Council skates past one controversy — and into another
The April 8, 2026 Encinitas City Council meeting included FY27 budget discussions, debate over a proposed Glen Park skate feature, commission appointments, and renewed public criticism over Steve Houbeck.
🏛️ Council Meeting Recap – April 8, 2026
💬 Quote of the Night : On his initiated agenda item for skateboarding features at Glen Park, Councilmember Luke Shaffer said “I think it’s [nice] to hear from the community. I don’t think I saw one person under the age of 50 in here.”
🌮 Food For Thought: Does Shaffer ever miss a chance to discredit “old” people?
Special Meeting @ 4PM — Budget Workshop #2: The $8.6M Decision
The city had $8.6M to allocate for FY27. After two hours of debate, council approved the budget 4-1 — with $784K set aside in unassigned funds for projects not yet ready for allocation.
Before the vote, 11 public speakers showed up — most of them pushing council to fully fund the $6.5M Leucadia at-grade crossings project. Residents have been fighting for this for decades. 737 signed petitions. Over 1,200 signatures going back to 2011. The project cleared its final regulatory hurdle in January. Design wraps this year. What did they get? $300K for design. The remaining $6.2M for construction? Unaddressed. The $8.4M in matching funds needed if the federal rail grant comes through this summer? Not reserved.
One pediatrician raised a medical concern worth watching: the wayside horns required at at-grade crossings register at 92 decibels — and the federal waiver to use quieter alternatives is not guaranteed. Council acknowledged the concern but didn’t let it derail the project.
What got funded:
👷 4 new city staff (big jump over previous years)
🏗️ $2M for facility condition fixes
🛣️ $2M for Santa Fe Drive East improvements (notably: no funds allocated to undo Santa Fe West)
💧 $650K for Lake Drive storm drain lining
🔧 $500K annual storm drain repair fund
🚲 $500K general mobility improvements
💰 $500K extra pension payments
📐 $300K for Leucadia at-grade crossing design
What didn’t make the cut:
❌ $63K for Cornish Drive parking improvements — pulled and parked in the unassigned fund
❌ Surfline coastal camera system ($197K/year) — “nice to have, not now”
❌ Pickleball courts — no money available yet
❌ Any matching fund reserve for the federal rail grant
The lone No vote: Deputy Mayor O’Hara, who argued that staff budgets too conservatively and wanted to squeeze line items to free up more cash. Mayor Ehlers pushed back: “This is budgeting, not project approval.” Councilmember Lyndes moved to park the remaining $784K in the unassigned fund for future determination. Ehlers seconded. Passed 4-1.
Final budget presentation: May 20. Adoption: June 17.
🌮 Food For Thought: The city has tens of millions in unfunded infrastructure needs — $15M just for Leucadia drainage improvements alone. Should the city create a dedicated restricted fund to start accumulating dollars for these projects, rather than leaving them perpetually on the wish list? And if the federal rail grant comes through without matching funds reserved, does Encinitas lose its shot?
🏛️ Regular Meeting @ 6PM
🎤 Oral Communications — Five Weeks Running: 17 speakers. Topics included marijuana’s effects on youth, the mental health toll of hundreds of daily train horn blasts, quiet zone expansion, and commission inefficiencies.
The majority of speakers returned to ask council to remove Urban Forestry Advisory Committee member Steve Houbeck following his racist Facebook post. One resident said what everyone is thinking: Council’s inaction is now becoming the story.
Still. No. Action.
🌮 Food For Thought: Five weeks. Same topic. Same ask. Council’s silence isn’t neutral — it’s a choice. When does the community stop asking and start demanding a vote?
🏛️ Additional Commission Appointments – Not Nonpartisan as Advertised: Three commissions filled vacancies. Mayor Ehlers has repeatedly stated his appointments are nonpartisan.
Parks & Recreation: Mayor Ehlers nominated Dan Hare. Councilmember Lyndes pushed for Kimberly Evers — who had already served as vice chair of the same commission and whose experience and continuity was exactly what’s needed given high turnover. Hare – a Republican — was appointed 4-1, Lyndes dissenting.
Health & Safety Commission: Tonya Bell appointed unanimously.
Senior Commission: Stephen Lord appointed 4-1, Lyndes dissenting.
🌮 Food For Thought: If experience and continuity matter in city commissions — and they do — why was a former vice chair passed over in favor of a first-time applicant?
What criteria are actually being used?
🛹 Glen Park Skate Feature: Community Says No, Council Says Study It:
The Fox5 news report on Shaffer’s skate proposal is here.
Councilmember Luke Shaffer brought forward a proposal to add a skate feature to Glen Park in Cardiff. Originally eyed for Moonlight Beach (state-owned, ultimately a no-go), Shaffer redirected to Glen Park without meaningful community input beforehand.
The response was loud and clear:
111+ pages of letters — nearly all opposed
12 speakers — 10 against, 2 for. Concerns: noise, drainage, density, parking, lack of green space in Cardiff, proximity to existing skate options at Encinitas Community Park
Nobody attacked skating. The opposition was about this park, this process, this lack of community engagement.
Councilmember Lyndes called it out directly: this proposal wasn’t brought to her attention before it hit the agenda (it’s in her district!), the approach has been tone-deaf to community concerns, and it has weakened public trust in this council.
O’Hara pushed hard to fast-track it. Ehlers opposed the Glen Park location. What passed (4-1, Ehlers opposing): Direct staff to study all city parks and recommend where a skate feature would be appropriate at the May 13 council meeting
🌮 Food For Thought: A councilmember proposed placing a major facility in a neighborhood park without telling colleagues or the community first. Is that good governance — or is the Councilmember Initiated Item becoming a workaround for skipping public process?
🚨 ICE update: City Manager Campbell reported that on March 31st, Border Patrol encountered and apprehended 2 individuals on N. Vulcan — described as unplanned. City Manager met with an ICE deputy who confirmed ICE does not require a warrant for enforcement actions and expressed willingness to provide advance notice and after-action reports to the city.
🌮 Food For Thought: The city is working to establish communication channels with ICE — but residents still don’t have a clear picture of what that coordination looks like in practice. What does “cooperation” actually mean for Encinitas community members?
The next Encinitas City Council meeting is this Wednesday, April 15, (aka Tax Day)! If you’re too busy to attend or watch, we’ll have your back with an easier-to-absorb Encinitas Action recap newsletter.
