Citizen Tip = Action
And then there are the dues demanded of us above and beyond simply paying attention. Sometimes we need to get up, to make a stand. One advocate, Councilwoman Barth is only one vote. She has been rendered ineffectual by every device this non-cooperative majority can use to silence her and obstruct her agenda requests or motions. That means our voices are silenced too. Dozens of clips illustrate these facts.This week is hot! It's one of those weeks of mobilization for anyone involved in seeing Encinitas prosper for all of us (not just the few) and revert to a democratically governed community. The ordinance that is being forced out of the administrative to-do list and into the public sphere is a cobbled together bit of mayoral office takeover by the majority dance team of Gaspar and Stocks. That reference is for the Mayoral Mambo from the Our Mayor blog last month describing how coordinated Stocks and Gaspar's re-write via an unagendized mayor selection ordinance. Both that video clip and a more professional description are in the previous post from Patch by Lisa Shaffer. It is really important to grasp what fancy footwork is going on to control the mayor and deputy mayor seat for several years.
For New Encinitas residents to become incorporated into the body politic and not just labeled Nimbys (as Mayor Stocks called Cardiff and Old Encinitas and Leucadia groups throughout the years), they can gain the insight into both majority manipulation attempts and pushback from the public. The public is kept as docile and marginalized as possible in the arcane formality that is a council meeting. Even so, opportunities can be seized - sometimes unexpectedly - to make a forceful difference. Showing up in numbers is a start.
It's citizen show time. Get up, stand up. One doesn't have to shout, rant, preach, condescend or bully; though, sadly some do. I personally believe all should get up out of the chairs and stand while the public speakers challenge this ridiculous takeover attempt. We should feel the embarrassment, the exposure, the fear of being counted if this means anything at all. We'll survive to feel good about ourselves for doing this.
Those of us who watch council meetings live streaming or on television need to peel our eyeballs from the screens and our butts from our chairs and head to Encinitas Civic Center, 505 S. Vulcan Avenue by 6 pm. on Wednesday night. Without trying, 80-100 people should be there if all the regulars show up with a friend. New Encinitas leading a crowd to city hall could light a real fire under this fair city and help stop a really bad thing from happening on Wednesday night.
P.S. Forgot to thank Bob Marley for the title.
