Encinitans endured another tumultuous eight-hour series of meetings at City Hall last Wednesday night.
💬 Quote of the Night: “So don’t say you’re here to advocate for people when you’re here to campaign. It’s insulting to all those people. It’s insulting to me.”
— Deputy Mayor Jim O’Hara, to National City Councilmember Jose Rodriguez, who had just asked Encinitas to vote down the San Diego Rescue Mission amendment.
National City Councilmember Jose Rodriguez (above) addressed the Encinitas City Council, asking them to kill the National City homeless shelter deal. It ended with some very offended Encinitas councilmembers and Mayor Ehlers ordering a sheriff’s deputy to eject Rodriguez after he returned to the podium in an attempt to respond.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reported:
As Rodriguez was leaving, Ehlers said, “I know this is good theater … for your videos” and then added, “Now, we can continue” after Rodriguez left the room.
Rodriguez said Thursday he was surprised by O’Hara’s remarks. “I don’t think I’ve ever spoken to another person on the dais like that, much less an elected official that came and had some grievances,” he said. “I would think that the mayor would’ve been running a meeting more appropriately.”
And in a spirited demonstration before the council meetings, residents demanded more City Council documentation and “local control” in response to the increasing disruptive activity by ICE (above). You can read more about this below, and in Encinitas Action’s coverage of ICE in Encinitas here.
Meanwhile, third graders got a build date for Paul Ecke Central School, and manufactured home residents will have the council’s attention next Wednesday for a potential emergency rent limitation ordinance.
Below are the City’s “Council Rundown” and our commentary.
⚡ Special Meeting – FY2026-27 Work Plan Q1 Update. ✅ No vote taken (direction only).
City’s Council Rundown: The City Council reviewed first-quarter progress on its FY 2026–27 Annual Work Plan, with 45 of 56 first quarter objectives completed, 11 in progress, and none showing no progress. The City Council discussed updates on public safety, infrastructure, transportation, environmental initiatives, and economic development, emphasizing the need for clear milestones, realistic timelines, and measurable outcomes. Staff proposed adjustments to 14 objectives to better align project schedules and improve accountability and transparency.
📌 What Else? Two timelines residents should write down. Fire Station 6: design and permitting won’t finish until early 2027, construction after that — and the three-person crew depends on a SAFER grant the city applied for and hasn’t heard back on. South Vulcan storm drain: “a year and a quarter from today” just to finish design and permitting, because it needs a coastal development permit. ⏳
Also: the Climate Action Plan is not coming back for adoption — it’s coming back for a $30,000 consultant amendment first.
• 🌮 Food For Thought: 45 of 56 green is a good scorecard. But the two items residents ask about most — a staffed fire station and Leucadia flooding — are both years out. What is a “completed objective” actually measuring?
🏠 Housing Authority Meeting ✅ Received and filed (4-0, two commissioners absent)
City’s Council Rundown: The Encinitas Housing Authority received an annual update on the Housing Choice Voucher Program, which provides rental assistance to 101 low-income households, 81% of which include elderly individuals, people with disabilities or veterans. The program received nearly $1.9 million in federal funding for 2026 and earned a 96% performance rating from HUD but faces rising rental costs and funding constraints.
📌 What Else? Over 1,200 people on the rental assistance waitlist, with an estimated wait exceeding 18 years — and the city closed that waitlist on July 8, 2026. Nobody new is coming off it. The 101 households only shrank through attrition: “We had several participants that passed away.” 💔 We applaud city staff for their diligent administration of this list, but we cannot ignore that a closed waitlist is a lottery nobody wins. We urge the Council to not accept federal stagnation as a policy choice and instead, agendize an action to evaluate local rental assistance, waitlist relief mechanism, and possible collaboration with the County. A tenant commissioner spoke at the end: “There is like 82 families that are elderly or disabled or veterans. We would not be able to live without you guys.”
• 🌮 Food For Thought: Is the current system which provides valuable rental assistance for vulnerable people acceptable only when an elderly neighbor passes away?
⚡ Regular Meeting
🎀 Proclamations and Presentations
City’s Council Rundown: Two proclamations recognized community health, environmental stewardship, and the importance of community involvement.
October 23-31, 2026, was proclaimed Red Ribbon Week by the City Council, joining communities nationwide in promoting drug prevention and healthy, drug-free lifestyles. Students from local elementary, middle, and high schools attended the meeting to receive proclamations, highlighting the importance of youth involvement and community awareness.
The City Council also proclaimed the third Saturday in October as Día de los Encinitas, celebrating the city’s namesake, “Little Oaks,” and its connection to native scrub oaks. The inaugural celebration will take place on October 17, 2026, alongside a community native plant installation at the Leucadia Oaks Demonstration Garden. The proclamation encourages native landscaping, biodiversity, and preservation of Encinitas’ natural heritage during its 40th anniversary year.
📌 What Else? Students from 16 schools came up one by one. Red Ribbon Week honors DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena of the Imperial Valley, tortured and murdered in 1985 — his family wore red ribbons; his son is now a judge in San Diego.
📌 Two Items the City’s Rundown Missed
🏫 Paul Ecke Central is cleared to build. All outstanding issues resolved for now. Rough grading starting. Administrative hearing October 27, and if no appeals, construction as early as November 23. A Girl Scout troop of third graders spoke: “Because of these delays, our class will have attended three different campuses during our elementary school years. We belong at Paul Ecke Central, and we want to go home.” Parent group PEC ASAP asked for four things, including putting the resolved items in writing — “the document outlasts all of us.”
🛂 Two ICE enforcement incidents the City Manager reported. October 9, a father driving his child to a before-school program was surrounded by ICE SUVs 150 yards from Capri Elementary and told he was under arrest; he didn’t exit, and they left. October 10, a man was detained on Via Tivera. No advance notice to the Sheriff or the city either time. Nine speakers spoke with passion about increased activity by federal immigration officials (ICE), much of which wasn’t included in the City’s report. The speakers implored the Council to do more to report activity, engage ICE officials, assist families affected and more. One speaker, a 37-year Capri Elementary teacher, said agents were staging there again that morning. Another speaker asked Council whether they are committed to “local control” when ICE seems to control Encinitas. The crowd filled the council chambers and the overflow viewing room where you could hear shouts, claps and whistled approvals for the speakers’ comments.
🛏️ San Diego Rescue Mission Agreement — ✅ Unanimous (5-0)
City’s Council Rundown: An amended agreement with the San Diego Rescue Mission (SDRM) was approved by the City Council to reserve 12 shelter beds at the South County Lighthouse in National City, replacing previous shelter capacity in Vista. The arrangement provides temporary shelter and support services while SDRM seeks a new North County location. In response to concerns about the distance and regional impacts, Council also directed staff to coordinate with National City to strengthen communication and collaboration.
📌 What Else? A sitting National City councilmember came to Encinitas chambers to ask Council to vote this down. Jose Rodriguez laid out numbers: Encinitas median household income ~$151,000 against National City’s ~$67,000; Encinitas permitted ~800 more market-rate units than its target but only 137 of 469 very-low-income homes; the safe parking program closed; the 4-1 vote not to pursue a $3.9M state grant.
Deputy Mayor O’Hara accused him of campaigning, told him his facts were wrong, and when Rodriguez tried to answer from the floor, Ehlers had the sheriff escort him out. He left peacefully.
• 🤔 Food For Thought: The directive to “coordinate with National City” came from Councilmember Lyndes, but will the other councilmembers actually collaborate with other cities accepting our homeless population or treat them like they treated Councilmember Rodriguez?
🚐 Mobile Home Park Preservation — ✅ Unanimous (5-0)
City’s Council Rundown: Potential protections for mobile home residents facing significant land lease increases were discussed by the City Council, with particular attention to Riviera Mobile Home Park. Residents, shown above, expressed concerns about housing affordability and displacement, while park owners encouraged solutions that balance resident protections with property rights.
To address these concerns, the City Council directed staff to return by October 28, 2026, with a proposed urgency ordinance addressing rent increases, with the goal of establishing protections before November 1, 2026. The City Council emphasized the importance of preserving mobile home communities as a valuable source of naturally occurring affordable housing while ensuring fairness for both residents and park owners.
Staff will also explore a permanent rent stabilization ordinance, a local review board, alternative agreements used in other cities, and an inventory of existing mobile home parks and their zoning.
📌 What Else? Riviera’s management delivered letters cutting the increase to 4% about three hours before the meeting started. One resident: “It proves only that they behave as the council’s watching.” Riviera’s operator apologized from the podium — “we misjudged the impact.” Park owners got real credit too: Green Valley, family-run since 1974, was cited by residents as the ideal management model. iNewsScource article here.
🌊 Sand Replenishment and Storm Preparation — ✅ Unanimous (5-0)
City’s Council Rundown: With winter storm season approaching, the City Council discussed beach sand loss, coastal erosion, and flooding risks. Staff was directed to coordinate with regional and state agencies, identify sand replenishment opportunities and potential funding sources, and explore emergency permitting options to accelerate coastal protection efforts.
📌 What Else? Buried in this item, staff disclosed that the city’s geotechnical engineer has determined bluff failure is imminent for roughly 50 feet north and 50 feet south of the recent Grandview collapse — in city jurisdiction, progressing toward the staircase the city just repaired. And there is no insurance on the structure. Councilmember Lyndes raised the point that Encinitas has not declared its own local emergency, while Carlsbad has.
• 🌮 Food For Thought: Imminent bluff failure, no insurance, three closed access points — and the city hasn’t declared a local emergency. What’s the threshold?
🛑 All-Way Stop Control — ✅ Unanimous (5-0)
City’s Council Rundown: The City Council approved all-way stop improvements at three intersections following traffic safety evaluations and recommendations from the Mobility and Traffic Safety Commission.
Consideration of a fourth intersection, Lone Jack Road and Fortuna Ranch Road in Olivenhain, was postponed to allow additional public review and community input. Residents raised concerns about sight distances, traffic flow, emergency evacuation access, and supporting traffic studies, while staff cited vehicle speeds and larger vehicles, including horse trailers, as factors in the safety recommendation.
📌 What Else? The 4th All-Way Stop was postponed because the city didn’t give residents the data before scheduling the vote. One resident filed a Public Records Act request on September 21 and was told fulfillment would come October 15 — the day after the vote. Also unmentioned: three residents requested this via the MyEncinitas app, but five residents showed up to oppose it.
🚦 Roadway Safety Planning — ✅ Unanimous (5-0)
City’s Council Rundown: The City’s Local Roadway Safety Plan (LRSP) and draft Comprehensive Safety Action Plan (CSAP) were reviewed to evaluate traffic safety concerns and opportunities for improvements throughout Encinitas. The discussion focused on incorporating updated collision data, establishing a consistent citywide approach to roadway safety, and strengthening alignment with the General Plan Circulation Element.
Staff was directed to update and consolidate the plans, incorporating relevant CSAP recommendations and the federal Safe System Approach into the LRSP to better guide future safety improvements and funding opportunities.
📌 What Else? The CSAP is being folded in because it’s thin. It covers two corridors out of ~134 miles of road, runs on 2018–2022 data, and the grant that required it has already expired. The LRSP has a finding that matters: crash causes mirror the sheriff’s citations almost exactly — distracted driving, DUI, running stop signs, running red lights.
🛹 Cultural Loops — ✅ Unanimous (5-0)
City’s Council Rundown: The City Council supported moving forward with the first phase of a Cultural Loops initiative in partnership with the Encinitas Chamber of Commerce. The program will offer self-guided walking, biking, and driving tours highlighting the City’s cultural, historical, and artistic destinations.
The initial $5,000 phase will develop two digital pilot tours focused on surf and skate culture and historic downtown Encinitas. Council also discussed opportunities for future expansion, including additional themed routes and wayfinding markers.
📌 What Else? Deputy Mayor O’Hara voted yes while questioning whether the estimated project cost was legit. Mayor Ehlers noted sign clutter and asked for “no more poles.” Phase 2 is a $50,000 ask next budget cycle.
📌 Other Agenda Items
Here are a few additional meeting topics worth checking out in the City’s Council Rundown:
· Three Ordinances Adopted
· Excel Landscape Contract
· Pacific Pines Insurance
· Community Park Tree Planting
We know this was a long one — but then, so were the meetings. Thanks for sticking with us. There’s a lot happening in Encinitas before Election Day, and we appreciate having you along as we try to keep track of it all and keep you informed!
—Encinitas Action