Hence we have a large portion of hotel, restaurant, big box retail profits leaving Encinitas to be deposited in multinational headquarter banks and enterprises each and every day. This has been the norm for many years. Obviously it would be far better for profits to stay here at home. Here is another thing to consider. One gigantic vulnerability for us is the potential closure of any or many national chain stores through decisions not based on our local business, relationships or support.
Labor for these businesses represent the largest segment of the Encinitas job pool and it is almost universally low paying. Unions are virtually non-existent or toothless so these jobs don't come near a living wage or with vacation, sick leave or other basic benefits. Though figures are not available, it's obvious that a large portion, if not the majority, of the people working in these jobs live outside of Encinitas. It is simply too expensive for most to live here without a living wage.
Our City Government relies heavily on sales tax revenue and the above all fuels this revenue stream. Again, this is not hard to understand. But, the true strength of this approach needs to be addressed against options that place more commerce and tax revenue in the control of local citizens.
Out of towners described above are just one kind of visitor in Encinitas. We have another kind of visitor, the citizen visitor. Due to jobs being located outside of Encinitas, most often in San Diego or UCSD or Los Angeles, three of the most common, we have people with Encinitas addresses spending the lions' share of their waking hours outside of Encinitas.
This bedroom community is filled with thousands of workers who drive to and from Encinitas each day, attend entertainments, study, shop, dine, party, and vacation outside of Encinitas. It is a lifestyle in no way foreign or odd for people on the go. For another chunk of the population simply making a go of it can be frightening. This is standard for the vast majority in this country drowning in personal debt. They share in common with our vacationing tourists the absence of time, energy or interest in civic engagement. Not only are schedules full, the sense of relevance is just not there.
As we look ahead to this next century and the forces we must contend with in our future, more resilience demands we capture what we are losing. How can we keep profits within our community? How should we invest to assure that this talent pool can find job satisfaction and security close to home? What sort of housing, transportation and health services are available to employed people? Are the working poor and the homeless kept out of sight and silent or dealt with as our neighbors? How can the fast paced lifestyle people transition into a richer, slower version of what they enjoy now? How long should change take?
Diversity and humanitarian solutions are not emotional issues alone, they represent an adaptive problem solving that only strengthens an already thriving community. Placating appetites of the well-off while encouraging fair use of valued resources is a challenge that all western culture faces. It starts here with observations and questions.
