Myths Encinitas

At the recent state of the city speech, April 18, Mayor Stocks said the city was doing great financially.  In a practically fact-free presentation one of the only slivers of a fact was a Standards & Poor rating.  The thing is, this isn't the kind of gold plated legitimacy Stocks presumes we all should acknowledge. Do we not remember 2008 bubble-bursting trail of culprits who led the economy into meltdown?

Last summer a leading economist wrote of the S&P downgrade for the U.S., which Stocks eludes to in his myth making.

"On the other hand, it’s hard to think of anyone less qualified to pass judgment on America than the rating agencies. The people who rated subprime-backed securities are now declaring that they are the judges of fiscal policy? Really? 

Just to make it perfect, it turns out that S&P got the math wrong by $2 trillion, and after much discussion conceded the point — then went ahead with the downgrade. 

More than that, everything I’ve heard about S&P’s demands suggests that it’s talking nonsense about the US fiscal situation. ... In short, S&P is just making stuff up — and after the mortgage debacle, they really don’t have that right. 

So this is an outrage — not because America is A-OK, but because these people are in no position to pass judgment."

This simple assumption that conventional wisdom, long standing financial traditions still hold true, or were ever really true, is a part of the myth busting going on all across the world.  In a time of financial crisis it is irresponsible for those who wield political power to provide myths when real challenges are upon us all to explore all of our economic narratives.  Stocks states, "We are allegedly at the end of a recession." Says you.

And about this comparison to our neighboring cities doesn't really hold up well in light of the Union Tribune article in Sunday's paper which shows Encinitas at the very bottom of the list of available reserves, at 4%. Here is a sampling from the documentation below.

                    GF Expenses        % of Expenses in Reserve
Carlsbad           $95,968 K                85%
Poway                32,856 K                93%
San Marcos        62,210 K                57%
Solana Beach     16,355 K                29%
Vista                  79,780 K                27%

Encinitas            47,397 K                 4%

Note: Reserves exclude amounts restricted to specific uses by federal, state or local law or legally-binding agreements.

Lisa Shaffer, candidate for city council, comments on this article,

"If Encinitas is in such great financial shape, as reported by Mayor Stocks, why are our general fund reserves so low? I guess I'll ask when I meet with Mr. Stocks tomorrow."

We anxiously await her findings from the meeting with Jerome Stocks. She's very good at sharing with the public. Oh yes, she also has an MBA.

Update 5/6/12: UT Watchdog comments on reserves after Stocks makes noise. Ironically for this editor, the reporter used the S&P methodology (based on liquidity) to come up with the above numbers.  As this post states, the S&P is the only thing we were told to pay attention to in assessing our city's strength. You can't make this stuff up.

According to Mary: Hall Property 2008 & 2012

Artist Mary Fleener hits it out of the park, the Hall Park. See Coast News this week for more good local news, events stories - and ads. People need to make a living. What? Maybe we should put up a donation thingy on the sidebar . . .

Woman Demands Gaspar's Public Apology

Carol Nelson, resident of Encinitas since 1965, presented her demand for Kristin Gaspar's apology through her daughter, Nancy, reading her prepared text because she's sight challenged.  This was just one of the charges she leveled at the council. She held nothing back in her written statement.  The apology is for her claims about Danny Salzhander of the 101 Artist Colony and her misrepresentation of his actions.  She continued to defend good people with honorable actions who this council majority treat in a contemptible way.

We Write Letters

A compromise could have been worked out.

I just read the completely lopsided story of the general plan workshops as told by Mike Andreen ("City starts new effort to update future housing plan," April 18).

What actually happened was that community groups in Encinitas (Olivenhain, Old Encinitas, Cardiff, Leucadia and yes, New Encinitas) tried very hard to engage our community to be part of the workshops. I am sorry if the business community felt left out. Funny, I saw quite a few local developers at the meetings, who now say they didn't know what was going on.

I was an alternate on the General Plan Advisory Committee for a while, and felt that there was an effort by the community to resolve the problem of over-density in certain neighborhoods in Encinitas. Frankly, I think the density should be spread throughout the city, and that was what was happening. As people in New Encinitas found out there is no middle ground with developers, instead of some nice mixed use being planned there, it turned into overkill.

A compromise could have been worked out. I am not completely sure what Mike Andreen is taking credit for, except taking away the power from the community and giving it to the developers. Instead of compromise, we will get what developers want. Pay attention, Encinitas.

Rachelle Collier

Leucadia

Myths Encinitas

Our mayor had one whole council meeting with nothing on the agenda (due to a last minute cancellation of one minor element) except one item and some presentation / proclamation photo op events.

That one item was the state of the city speech he'd scheduled.  Surprisingly he presented his list with less possessiveness and grandiose claims than is his usual pattern.  He was in total game show host mode with voice cadance / quality and pink-cheeked glee.  But, his passive word choices were uncharacteristic and worth mentioning.

 Myths Encinitas, punctuated throughout in direct form and innuendo.  Today the ending is where this parsing of the state of the city speech begins.

"The state of the city is great! City council, city staff and public all provide teamwork essential to keeping the city on our successful path."

"Our successful path" might best describe the Stocks view that his way is the only way.
The lack of applause except for staff, Gaspar and a few others plus the awkward and prolonged silence all communicate a different state of the city and claim of teamwork.

The key elements in the art of working together are how to deal with change, how to deal with conflict, and how to reach our potential...the needs of the team are best met when we meet the needs of individual persons. - Max DePree

Was there any reason under the sun for Jerome Stocks to make three public speakers wait to speak until after he had the routine meeting business and reports completed? Does that sound like meeting the needs of the team or meeting the needs of individaul persons? No, it is a childish bully action. The articulate oral communication speeches testify to a public's protest of the mayor's mythical version of the state of the city.

We're not sleepy, stupid or content with the superficial eye wash. Hundreds of video clips, hundreds of blog posts, letters to the editor, citizen commentaries, thousands of public statements doled out in 3 minute blurbs attest to the utter disgust with the anti-team that is running roughshod over this community. Myths Encinitas governance needs to end.

Earth Day

Last Wednesday, candidate for council Lisa Shaffer spoke about hearing the 14th Dalai Lama speak recently at UCSD.  I thought of the picture shown here. 

This further inspired me to think about our connection to animals in relation to Earth Day's celebration of all life on earth and our close connection to nature.

Another good one here.

  I found an animal (bird) image that made me think of Teresa Barth when she was sworn into office when re-elected in 2010 (and was passed over minutes later) to became a Mayor in Exile as she so often functions more like a mayor than the mayors and deputy mayors who have served since. This pairing prompted thoughts of wisdom and predator control.

Not all obvious pairings were as serene or uplifting, like the honey badger (viral video seen by more than 42,000,000 viewers). Mayor Jerome Stocks, City Attorney Glenn Sabine, ex- Fire Chief/now Councilmember Mark Muir, Deputy Mayor Kristin Gaspar, Jim Bond and Planner Patrick Murphy.

Quote of the Day

 "rugged individualism" ? . . .
"It's nothing but a political banner to cover up greed." Mitt's dad George Romney

From Rolling Stone . . . .As a CEO he would give back part of his salary and bonus to the company when he thought they were too high. He offered a pioneering profit-sharing plan to his employees. Most strikingly, asked about the idea that "rugged individualism" was the key to America's success, he snapped back, "It's nothing but a political banner to cover up greed." He was the poster child for the antiquated notion that corporations have multiple stakeholders: the workers that breathe them life, the communities in which they are situated, and the nation to whom they owe a patriotic obligation – most definitely and emphatically not just stockholders, as Mitt and his defenders say.

According to Mary: 2 weeks

I just now signed up to get behind the pay wall at Coast News. I'm not alone in feeling this is an acceptable thing for them to charge a nominal fee for such a great little local paper. Read the quiz, "What 10 things are needed to read Coast News online this week? 

Sorry, this is last week's cartoon from Mary Fleener. Still relevant as the Art Banners are still a point of outrage for the community despite editorial tripe from NCT, speaking of news and truth. Let's nudge Jim and Chris Kydd to step up the online versions of their great little paper. I'll add Mary's latest when it's available.   . . . 3 pm - Here it is.

Same place, different state

Although it was a meeting built around the mayor's state of the city, Stocks sort of phoned it in. More interesting for this blogger is to present the oral communications speakers from last night's meeting. Candidate Lisa Shaffer was very encouraging.








Update: 10:45 Plucked from a real life conversation,

"Did you see how Stocks was arguing in the comments section of the UT in the middle of the night? The man has no class. It sounds like a poor me, poor me, pour me another - midnight ramblings."

Shoes

Kristin Gaspar's shoes, OMG.  Wish there were better photos available.

Classy, did they say?

NCT staff-assigned Stocks apologist, stenographer Barbara Henry wrote another fact free bit of revisionist history.  The article  itself cites only one source, known far and wide as non-credible and a Jerome Stocks sycophant, to describe housing growth in Encinitas from the Stocks and Co perspective. This is Barbara Henry taking dictation and can be dismissed out of hand for what it is, simplistic propaganda to describe a complex issue.

Jump down to the comments for the mayor's alter ego, Coastal Watchdog's latest ugliness.  Ms. Henry must text Stocks as soon as the piece goes online, because he's yet again the first comment.  The campaign to divide, blame and claim what isn't his has begun.

The Coastal Watchdog said on: April 17, 2012 Teresa Barth is to blame for all of this nonesense[sic]. She attended and commented at each of the prior meetings and made sure to push all future growth into New Encinitas and none in Cardiff or Leucadia. As a council member she's supposed to represent all of the residents in eac[sic] of our 5 comunities[sic]. Shame on her!

How did the same paper's editorial boys describe this bully's actions just before this? "It was a classy, elegant . . "

Barf to garbage journalism without truth, ethics or talent.

Tonight's council meeting doesn't even have the one agenda item Stocks had allowed - a senior commissioner appointment, so his campaigning will fill the evening with his version of the state of the city presentation. Grab your boots and arrive early for seats up front and center. Keep the caricature above in your mind's eye for perspective.

No, just no.

They should have stopped with a rose to the Encinitas City Counciil for doing the right thing.  But no . . .

Dead roses for the boys at NCT.  It's not clear if North County Times editorial staff has ever met Jerome Stocks or if they have visited Encinitas in a good, long while. Best guess these guys came up with these comedy stylings as a great inside joke or got a very big check or who knows?

"We were particularly impressed with Mayor Jerome Stocks ---- who, despite being cast earlier somewhat as the villain in this brouhaha, followed his heart and voted to allow the images. It was a classy, elegant ending to what had been an unfortunately messy situation."

No, just no.

Note the passive language, with poor Stocks being cast as the villain . . . as though he hadn't started the whole thing.  And recall his dance partner Gaspar made the emphatic point that emotions were stripped away for the sake of the sanctity of rules and processes right after Stocks had huffily posited he was one of the only ones to appreciate that the rights of the permit holder mattered the most. Now that is some classy - elegant heart shit right there.

Beware Polarizing

Don’t let anyone tell you there is only one way or only two ways of viewing something going on in our fair city (not even bloggers). People arrive at their worldviews through their experiences and information sources and the ever publicized 'gut.' Seldom are things simply black and white because we live in a sea of greys.

In order to build real community for Encinitas, these disparate worldviews need to be addressed if we are to connect the dots of really large issues of living our lives and local government issues. It could take years if we did it with real leadership and community involvement. For now we’ll need to seek where we can find alignments for some immediate sense of victory and hope.

One thing has aligned our community and gives us immediate hopeful anticipation. That's a fervent belief that our Mayor Stocks and this majority rule needs to end with this 2012 election. Encinitas Undercover blog, tongue in cheek called this Jerome Stocks unites Encinitas showing the growing number of cars with the Dump Stocks bumper stickers.

Less clear cut has been the General Plan Update process. ERAC (erase) in particular has been a hotbed of divisive energy from the deliberately accusatory onset. Everything about the forming, the application process without proper vetting or criteria, the completely non-transparent, non-public approach to member selection, the ‘volunteer’ facilitator running all of the ERAC meetings (and upcoming open houses, workshops) and the dubious weight that will be given any ‘findings’ of this group sends to the council majority should give us pause.  These are clear warning signs that the process, the motives and the goals demand scrutiny and conversations, lots of communication and more disclosure.

 

Bridging differences is extremely hard work. For those more interested in being elected than in governing it gets much simpler - especially with a great deal of outside funding. This is important because it has always been the offensive moves of this council majority to pit neighbor against neighbor, business against environment, community against community to create division. In the past the big discord delivery system was the Hall Property. Via distortion, omission and outright lies throughout his campaign, Stocks painted his election opponents as anti-sports, anti-park. His majority council member colleagues did the same. In past campaigns he also claimed anti-business and improper FPPC smears against Maggie Houlihan. Fear, division and claiming success for others' accomplishments have worked well for the mayor.

Wednesday night, April 18 Stocks has scheduled a state of the city speech. I suspect we’ll see what will provide the 2012 official gimmick with its capacity for creating polarity and distrust for his campaign assault. I predict GPU, with ERAC (erase) specifically as the savior for all prosperity. You can be sure the unfunded pension liability will not be addressed honestly. Expect blaming for screw ups, great photos and fantasy deadlines for, Hall Property, Moonlight, Santa Fe underpass and Leucadia Streetscape. Oh, maybe he'll figure a way to shoehorn his greenishness with his electric car, home solar panels; plus he'll claim the future electric charging station and farmers market as his self-promoted green badge.

Let’s not let the Stocks campaign propaganda talking points or the General Plan Update misinformation, including nationally funded conspiracy theories, our local provocateurs or our divisive deputy mayor split our communities. What could be more divisive than having each open house pick where the big density numbers should be located? That begs for people to revert to their worst natures. I hope that we can show this council majority and the city staff and facilitator Norby that we want a united community, despite our different worldviews and our varied community characteristics.

Myths Encinitas

At the last council meeting the mayor and deputy mayor offered up their facile argument that city rules and processes were more important than emotional issues.  Gaspar repeated it over and over - process, rules, process, etc. Embarrassing.

These are myths. Encinitas City Council Majority Myths. "Myths Encinitas"

Pay attention, because they don't mean it.  This is not about policies or rules, because there isn't a meeting this year that Jerome Stocks hasn't played around with Roberts Rules of Order, Council Policy, the Brown Act,  basic rules of courtesy and etiquette or a combination of all of the above rules and processes.

At this very same meeting, following the embarrassing Gaspar process yappity yap and directly after being called on this very thing by Sandy Shapiro, Jerome Stocks blew off the time overage for cronies and funding friends.

 Legally there is nothing as definitive as Sandy Shapiro reads from the city document for the Oral Communications.  The point is that this small allowance for citizens to speak to their issues at the start of each meeting is used as political manipulation. 

As stated in the video slides, this wasn't about the Historical Preservation group, event or fascinating video. (This is a worthy event.) This is about the Stocks, Bond, Muir and Gaspar pretending to be following official rules when they act without flexibility, openness, transparency, understanding or compassion. It's merely political word games, bullying and the marginalizing of their perceived enemies. Stocks' behavior is so different with buddies and cronies and funding sources.

April 15, 2012 No Comment

Offensive

Our mayor and company, are currently enamored with the word offensive. Both my hypocrisy and my irony meters crashed.

The show of unity in concocting their narrative wasn't a surprise to anyone familiar with the methods used by Stocks, Gaspar, Muir and Bond.  Blaming others is the MO and during this art banner betrayal of basic consideration for Maggie Houlihan's memory; this meant the city manager, assistant city manager, the 101 Artist Colony's Danny Salzhander, Teresa Barth naming truth and the public in general (a given).

It smells bad, no it stinks.

Deputy Mayor Gaspar had a lot of filler, fluff words edited out for length and clarity of her scripted message - strip away all but the rules and process. Both she and Stocks dredged up the Surfing Madonna, which simply took them deeper into revisionist history territory.  As if the Art Banners re-write wasn't enough?

Contrast the clip above with Councilwoman Barth, our Mayor in Exile. She consistently acknowledges and shows respect for her colleagues and staff even in disagreeing with their perspective. But, she is to be commended above all for bringing the real issue into this meeting, compassion for a living person's contributions.

Update: Failed to mention, the vote was 4:1 (Gaspar was a no) to allow 101 Artist Colony's Danny Salzhander to go through the silly exercise of filling out another application (process!) which the city manager promised to approve the same day so the covers can be removed from the banners. And nobody will get any signs or banners into the city process now until somebody re-writes the code to be more clear, whatever that means.

Designated Fall Guy

No matter what the mayor keeps repeating, what the deputy mayor echos or what the city manager says in this clip; nobody really believes this guy made this decision on his own.

 

Scapegoat is probably the more appropriate term; that is, person who takes blame for another's action.

boob,chump,doormat,dupe,easy, mark, fall guy, fool, goat, gull, mark, patsy, pigeon, pushover, sacrifice, schmuck, sitting duck, stooge, sucker, victim, weakling.

Ugly words and ugly behavior on the part of those in charge. Let's get this guy some new bosses.

Quote of the Day

"We didn't have a quorum ---- everybody was out of town," Stocks said.

That was a lie.  We contacted Teresa Barth and found that she was in town even though NCT stenographer Barbara Henry did not contact Councilwoman Barth to verify if Stocks statement was true. Yet she dutifully quoted Stocks and wrote this article regarding the 1st Amendment violation denial of Maggie Houlihan's image on the back of the Art Banners brought forward to the council March 28 by Ian Thompson, the late Houlihan's husband.  He said at that meeting he'd file a law suit if the vinyl stickers covering Maggie's image weren't removed or if he hadn't heard from the council by Friday, April 6th.  Somnolent Henry wrote,

On Friday, Thompson said he was willing to wait until Wednesday for the council's decision, but said he wasn't optimistic that a majority of the council would vote to lift the restriction. He said that it was evident the council wasn't taking the issue seriously because members hadn't agreed to discuss the issue before his April 6 deadline. However, the mayor said Friday that he wanted to hold the discussion in a special council session a week earlier but couldn't do so because of the Easter holiday.

Residents spoke up - even in the post's comments - about three of the majority seen at an egg hunt on Saturday.  Yes, that makes it a lie. Mayor Stocks is no stranger to lies and Barbara is no stranger to skipping any and all fact checking or hard questions.

The Union Tribune also quoted Stocks,

For Mayor Jerome Stocks, Wednesday’s meeting will also afford him an opportunity that he said he hasn’t had yet.

Ha! The stifled one, Stocks, entirely running the show yet somehow without opportunity.

“We will need to wait and see what is said and done,” he said of the possible outcome of Wednesday’s closed session. “One of the things I hope to achieve is a correct narrative of what’s occurred to date, and by whom.”

This should be rich. Check it out for yourself, go to the Special (Closed) meeting at city hall today at 4:30.  Support Maggie Houlihan's husband, Ian Thompson or simply witness what the council majority might concoct (either during or following the meeting) regarding their "story" of this ruling to disallow the late councilwoman's image on the banners.  The narrative Stocks and Gaspar have already attempted is to foist all responsibility on the new city manager, Gus Vina.  Classy.

Update, 11:20 am: The Art Banner meeting is to be televised, according to the City Manager. Our Mayor wants a show or is being very open government.  You decide.

Update, 2:00 pm: Egg hunt was on Saturday, not Sunday. It's been corrected.

Encinitas is Bound to be Our Own Little Greek Tragedy

Today's Patch features Charles McDermott's letter to the editor detailing financial chaos to come.

Dear Editor,
The city of Encinitas is in the midst of a financial crisis, but you wouldn’t know it by walking around town. During the 2004 Olympic Games you also could not tell that Greece was past the point of no return and poised to go down in flames, have a banker appointed to rule the country, and German's deciding who gets paid and who doesn't. And more surprising, no one could have guessed that the remaining elected Greek politicians would be begging to go along with such plans. 

Any reasonable person who looks under the city's hood will see a Greek tragedy in the making. Encinitas, like Greece, has very significant unfunded financial liabilities, incompetent management, and politicians that are 100 percent beholden to public employee unions and select developers. 

Informed citizens are already upset with our failing roads, boondoggles like the Hall Property, up-zoning, and the appointment of Fire Chief Muir to the Encinitas City Council. However, all these issues are just the tentacles of the same squid, which is our unfunded pension liability.

Please click over and read the whole letter to the editor . He's also provided links to back-up figures. And while you are there, please consider leaving a comment. Let's keep this discussion out in the open. As Mc Dermott states,

This idea of locking in a massive increase in payout while having the public cover all the potential losses may seem unfair. However, it is the lies and cover up that followed pension collapse that should get the apathetic voter base motivated to demand change now.

And the accountability is placed squarely in the laps of the sitting council majority.

If we choose to continue to elect the puppets of special interests like Stocks, Gaspar, Bond, and Muir we will be forced to face the music at a much later date when all the options will be grim as opposed to unpleasant – and like the Greeks, these decisions will be made for us by faceless and heartless investors who run the muni-bond market.

"Myths" Encinitas

Mondays may need to become Myths Encinitas feature day.  Today will kickoff a recent Myths Gaspar version.  Kristin Gaspar is quite the myth maker and she was to be central.  But, seriously, our mayor, Jerome Stocks lives and breathes myths and has years on the deputy mayor.  Jim Bond creates his version of history of his 20 years on the dais most every meeting.  At the last meeting Kristin turned on Teresa Barth and wailed,

"Teresa, that is why this council has supported you 100% of the time when it comes to agendizing issues."

[yabba, yabba, yabba . . . ]

"The public has a right to know that a hundred percent of the time we have supported you in your agenda . . . your items agendized, 100% of the time."

That's horse pucky, a flat out lie myth - three times!. There are hundreds of examples in the years Barth has served where she receives 0% support.   The example below was chosen because it illustrates the lengths the council majority and their personal consigliere  Sabine will go to frustrate the simplest of requests, even if it would be a gesture of cooperation with the minority voices on the council, provide goodwill to the community and help mitigate the disastrously bad press (in this instance) nationwide regarding the Surfing Madonna.

I'm not going to write out the entire transcript, but I'm struck by the relentlessness of the attorney to make Teresa Barth jump through hoop after hoop.  The hypocricy of demanding adherence to a rigid council policy standard while letting Stocks violate it repeatedly.  Some highlights:

"That's why you folks play the game," said Sabine (?). . . . "Go through the findings" . . . Stocks interruptions . . . disregard of mayor Bond and meeting rules. And even at the end of the meeting, Teresa Barth cites reference to adding an agenda item from a book the attorney gave her. He responds with 2/3 majority means a 4/5 vote required . . . "

It seemed to go on and on . . .

For additional background to this particular meeting, the clip link here shows the public's speeches regarding the Surfing Madonna. They are two of the many last year around this time.

Correction: The clip made of Kristin Gaspar's non-agendized attack on Teresa Barth faded out before she'd finished her spittle flecked assault. The following is the closing of that tirade to frame herself as a victim(?). It doesn't really make much sense, but it is included to keep all the myths of this speech together.

"And, ah, I don’t know where else in life it works that you treat people that way and then you expect that when it come time for one person to cast that one vote, that my vote will drift your way. It just doesn’t happen in the real world and that’s why I’ve stated before that I’ve always felt like the ball was in your court when it comes to that vote and I treated everything with a fresh perspective. And I quite frankly I’m tired of carrying the burden of that victim role. Um . . . Because it’s not my burden to carry. Um . . . So, I wanted to clarify that and also on the two years, the intent behind that was to make certain that a councilman had served for at least two years before becoming mayor. It wasn’t to do anything else, other than that. It was the intent that we discussed it before was that if you had an election the highest vote getter could be someone new to the process. I was one of those people new to the process and it was to avoid that situation."

End.

In Perpetuity

"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." Inigo Montoya, Princess Bride

perpetuity n. forever.  perpetuity noun boundlessness, ceaselessness, constant progression, continuance, continuation, continued existence, continuous time, endless duration, endless time, endlessness, eternity, everlasting, forever, incessancy, infinite duration, infiniteness, infinity, perenniality, permanence, perpetuation, perpetuitas, time without end, unintermitted continuance, uninterrupted existence

Referring here to the news at NCT that Ecke Ranch, 67 acres, which was to be held as agricultural land in perpetuity is being sold.  Well, there is a yearlong deadline to close the deal with Leichtag Foundation.

"We see the purchase of this property as a way to ensure the land's use as unique space that inspires the community," said James Farley, Leichtag Foundation's president and chief executive officer."

"While we don't yet know the details of the site's long-term use, we believe the kind of uses that will be explored include urban farming, service learning, expansion of the San Diego Botanic Garden, educational and cultural programs, and support of a strong Jewish community in North County."

"Farley said the purchase ensures that the property won't be used for development of residential subdivisions, commercial office parks, or shopping centers."

This a really big story, if only that the Ecke Family has been a part of the town's history for over a hundred years.  That's no small thing.  Caution shall be maintained before we bust out any celebration over the public relations ideas being published today. Looking forward to finding out more details, you can count on this blog publishing whatever comes our way. Still and all, we all remember proposition A and maybe you've forgotten about "The Common" from a few years ago?  One never knows what is behind the surface on very big land deals and our city leaders. 

A Vision for a New Common

According to Mary: The Greatest Show on Earth

Mary Fleener's cartoon at Coast New is probably her best to date.  Thank you, Mary for permission to post here at Our Mayor.

Coast News online has Andrew Audet's column, Life, Liberty and Leadership with this week's title, "Mayoral power ploy doesn't belong here in Encinitas" and Herb Patterson wrote a letter, "Mayor Stocks must answer". Go read the whole thing (linked here in .pdf format). A local newspaper responsive to public concerns is a valuable thing in the US today.

We Write Letters

For full letter contents, go to the San Diego Union Tribune's letters:

Arts flap in Encinitas
The Logan Jenkins column “Houlihan banner crusade doesn’t fly” (North County, April 1) identifies the Houlihan Arts Alive imbroglio as an issue of small-town politics. He hits the nail right on the head. It is an embarrassment that the City Council majority is so provincial that they cannot gracefully acknowledge the contributions of an arts patron and a proven advocate of many voices in the community.

My major concern is not the First Amendment issue; but rather the precedent that this sets. There would not be a problem with acknowledging or celebrating a national figure. But this parochial attitude would make it difficult to recognize any other local civic supporter, like Paul Ecke III. [. . .]

I intentionally do not name the city manager as the architect of this deed because he serves at the pleasure of the City Council. – Eli Sanchez, Encinitas

[Logan Jenkins Fan Disagrees on This One]
For the record, as a long-standing member of 101 Artists Colony’s board of directors, I would like to clearly state that our attempt to honor Maggie Houlihan with this year’s Arts Alive banners had absolutely nothing to do with politics. [ . . .]
Any attempt to connect our proposed tribute to Houlihan’s posthumous recommendation for her successor would seem an impossible reach given that an interim successor has already been selected by council appointment rather than by election. By the time a permanent successor is elected, the banners will be long since out of sight and mind.
Although we disagree on this one, I remain a fan of Logan Jenkins and his excellent North County column. – A. Paul Bergen, Encinitas

[Comparing Mayoral Selection Antics and Art Banners] 
So the questionable maneuvering of the Encinitas City Council majority to maintain its power base by engineering the mayor-ship in the coming years has caught the attention of the media (“Politics derails mayoral selection plan,” North County Coastal, March 31). Just the straight reporting of what took place at the meeting is enough to display what goes on in this misrepresentation of public interest in Encinitas.

[ . . .]  But let’s also look at the situation regarding the recent ACLU interest in the council’s decision about the Arts Alive banners. After longtime City Councilwoman Maggie Houlihan lost her battle with cancer last year, the organizers of the local arts community’s banner program decided to honor her many years of service to the community with her likeness on the back of the artist-designed banners. [ . . . ]

When this decision was made months ago, I was of the opinion that it was petty and egregiously unkind, given the recent death of Houlihan. It represented the type of decisions that have been all too frequent among this council of small-minded politicians. Now we find that not only was it petty, it was also not legal to base that type of decision on such a nebulous policy.

Next time around, let’s elect to the Encinitas City Council people who pay attention to law and ethics. – Katie Wheeler, Encinitas

Discord on the dais
I watched the March 28 Encinitas council meeting webcast at 3 a.m. from the London hotel where I was staying on business. I was shocked and astounded by the lack of civility and lack of decorum displayed by both the mayor and deputy mayor. A colleague hailing from the People’s Republic of China of all places, who was also working in the hotel lobby, struggling with jet lag, watched with me for awhile and then asked whether this was typical of city government meetings in the U.S. I had to explain to her, with no little embarrassment, that Encinitas was somewhat of an exception. – Jean-Bernard Minster, Encinitas

Illegitimi non Carborundum

Thinking it would be a funny April Fools Day joke I wrote Councilwoman Barth, filled with big disappointment she used a bad word.  I was goofing on the mock outrage from Kristin Gaspar as she attacked Teresa Barth during the last meeting.  The selected part of her diatribe went like this:

"I was highly offended when you brought up a placard that said, “Don’t let the bastards get you down.” And that was proudly displayed at the corner of your office which all of us walk by. That to me, I’m highly offended by that."

I am not the least bit offended by a bad word - in Latin! Especially in light of what is being done locally, nationally and around the world in our names. Have you ever noticed Bond's picture with George Flipping Bush? Now I find that terribly offensive. Some would say that's my issue to deal with and I think that is more to the point than Gaspar's nonsense. So back to April Fools joke. Barth responded with such seriousness in her email saying that she'd heard this criticism from supporters.  I thought it was her own version of April Fools Day. Whatever . . . I guess I don't expect perfection here in anticipating every single person's expectations.  That's me.

Here is a sampling of her response.

"The sign, about twice the size of a business card, was given to me at a council meeting by a member of the public. The sign is in Latin and says "Illegitimi non Carborundum" and is loosely translated to mean Don't let the bastards get you down.

It sits on the top of the bookcase in my office along with other misc. "gifts" I have received from people since I was elected. It could be partially seen by anyone walking past my office but they would have to look for it.

It is an expression/motto that has it's roots in WWII".

I got hold of the pictures to illustrate what she described in the email.  My favorite bits from her reference source.

Illegitimi suggests illegitimate to the English speaker, but it is certainly not the usual Latin word for "bastard", nor does it carry the same negative connotation as in English: it was never used as a general insult as the English term "bastard" still is.

But these have to be the best; most especially the last one.  

The phrase was adopted by US Army general "Vinegar" Joe Stillwell as his motto during the war^.

It was later further popularized in the US by 1964 presidential candidate Barry Goldwater.

A paperweight engraved with this phrase is on display at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, having been a gift to Reagan from William Clark, his Chief of Staff when he was Governor of California.

April Fools Day indeed.

"Lack of Grace" Raspberry

North County Times

"A rotten raspberry to the city of Encinitas for its ham-fisted ---- and possibly illegal ---- move to ban art banners honoring the late Maggie Houlihan. Ian Thompson, Houlihan's widower, is rightly outraged that the councilwoman's image is prohibited from being displayed as a "political likeness." What political message? Is Mayor Jerome Stocks seriously concerned that Houlihan is going to run against him in the next election? The explanations are as confusing as the ban. The city should do the right thing and overturn this ill-advised rule.

Our Mayor Tightly Wound

Editor's perspective

This view is not reflected in candidate's positions, council member's positions or other citizens.  It is in fact honed from a life of observation and views related to social justice and citizen participation echoed around the country. 

It's almost a national pastime for those who hold all the power to routinely blame the victims of that power that they wield. Ask anyone who has been silenced or marginalized by institutionalized practices of wealth and power.

Encinitas has its own beach town version in our local political scene, funded by great wealth in land use and construction (among others).  There are big political and financial players in the region who do not want anyone to challenge the control this council majority who serve them has maintained for a decade. Stocks, Gaspar, Muir and Bond are their representatives.  The upcoming election is one of many threats to this established power base.  Gaspar as mayor, no matter who wins or loses the election will be a way to keep the overlords happy.