City Council
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The biggest vote didn’t make city’s council meeting recap
🏛️ Council Meeting Recap – September 9, 2026 The council voted to ask the governor to veto a bill tied to a former mayor. It was the longest and most contested item of the evening. First, an important remembrance… Yesterday marks 25 years since September 11, 2001. We will never forget the nearly 3,000 lives lost, the…
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Commissioner accused of having an opinion
The city launched its own council meeting recap this week — a welcome addition to the kind of meeting coverage we’ve been providing. Below is the city’s summary in full, with some added context and notes from Encinitas Action. 🏛️ Council Meeting Recap – August 26, 2026 💬 Quote of the Night“I believe she has shown too…
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Council Meeting Recap: E-bike crash data offers a surprise
The council spent an hour telling nine volunteer business owners that their ideas were too ambitious. Meanwhile, Encinitas e-bike crash data revealed something unexpected: riders were at fault in only five of the 14 collisions reported so far in 2026. Plus, the city landed the biggest grant in its history on a $77,000 bet —…
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Angry deputy mayor declares himself ‘out of order’
Back from summer break. First meeting with call-in comments. And within 20 minutes, the Deputy Mayor had declared himself out of order. 🏛️ Council Meeting Recap – August 12, 2026 💬 Quote of the Night • Mayor Ehlers: “I wish you would stop, Jim, because you’re violating… I should put you out of order at this point.” Deputy Mayor O’Hara: “I am out of order on this.”…
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Encinitas City Council Report Card 2026
How did our council perform in first semester 2026? Six months into the year, the Encinitas City Council has given us plenty to grade — some genuine wins, a fair amount of unfinished business, and more than a few puzzling incidents and decisions that left us wondering what they were thinking. We dug back through…
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Council Meeting Preview: 8/12/26
If you are unable to attend a city council meeting in person, you can watch it on the City of Encinitas Youtube Channel or on the city’s website. Here’s the current meeting schedule and information about city council subcommittees. To view via television:Cox Communications: Ch. 19Spectrum: Ch. 24AT&T U-Verse: Ch. 99 For more on how to engage with city council meetings visit…
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Skateboards trump fatalities at City Hall
Families are still waiting for a street-safety task force Speak out at the Traffic Safety Commission meeting Monday! Over the last three years, three young people have been killed by cars on Encinitas streets. Families and safety commissioners have asked the City Council for an emergency response, an action that’s been declared by earlier councils.…
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The collapse of compassion at Encinitas City Hall
For decades, Encinitas built a reputation as an independent-minded, environmentally conscious, welcoming community. Residents didn’t agree on everything, but there was a shared expectation that local government would reflect the city’s generous spirit and solve problems in the best interests of its residents. That spirit is becoming harder to recognize. The City Council’s recent decision…
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Council wastes residents’ time for 10 hours until 2am
🌙 Ten hours. One night. Zero homeless grant applications. 🏛️ Council Meeting Recap – June 24, 2026 4 PM to 2 AM — and when the gavel finally fell, this council had spent $3.8M undoing a bike lane, blocked a free grant for homeless outreach, and let O’Hara argue about geology for 20 minutes. Summer recess starts…
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Council cross-examines pennies, rubber-stamps $ millions
🏛️ Council Meeting Recap – June 17, 2026 6+ hours. Midnight adjournment. A $158.5M budget that drew less debate than a farmers’ market relocation. Let’s distill it down for you. ⏰ 💬 Quote of the Night: “But that wasn’t in council direction… So if we’re in court, we’d strike the whole record of that whole conversation.” — Deputy Mayor O’Hara,…
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Council Meeting Preview: June 17, 2026
Special City Council Meeting – Council Annual Work Plan, June 17th, 4:00 p.m. This Special City Council meeting is a review of the draft Fiscal Year 2026–2027 City Council Annual Work Plan. This is the document that helps set the Council’s priorities, focus areas, goals, and objectives for the year ahead. No final project approval…
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It’s a ‘Housing First’ grant, just don’t call it that
🏛️ Council Meeting Recap – June 10, 2026 💬 Quote of the Night: · Ehlers: “It’s one bird in the hand,” referencing that one applicant withdrew, leaving only one other application for Parks & Rec Commission seat · O’Hara: “Is it? Not if the bird poops in your hand. Or the bird in the hand flies away.”…
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Another meeting about another meeting
Climate change denial, outdoor dining rats (?), and a mayor who thinks homelessness data is “not for us to solve.” Buckle up. 🏛️ Council Meeting Recap – May 27, 2026 💬 Quote of the Night: “The longer we wait, the more we pay.” J.P. Bruner, Environmental Commissioner, regarding the Climate Action Plan discussion. ⚡ SPECIAL MEETING: Climate Action Plan…
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Council grandstanding stalls kids’ bike training
A budget improvised on the fly, the council looking to allow time-limited parking on all our roads, and a crumbling road nobody wants to own. Just another Wednesday at Encinitas City Hall. 🏛️ Council Meeting Recap – May 20, 2026 💬 Quote of the Night: “If we can’t find a way to continue with the [bike] training…
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Council Meeting Recap: Back to 1989? Encinitas Council Rejects Circulation Element Update After Five Years of Work
Five years of planning were rejected in one meeting, and the skate committee debate went around in circles. 🏛️ Council Meeting Recap – May 13, 2026 💬 Quote of the Night: “We’re not going to stop because a couple of people just don’t want to hear some noise.” – Councilmember Shaffer in response to residents’…
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Encinitas Council Blames Residents After Racism Accountability Demands
At the April 22, 2026 Encinitas City Council meeting, residents demanded accountability for Steven Houbeck’s racially demeaning remarks and questioned whether he should remain on the Urban Forest Advisory Committee. But instead of focusing squarely on the harm described by residents, much of the council discussion turned toward the people speaking up. This meeting was…
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Fear of a crowded Zoom room: Council meeting recap 4/15/26
Water bills, native plants, community grants, and a debate over hybrid access all shaped the April 15, 2026 Encinitas City Council meeting. This recap walks through the key decisions, the public controversy, and what the discussion revealed about this council’s priorities. 🏛️ Council Meeting Recap – April 15, 2026 💬 Quote of the Night: As the…
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Mayor Ehlers’ State of the Spin?
🏙️ Bruce Ehlers’ 2026 State of the City: Our Encinitas Fact Check Here’s our take on the mayor’s speech — some props, some call-outs. Mayor Ehlers’ Theme: GSD — Get Stuff Done The mayor summarized the progress in our city, with more than a few pats on this council’s back. But even he had to admit…
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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…
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When the Rules Become a Joke, Encinitas Has a Leadership Problem
Deputy Mayor Jim O’Hara may have mocked Brown Act concerns, but the real issue is the lack of leadership from Mayor Bruce Ehlers. The Brown Act exists for a simple reason: the public’s business must be conducted in public. It prohibits councilmembers from discussing or deliberating on city matters outside noticed meetings, including through social…
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Week 4: City council’s deaf ears on racism
Council hears it, council ignores it. It was a short agenda but a loooong evening. And the new Urban Forestry Advisory Committee member’s racist comment is not going away. 💬 Quote of the Night : “Racism is not a difference of opinion. It is a disqualifier for public service.” – Encinitas Resident Monette Marino 🏛️ Council Meeting Recap…
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Encinitas Native Plant Ordinance Explained: What It Does, Who It Affects, and What Comes Next
An Encinitas Native Plant Ordinance will gradually reshape how landscaping is handled across the city. The proposal is intended to promote drought-tolerant, native landscaping and to align local planting standards with broader city goals around water conservation, habitat restoration, pollinators, biodiversity, and environmental resilience. (Source: City of Encintas) This did not appear overnight. The process began on January 25, 2023, when…
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City Council Meeting Preview for 3/25/26
Here’s a look at the upcoming City Council meeting this week. If you are unable to attend a city council meeting in person, you can watch it on the City of Encinitas Youtube Channel or on the city’s website. Here’s the current meeting schedule and information about city council subcommittees. To view via television: Cox Communications: Ch. 19, Spectrum: Ch. 24, AT&T…
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Bruce Ehlers ignores O’Hara’s chronic tardiness and rudeness
Mayor’s lack of leadership enables deputy mayor’s disruptive behavior. Punctuality is not a small thing in local government. City council meetings are formal public proceedings, and residents, staff, and fellow councilmembers all deserve the basic respect of having elected officials show up on time and ready to participate. Thus far, we have identified repeated lateness…
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Big Budget Decisions, A New Park, and a Dash of Drama at the March 18, 2026 Council Meeting
Big budget questions. Another councilmember kerfluffle. And a seventh grader is celebrated for helping create a new park. 🏛️ Council Meeting Recap – March 18, 2026 🌟 Presentation: Oliver Pratt For three years, seventh-grader Oliver Pratt (above, center) collected, cleaned, and sold used golf balls to raise money for the future L-7 nature park on Quail Gardens…
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Long meeting. Big issues. Unanswered questions.
Last Wednesday’s Encinitas City Council meeting lasted four-and-a-half hours. Between public outcry over a racist post, debates about homelessness funding, safety concerns at a school crossing, and a city work plan missing key issues like affordable housing and flooding, the night raised as many questions as it answered. And Encinitas Action sat through it all…
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Boos at council meetings are bad – sometimes: 2/25/26 City Council meeting recap
Long night. Big votes. Real tension. Here’s what mattered. 💬 Quote of the Night: Immediately after a public comment supporting the redesign of Santa Fe Drive, there were some claps and some boos from the audience. Deputy Mayor O’Hara said: “[I]f you want to cheer for the person who comes up because they agree with your…
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Encinitas mom calls out City Council rudeness
2/18/26 council meeting recap Last Wednesday’s Encinitas City Council meeting featured a packed agenda, a packed room, and plenty of heat inside council chambers. Encinitas mother Meenal Patel spoke movingly during Oral Communications about her deep disappointment in the lack of civility from our current City Council. Citing the example they set for kids, she challenged councilmembers…
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Council Meeting Recap: Commission Appointments
Watch the full City Council meeting here. Surf Pride Moment: The night kicked off with recognition of the San Dieguito Academy Surf Team 🏄♂️ — coach, students, and proud supporters packed the chambers. A feel-good start. Oral Communications: Seven speakers tackled everything from cannabis retail and Highway 101 safety in Leucadia 🚗 to bike safety education 🚲 and even…
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City Council declines to reinstate the Safe Parking Program
Last Wednesday night, despite appeals from over 160 residents in letters and public testimony, the Encinitas City Council chose not to restore our proven Safe Parking Program.(Learn about Safe Parking Programs.) We’ll dive into that Special Meeting on the Homeless Action Plan (HAP), and then look at the subsequent regular meeting – during which city commission appointments were made.…
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Meeting Recap: Process Matters, Residents Make that Clear
Oral Communications: Tensions High Residents called out: Consent Calendar Highlights ✔️ 8F – Glen Park Improvements: Resident requested redesign for ADA + drainage. Staff will follow up. Passed unanimously. ✔️ 8G – Offshore Drilling Opposition Letter: Resident thanked Council for taking a stand. Unanimous approval. Consent Items: Item 10A – Sewer Engineering Fees: First update in…
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We did it!
Most of the threats to our Encinitas values were reversed – for now. Wednesday night, a large crowd of Encinitas citizens held the line against the current City Council’s attempts to erase some of our most sacred ideals from the document that defines our city’s legislative priorities – including equality, inclusivity, gun safety and violence,…
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Encinitas’ priorities are being gutted. Let’s fight back on Wednesday!
Mayor Bruce Ehlers and Deputy Mayor Jim O’Hara have made disturbing edits to the City’s Legislative Program that do not reflect who we are as a community. This should concern every Encinitas resident, regardless of political stripe. The Ehlers/O’Hara subcommittee updated our legislative program, which will be up for review and a vote at this Wednesday’s City Council meeting. These changes don’t come…
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Encinitas City Council 2025 Report Card
One year in, this council has created flashes of progress – but also contradiction, hostility, and a growing chorus of residents who feel unheard. Even the council’s most loyal supporters call it a mixed bag. Leadership matters – and many Encinitans are asking whether the mayor and this council are up to the task. Mayor…
