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.