The Coast News, June 14, 2013

A26 THE COAST NEWS
JUNE 14, 2013
220 Lomas
Santa Fe Dr.
Solana Beach, CA
SHEPHERD
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this case increased project density
and higher elevations for
buildings leading to improved
profit margins.
As for the city council,
puzzling at best. A team that
the residents put together to
protect their interests but
which has now come up with a
variety of “No on A” arguments
ranging from a fear of lawsuits
to onerous intervention by the
Coastal Commission.
All of their arguments
have been surgically rebutted
not only by the “Yes on A” folks
but also by the likes of a former
member of the Coastal
Commission who is now a leading
expert on the application of
the Coastal Act. The fact that
the council is holding to their
unified decision without a single
member reconsidering
their stance in the face of their
arguments being academically
debunked is a disappointment.
I personally hope for more
informed leadership from this
team as they mature as a council
yet show that individually
they can be independent
HEAVY PRICE
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the city in the position of violating
state law, exposing
taxpayers to absorb the costs
of related lawsuits.
Proposition A will waste
millions of our taxpayer dollars
by requiring expensive
citywide elections to
approve even relatively
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thinkers.
What tactics are we being
subjected to in order to sway
our votes? On the “Yes on A”
side we have residents walking
the neighborhoods handing
out leaflets, standing at intersections
waving signs and
donating their hard earned
money for postcards and newspaper
ads. On the “No on A”
side we have, for the most part,
a faceless group called
Encinitas HOPE, an organization
managed by a professional
consultant John Wanio, a political
consultant, whose client
list includes the Building
Industry Association of
America, developer Barrett
America and Accretive Capital
Partners. The latter two have
had or continue to have ongoing
development interests in
Encinitas. This is the shadowy
group that is putting out the
glossy mailers featuring the
photographs of council members,
without their permission,
along with claims that the
Leucadia 101 organization, the
Leucadia Main Street
Association and Cardiff 101 are
all against prop A. Stands that
these groups to this day deny
minor projects. The city
already had to allocate
$500,000 for the special election
for Proposition A.
Taxpayers will have to bear
the cost of elections simply
to comply with state mandates,
draining city reserves
that would be better spent
on our parks, fire, police and
emergency medical services.
Despite the contrary
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they have ever made. Is there a
trust issue here?
When my late wife
Maggie Houlihan was on the
city council she sponsored an
initiative called the
Community Character
Implementation Program, the
underpinnings of which were
the same as Prop A. The council
majority at that time,
Jerome Stocks, James Bond
and Christie Guerin, all leveraged
by campaign contributions
from the development
industry, ultimately quashed
the initiative using many of the
same scare tactics as you see
today.
As a result, we now have
incompatible 3-story development
starting to dot our landscape,
the Pacific Station project,
the Moonlight Lofts on 101
and the live work units next to
Caldwell’s Antiques. Of note is
that James Bond and Christie
Guerin have recently sent out
robo calls attacking Prop A.
The question before us is a
simple one. After all of this
rhetoric, whom are we going to
trust to shepherd Encinitas
through its final phase of build
out? Who is the best bet to
claims of supporters,
Encinitas citizens already
have a right to vote on
changes to the existing
General Plan, including
increases in height and density.
The only exception to
this provision is if a project
is deemed to provide a “significant
public benefit” by at
least four of the five
• Low student to teacher ratio for
individualized attention
• Loving, caring, nurturing
environment
• Faith based classical curriculum
Call for a tour or more information
760-942-0920
3459 Manchester Ave., Cardiff-by-the-Sea
www.stsconstantinehelen.com
ensure that the finished product
will be a city that has the
kind of quality of life that drew
us here in the first place? The
result of your choice will be
very predictable. You can vote
against prop A and leave the
city in the hands of a council
that for the past 12 plus years
has been leveraged by developer
election campaign contributions
coming from within and
from outside the city, or you
can determine for yourself, by
voting Yes on A, to retain your
voice in what kind of place
Encinitas is to become.
Would you prefer we grow
to look more like Pacific Beach,
or hold on to our essential character
as the inevitable growth
ahead is integrated into our
town?
I know how I am voting
and I’m pretty sure I can guess
how Maggie would have voted.
In the future, I’m sure I’ll find
myself in Pacific Beach or
Mission Beach and I’ll probably
enjoy the visit but I can guarantee
that if Prop A passes I’ll
sure be glad that I live in
Encinitas.
Ian Thompson is an
Encinitas resident.
Councilmembers. In the 26year
history of the city, the
council has never utilized
this provision. Even so, on
May 22, the council voted
unanimously to remove this
provision—a change the voters
will be able to ratify at
the next general election.
More directly, if passed,
Proposition A could restrict
your ability to improve,
expand and to even refinance
or sell your home by
making many homes that
meet the current laws not
comply with the new rules
set forth in Proposition A.
Proposition A would
effectively raise the existing
building height limits in certain
residential areas, leading
to light and view blockage.
While supporters of
Proposition A claim this isn’t
true, the legal experts who
conducted the independent
review have cited language
within the initiative that
overrides existing height
limits.
Proposition A also
threatens to erode the
unique character of our
neighborhoods. The initiative
could undermine efforts
supported by decades of
public input and millions in
taxpayer dollars to revitalize
Highway 101 in our downtown,
Cardiff, and Leucadia.
Furthermore, historical
preservation efforts, like the
iconic Boathouses would also
be placed at risk.
Proposition A could
limit future revitalization,
discourage reinvestment,
reduce revenue generation,
and inhibit highly desired
future amenities, including a
movie theater and cultural
arts center.
Ultimately, Proposition
A is a poorly written, onesize-fits-all
approach that
will compromise our quality
of life in Encinitas. There is
no need to expose Encinitas
and its residents to the many
risks brought on by
Proposition A. Please vote
NO on Proposition A.
Doug Long
Parks & Recreation
Commissioner
Co-Chair, Encinitas
Homeowners to Preserve
Encinitas