From Ronnie's Lips

It has been widely reported that President Obama has offered up benefit cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security in previous deficit negotiations. And while President Obama has said he'd veto any extension of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, he has caved on important issues in the past.

So we need to keep pushing and tell President Obama to draw a line in the sand. To do this: sign the petition.

Tuesday is Dues-day: Developer's Agreement

Tuesday is Dues-day.  The dues?  Paying attention . . . Yes, by simply 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 can legitimately call yourself a citizen, an advocate for democracy.

Today's citizen tip was mined out of the early treasure trove of video archives circa 2007.  We owe a debt of thanks to Sheila Cameron and any other local activists and public servants in the early days of Encinitas local government for pushing videotaping of meetings.  This tape was one of the first videos, as videotaping meetings began in September of 2007.

Developer Agreement

Let's put it this way, we are the 99% and the large land owners and developers are the 1% - in the relative measure that is Encinitas.  More than four years of video recordings make the position of the council majority's serving the 1% over the 99% fairly obvious.  But, don't take anyone's word for this.  Watch the actions of our council members, listen to the public speakers and judge for yourself.  Take your time, talk to friends, talk to neighbors and talk to the candidates for city council; Lisa Shaffer and Tony Kranz.  They have been dues-paying citizens for years.

Acronyms and planning terms abound:

IOD - Irrevocable offer of Dedication. When an agency requires a developer or landowner to give certain things to the agency, often as a component of development, such as land for open space or for a sidewalk, an entire street, a streetlight, a pipeline or other infrastructure, etc., the property is granted through an IOD.

CEQA – California Environmental Quality Act

Upzoning -A change in the zoning classification of a property from one of lower use to one that is of higher use; for example, a change from residential to commercial use.

There are three more clips from this November 2007 meeting with well articulated dissent from the public.  These citizens bring a wealth of information to us via their public speeches in 3 minute intervals.  All will be posted this week because it may be very timely.  The super majority on the council are positioning a new advisory group, ERAC, heavily seated with developer, realtor and commercial interests, to be scrutinizing the General Plan update.

Paul Ecke III is scheduled with the Planning Commission regarding his agriculturally zoned land. More details will be forthcoming because . . . forewarned is forearmed. 

Previous Dues-day citizen tips: Mayoral Rotation, SANDAG Growth Forecast 2050
Cross-posted at Our Mayor Stocks blog and Encinitas You Need Us blog

Update, Today's details:
City of Encinitas Planning and Building Department

NOTICE OF PENDING ACTION ON ADMINISTRATIVE APPLICATION AND COASTAL DEVELOPMENT PERMIT

The Planning and Building Department of the City of Encinitas is currently reviewing the following Administrative Application request for a project located within the Coastal Zone of the City of Encinitas:

CASE NUMBER: 11-113 TPM/CDP FILING DATE: 7/18/11 APPLICANT: Paul Ecke Ranch

LOCATION: 810 Ecke Ranch Road

PUBLIC HEARING: Tuesday, February 28, 2012 at 5:00 p.m., to be held at the Planning and Building Department, Lilac Room, 505 South Vulcan Ave, Encinitas.

Union Tribune article, Hearing set on Ecke Ranch Plan

Tuesday is Dues-day: Mayor Rotation

We are at a critical place in Encinitas.  The next 9 months demand dues. Today is Dues-day.

Our dues?  Paying attention . . . Yes, by simply 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 can legitimately call yourself a citizen, an advocate for democracy.

Being vigilant is being an activist, not the crazed lunatic portrayed by those in power.  If larger numbers of people are informed and paying attention, we make changes. Simple math.  There are only a tiny minority trying to garner power, land and influence over the many thousands simply wanting to live a quality life.

Each Tuesday is Dues-day and a post on some basic aspect of local government will feature some facts, a video clip (called Citizen Tip), some links or images to build up our sense of the process and how this has historically played out at city hall.  This week the mayor rotation is one of several important agenda items for the Wednesday city council meeting at 6 pm.

This clip shows how year after year the council majority have kept Teresa Barth from assuming the role of mayor. If letting a majority keep someone from serving as mayor is the current policy, it may be legal. It isn't ethical or representative. As James Bond says, "that's okay, but it's not good policy."



This post isn't offering the solution, just engaging the conversation and providing the background. These last three years show mean spirited displays of political power and failures to match words to deeds.

Our Mayor Stocks blog has written almost a half dozen posts on mayor selection seen here. We must demand much more and demonstrably a whole new batch of council members.

Democracy isn't free.  We're all paying the price of turning a blind eye to the goings on around us in our government.  So much has been trashed, so much done in our names that neither benefit us or our communities or the resources all around.  Locally this has cost us representation of growing majority of voters as the city council is made up of a super majority serving primarily commercial, developer, wealthy investors over the majority of residents or the common good.  Even if these four council people believe they are doing the work of the people, they have consistently marginalized and silenced Teresa Barth as well as dissent, minority views and transparent government practices in general.  And that is not democracy, even if they wrote a code or ordinance saying it is.