Oceanside is in the midst of making Coast Highway more friendly for bikes and pedestrians, but a recent preview of a road diet has residents asking the city to put the brakes on the rest of the plan.
The city’s Coast Highway vision have been in the works for years, but as I reported for VOSD this week, upcoming changes to the state’s premier environmental law may tie the city’s hands.
Early next year, the California Environmental Quality Act will require projects to measure whether a project will make people drive more, rather than the traditional metric of making traffic worse.
On Wednesday, the city will decide whether to go ahead with the project, or study the road diet for another year.
The Dais in Encinitas Is Just About All Up for Grabs
Most towns in North County have city councils that serve “at-large,” where the whole town votes and the top candidates get the prize.
Encinitas has five elected positions, and three seats on the Council and the mayor’s position are up for grabs, while the fourth member of the Council, Catherine Blakespear, will use her safe seat to run for mayor.
Typically the elections are staggered so only a couple of positions are up at a time, but Encinitas established an elected mayor in 2014, throwing off the schedule. To make up for it, the elected candidate who received the fewest votes this year only gets a two-year term.
Mayor Kristin Gaspar is currently running for county supervisor, and Councilwoman Lisa Shaffer is not running again. Councilmen Mark Muir and Tony Kranz, meanwhile, are looking to keep their names on the doors.
Music Festival Allowed to Continue, but Can’t Turn it Up to 11
The Board of Directors for the Del Mar Fairgrounds unanimously approved a five-year deal with the organizers of the KABOO Music and Arts Festival, which was first held last September.
Last year’s event featured 100 bands on different stages, with artists like The Killers, No Doubt, Rodrigo y Gabriela and Bonnie Raitt.
The agreement that was approved on Tuesday also allows for up to five one-year extensions, with stricter sound control and monitoring, after residents complained about last year’s volume.
Looks like Bonnie did give them something to talk about.
Encinitas Affordable Housing Aversion
Encinitas has faced a number of lawsuits over a state law that promotes affordable housing, by allowing developers to exceed some city regulations, like height and density limits, if they agree to set aside a certain number of units for low-income residents.
Every city faces an affordable housing mandate from the state, and Encinitas is lagging behind: The city has constructed only 58 low-income units since 2008, when it was supposed to build nearly 1,000 units.
VOSD’s Maya Srikrishnan delved into the issue with NBC 7, in this week’s San Diego Explained.
Also in the News:
• Robo-calls paid for by a city council member asked Osiders if they support digital billboards. (Union-Tribune)
• Del Mar has put a temporary hold on vacation rentals. (The Coast News)
• SANDAG has the final say on changes to the Coastal Rail Trail, and hasn’t yet weighed in on Encinitas’ efforts to change the route. (The Coast News)
• A group opposed to a 48-unit development in Del Mar is looking to put the issue on the ballot. (The Coast News)
• Apparently an image of a lilac on that new gateway sign in Vista looks like the smiling poop emoji. (Union-Tribune)
• A host of North County notables have endorsed Ted Cruz. (Sacramento Bee)
• An Encinitas family is suing the city for allowing an addition on a home that might block their views. (Union-Tribune)