plans to sue the school district because they added yoga to the physical education program saying it's totally a religion and not just stretching (it's just stretching, before we go any further, it's just stretching. If you think it's anything more than just stretching then you are brain damaged). 

SD UT story: Encinitas classroom yoga conflict a precursor to litigation?

Check out Dean Broyles webpage about religious liberties: clicky

*DISCLAIMER: I have a 5 year old in our local school system and turns out he has been doing yoga. The other day he grew a beard and hijacked a plane because he was so limber. You are right Dean Broyles, this should have never have happened. Thank you for saving America.

IVN San Diego News story: clicky 
North Coast Current Op-Ed does the heavy lifting for me: clicky

Even the right wing Fox News loves a Yoga Milf.

Fun fact: 33% of the Encinitas economy relies on the sales of yoga pants. 

Leucadian Ravi Shankar dies at 92

 Read North Coast Current.com story

Toys for Tots in Leucadia

94.9 FM is doing a Toys for Tots drive on the corner of Jasper St and Hwy 101 in front of Surfy Surfy and Coffee Coffee right now.

Do good with your resources

You can also donate gifts for children of all ages, today, at surfy surfy, on the 101.

W/Toys for Tots

Your Choice: Be Proactive or Be Annihilated

Pension bomb illustrated:

Illinois pension obligations: Using Illinois as an example of what happens when pension obligations are underfunded.

You Willing to Tell People They Love Encinitas?

There is a difference between enacting positive policies and speaking happy talk. The later is easier and gets in the way of the former.

Coast News Current Asks About Phony-Bologna Nonprofit. 

From CNC:

Information comes to light

It was also discovered that Councilwoman Kristin Gaspar’s husband, Paul Gaspar, was the registered agent for the group. Political blog Encinitas Undercover publicized the information in a Nov. 21 post.

 ...

“Technically, nonprofits can send out mailers to educate people about issues. Had it not been an election season, those mailers could be qualified as nonprofit education, but their timing and substance (was) sketchy,” Gonzalez said.

“They attempted to put Mark Muir and Jerome Stocks in a favorable light in a time when running for office,” he added.

Stocks and Muir denied to the North County Times in mid-October having any connection to We Love Encinitas and knowing who was behind it.

That's almost as credible as aliens stealing signs from Tony's garage. Good thing Tony's story was corroborated by someone with known connections to the opposition campaign (note that Jim has not been willing to state the full extent of his political activities, to date).

Paul Gaspar responds

In an email exchange with a North Coast Current writer, Paul Gaspar said that “We Love Encinitas activities have never been political or a secret.”

Oh boy, Paul is going to be busy running a nonprofit and paying for lots of mailers outside of the election season to make it look like the mailers were just a coincidence. 

“As one does not have to be secret about disseminating good news – unlike the multiple anonymous negative groups and blogs that have infected Encinitas,” Gaspar wrote.

Like the ones calling for fiscal sanity or transparent government that does lie to public (resulting in positive public opinion, when it was not deserved)? Like that, or the ones that ooze hatred for Jerome. Can't pretend those don't exist.

...

Along with his responses to questions, Gaspar forwarded a news release dated Oct. 17 that identifies him as a founding member and introduces the organization as “a nonprofit, nonpolitical organization committed to a positive voice for informing the Encinitas community through: community outreach, multimedia, direct mail, social media, and the sale of promotional items.”

Gaspar said he sent the news release to now-jointly owned daily newspapers U-T San Diego and North County Times.

U-T San Diego did not respond to an inquiry regarding whether the publication received it. However, an Oct. 23 report from U-T Campaign Watch still questioned who was behind We Love Encinitas.

Seems contradictory, no?  The LB didn't get the press release either.  It would have been easy to disclose all this on the organization's website for easy access or to post a comment on the UT. The Gaspars read articles about the city and Paul's organization, right?

...

Kristin Gaspar declined to comment for this story, saying her husband was best to direct questions to as she is not an officer of the organization.

...

She didn't even do homework on her husband's activities, related to such a good cause, and the nucleus of political intrigue? Was she not allowed to ask questions of her husband? There has been speculation that Paul is really in charge and he is the one who is the man who makes the political decisions. 

In most modern families, especially political families, spouses are consulted before a husband starts a political campaign. Spouses should be allowed to be part of the decision making. 

It is sad that in this day and age spouses aren't even adequately briefed on the other 's activities. They should be treated as a partners. Kristin should be allowed to know enough to field questions, and should feel integrated enough that she has some ownership of the decisions her husband makes. She is the elected official.

Paul being dominant seems unlikely. Maybe Kristin was briefed and was part of the decision making. Then she was just dodging the questions. Why?

...

The allegations from city activists have not fazed Paul Gaspar and the organization. He said the group will continue to “execute its mission for the benefit of the citizens of Encinitas.”

What exactly is the mission? Tell people what they already know? They already know that Encinitas is bad ass. Why else would they be so dedicated to keeping poor leaders from deflating its future? 

...
[Gaspar said:] “(We Love Encinitas) will not engage in this political banter any further.”

Translation = We know this looks bad and we know the more we talk the more our story will look like a poorly thought out phony cover story. It looks bad. The use of nonprofits for stuff like this has been disdained by the LB before this story broke.  

The Leucadia Blog has championed many things which have and would have made Encinitas and Leucadia a better place to live.  The LB loves Encinitas, and is willing to be called names by those in power in order to fight for it. What are you willing to do?

(Read the full article at the Coast News Current)

Growing Local to be Yuppies Only Pastime

The San Diego County Water Authority, which Encinitas is a member, approved the purchasing of Carlsbad desal water. 

Remember when the for-profit desal company came to Encinitas to sell us water and the council said not so fast, because it is was worried that it might become too expensive and cause greenhouse gas pollution? I remember that, but actually I don't think the council cared about green house gas pollution.

Encinitas buys water from the San Diego County Water Authority. If there are no explicit safeguards to protect Encinitas ratepayers now, you might as well expect water bills to go up. You'll have to be rich to be a backyard grower. Growing takes water.

If you are one of those trendy hipsters and wanted to try to get your daily caloric intake from backyard food from 0% to like 3% (good luck getting much more than that without having a farm or being rich and have the luxury of lots of free time).

San Diego County Taxpayers Association (aka "San Diego County Developers and Contractors Association"), supports desal, but what they really support is decoupling the water market system from the new development market.

How about this for a proposal? Any new water source capacity that is credited to the local agencies for this expensive and polluting source of water is a cost that is carried by newly upzoned properties and not treated like a subsidy for big developers.

Good idea, bad idea, an unspoken idea?