💰 $8.5M Up for Grabs – Who Gets It?: At the first FY25-26 budget workshop, City staff reported our finances are in good shape with higher revenue than forecasted. With $8.5 million of unallocated general funds to spend, Mayor Ehlers laid out his spending priorities:
- $1M more on paving,
- $1M on storm drain relining,
- $5M on Leucadia flooding,
- $900K on 2 new traffic patrols, and
- Funds for Vulcan pedestrian path design, at-grade rail crossings, beach staircase repair.
The Hygeia roundabout? Snubbed again. Councilmembers Shaffer and O’Hara recommended a scaled-down approach to Leucadia projects — a frustrating pattern for locals. The next budget workshop: April 23
- 🥕🧠Food for thought (FFT): It’s great to see this Council have the benefit from additional unallocated funds to spend on important priorities. With more needs than funds, where should the Council spend the $8.5M?
🎤 Mayor’s State of the City: Protect Our Paradise: Mayor Ehlers gave his State of the City speech, doubling down on his vision of (1) local control, not Sacramento control; (2) reduce homelessness, and (3) fix basic infrastructure, first!. He noted the City’s logo shows bluffs and ocean shown, but no multi-family housing because “no one wants that”. He also called for streamlining staff services especially Development Services and bringing diverse businesses downtown — “not just coffee and alcohol”.
- FFT: The Mayor backs homeless outreach, but will the new councilmembers follow or keep echoing the anti-Community Resource Center (CRC) rhetoric?
- FFT: Infrastructure goals are spot on but ambitious. Can the City afford them without new taxes or bonds?
🌳 Arbor Day: Trees Are the Bees’ Knees
Mark your calendars — April 5, 2025 is Arbor Day! The City plans to plant 50 trees to green up Encinitas. 🌱
🐐 How Sweet is Sugarsweet Farm: Community Treasure or Nuisance? In a packed meeting, residents clashed over Sugarsweet Farm. Noise, odors, and traffic drove complaints, while supporters praised its community value. The Council upheld the farm’s permit with added conditions to ease tensions.
- FFT: The farm packed the room — just like Bobby Riggs pickleballers. Is overwhelming turnout the key to shaping city policy?
Earlier this week we sent out a special message from the Community Resource Center (CRC)’s CEO John Van Cleef. If you have yet to read it, we recommend you do so and contact your city councilor about the rhetoric that continues to be posted by local social media accounts.