There’s a mad scramble to get 23 individuals to apply and be selected by the city council’s super majority to the brand spanking new Element Review Advisory Committee (ERAC) by January 9. Hurry, hurry, hurry. If you don’t apply our Mayor will say you just don’t care or (another favorite) you can’t disagree because you didn’t apply. The ERAC will meet on a regularly scheduled basis on Saturdays and/or weekday evenings. Application here.Who amongst us believes that 17+ hastily juggled General Plan Update Elements meetings in front of all city commissions, committees on top of the dozen plus regularly scheduled city council and planning commission meetings in 90 days will get us any closer to a better plan? The thoroughness is refreshing, the timeline is punishing. Doesn’t the latter negate the former?
To be clear, there are the General Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC) members and committed citizens who have been a part of this process for two years; including the last four months of reading through the draft document. Councilwoman Barth has been at every workshop, General Plan function and weekly study groups to review the 2035 GPU Draft. No other council members have had more than perfunctory involvement in the public process. For past participants this schedule is onerous, but given the background of being educated to the many elements it is do-able.
ERAC, this soon to be appointed ‘other’ group of new participants may well be playing catch up to review all draft General Plan elements. The good news is that New Encinitas citizens are getting involved in local government. There are some really talented and dedicated community members who, through baptism by fire, are becoming seasoned activists. A handful of volunteers have worked tirelessly to communicate with as many neighbors / citizens as possible. One thing they have against them is this glut of information (1,000 plus page draft document) and meeting commitments (see above) and historical perspective. To quote Shock Doctrine author Naomi Klein, “People without memory are putty.”
We must beware the environment that would manipulate people through perceived crisis and fear or dread out of context. Some of the loudest compelling arguments come from our Mayor and his crony network with full agendas none of us in the public are privy to knowing. Speculation is all there is to date. This blizzard of meetings came out of seemingly choreographed populist uprising. Was this first anticipated by Mike Andreen? (Stay with me on this one . . . ) At the onset of General Plan Update process in the fall of 2009 as Andreen was re-inventing himself as the New Encinitas Chamber of Commerce whiz where he wrote this newsletter warning regarding the soon to be launched General Plan Update,
“New Encinitas is the economic engine of Encinitas but decisions could be made by coastal representatives that effect [sic] those of us who live and work here.”Simply having a voice doesn’t seem the central point as he amps up the threat to New Encinitas with this charge,
“The first Mayor of Incorporated Encinitas made sure that all cross streets leading into Olivenhain were obstructed so ALL traffic was driven through New Encinitas and not her neighborhood. Obviously, we don’t want something like that appening [sic] again. New Encinitas has 2/3rds of the City’s votes and generates over 2/3rds of the sales-tax dollars in the City; now with hope and hard work, it will have some say-so on what its future is.”What? They’re bigger and wealthier and need to be in charge? Or is it because, presumably, New Encinitas residents have been barred from the democratic process? That’s implied and it’s a lie that can now die as New Encinitas neighborhoods rouse themselves into community involvement. Volunteers from the other Encinitas communities are anxious to join in this process of New Encinitas stepping up and becoming informed and engaged.
Two years and Mike Andreen couldn’t get a toehold until the September 14 council meeting rally, kicked off by Stocks’ “ugly baby” performance piece, was the chance for Mr. Chamber of Commerce expert to speak. He followed a cadre of business owners who claimed to have been rebuffed or forgotten. The council discussion ended with councilwoman Gaspar presenting Andreen’s game plan like a spokesmodel for “stakeholders” and subcommittee motion dictated by Stocks. You can judge yourself with video clips - we'll post later.
Mike Andreen, like the majority council, seems to promote the financialization of civic life over any other planetary realities, the public good, laws or people’s aspirations or empirical facts. He blogged recently,
“Where did the ‘walk-ability over financial stability’ decisions and directions in the 1100 page, million-dollar plus ‘Update 2035 Draft’ comes from then, if not required by the State?”Not only is this question framed to pit economy questions falsely as either/or choices; if allowed, each and every decision made will have dollar values as the determining factor. Commercial and real estate voices can make threatening predictions if their business interests aren’t placed above any others. This is standard in corporate-speak decision making. Without even voting this thinking can poison. This is pay to play and not democracy. Our participation in the process must challenge this. Klein states, “Democracy is not just the right to vote, it is the right to live in dignity.”
Thirty meetings or even half that in 11 weeks do not bode well for the democratic process and the nascent activist movement in our most populated young community New Encinitas. It can be done. People are surprising and they can rise to this clarion call to participate directly in the future direction and values for Encinitas. The most vitally important part is if these individuals can STAY involved despite burn-out, betrayals and other potential bumps along the way. The council majority has counted on voter apathy and disengagement for more than a decade to build parity against all diverse voices not agreeing with them. Or simply stated, it makes their job easier the fewer citizens are involved. Rushing to deadlines is a well worn tactic, especially in an election year tactic. We need to put the brakes on this hysterical urgency.
Public Service Announcement Post Script:
From the City Website:
ERAC Membership and Selection: The ERAC is to be appointed by the City Council and is to be comprised of approximately 23 members, representing diverse perspectives and interests.
ERAC members will include residents, commercial property owners, and other community members. The application form will be utilized to appoint community members to these positions. Application here
In order to be eligible for appointment to the ERAC, applicants must not currently serve on the General Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC) or any City commission or committee. At the conclusion of the recruitment process, the City Council will review applications.
The deadline for submitting applications is January 9, 2012 by 6:00pm PST.
Other Ways to Stay Involved: Write or email your comments and ideas about the CGPU work program, visit the city’s website or the project website, and attend meetings as they occur throughout the process. Subscribe to city e-alerts and select your referred email notification/newsletter topics to receive email notifications of upcoming events.
PPS: Note, the bubble calendar is a real thing in the real world.
