Tuesday is Dues-day: Community Character & Density

Tuesday is Dues-day. The dues are schooling yourself on how our local governance is organized, who are the players, what are the screw-ups, where is the money and what things get reported?

You’re a citizen, an advocate for democracy with this first step, paying attention.

Citizen Tip - Emotional Campaigning

Where rape, abortion, gay marriage, racism work well to mobilize a segment of the national voting base, local elections have their own hot button issues to incite emotional responses (fear, anger and paranoia to name a few) for mobilizing votes. In 2012 Encinitas it is the state and the region demands for density, increased building heights and mixed use zoning.

This style of campaign thrives on the evocative use of words to heighten people's real fears, doubts and frustrations. As an example, we step back from the present to 2001, just after Jerome Stocks had won his first election and aligned himself with Jim Bond and those of the real estate and development special interest groups.

NCT article, praises the purchase of the new Hall nursery property for a park and the council not shouting at each other, there is this:

"Bond and Stocks, who have consistently voted against the community character protection effort, say it infringes on private property rights and favors one architectural taste over another."

[ . . . ]

Turning the Cardiff nursery into a park and building a citywide trails network have all drawn opposing factions to City Hall. Particularly risky, some observers say, is the community character issue because sweeping changes would affect every property owner in the city.

"They're messing with people's property rights," said Bart Smith, an architect and president of the Downtown Encinitas MainStreet Association. "It could be a two-headed monster that costs them their council seats." 

We interviewed an activist and found that there was an organized effort to meet with HOA's (Home Owners Associations) around the city to build opposition to the threat of "community character" with claims that the city wanted the power to select home owner's paint colors.  These property owners were not able to explain why living under the HOA (covenants, conditions and restrictions) CC&R's were much different.  The current city council majority crony network were the force behind this community "involvement."

Let's fast forward to our major political player in Encinitas, Mayor Stocks, and his recent tweet.  Now he proclaims himself savior of the community character. Saved from whom? The city staff who are following the city council directives? What?

 

So now Stocks is okay with neighborhood's community character?  But, the general plan update was just fine by him and highly praised in one instance until a few months later he had a minute and a half tantrum calling it an ugly baby without one single example to set a whole series of offensive actions into play.

The heart of the dues we owe it to ourselves to pay, is being aware that we are being manipulated.  What are very real issues in our lives are conflated, twisted and misdirected by very big money interests nationally and the power base locally?  This was a long term strategy.  Vigilance is needed in protecting our quality of life, our community character and even property values while not dismissing the changing trends, needs of the young, working class renters, fixed income seniors, our air, water and environment and small business opportunities and development.

AB 32, climate change legislation was signed into law by Gov. Schwarzenegger in 2006. SB375 was passed as a state law in 2008 when Mayor Jerome Stocks and his majority club on the city council chose to keep the public uninformed. For four years he's taken virtually no steps to educate or engage the citizenry in the planning implications of this powerful 21st century legislation for Sustainable Community Strategy (SCS).

Conversely, dynamic leaders and conscientious planners acknowledged the hard work ahead with Sustainable Community Strategy (SCS) education and accommodation.  Of course cites understandable balk at being told these things.  That was understood from the onset.

“Cities always think numbers for projected housing are too high and now with a longer cycle the numbers will be even higher, so there will clearly be sticker shock and with the economy in the tank, cities will say ‘how can we possibly plan for that much housing,’ ” Creswell said. “If all the stakeholders get engaged in the process as the SCS are being developed there is potential that this could serve affordable housing and sustainable development. We’re committed to participating fully to meet both the housing needs and the really important climate objectives. We have to make sure people understand that we need to provide adequate housing for all Californians.”  source

Millions of people have the same kinds of fears, resistance, confusion and demands we in Encinitas have been feeling and voicing. Each one of the five regional planning bodies have proceeded to comply with SB375 and Encinitas residents would benefit from reading about how other regions are faring.  We are not alone.

1. The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) Plan
2. The Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) Plan
3. The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) Plan
4. The Western Riverside Council of Governments (WRCOG) Plan
5. The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) Plan

We invite you to try and find out of the more than 175 plus meeting minutes or video archive snippets, any that include Stocks treating his SANDAG, NCTD or other board seats as anything more than his personal fiefdom when he shared anything at all. His opportunity to career network was vast, his contribution to the edification of Encinitas residents experiencing economic emergencies, foreclosures, increasing gas prices, global climate changes, lost employment or anything that might benefit from planning strategies for our Encinitas future – not so much.

It's not a bumper sticker issue or a simple tweet.  Land planning and transportation for the future is complex and real leadership, not just a career of campaigning, is needed.