Commentary
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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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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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‘Common ground’ shouldn’t mean ‘Agree with me, or else’
Previously published in The Coast News. During his election campaign, Encinitas Deputy Mayor Jim O’Hara used the slogan “Common Sense, Common Ground,” a phrase that suggests bridging divides, listening across differences, and finding workable compromises. But on the dais, O’Hara’s “common ground” often seems to be defined as something much narrower: agreement with his conclusions.
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Anonymous ‘outrage’ accounts are warping Encinitas discourse
Previously published as an Op-Ed in The Coast News on January 26, 2026 Anonymous grievance accounts on social media are attempting to influence Encinitas civic life without transparency or accountability. Debate is healthy. Anonymous manipulation is not. When an anonymous page presents opinion as fact, cherry-picks data, targets individuals, and manufactures outrage while refusing to