PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ENCINITAS, CA 92024 PERMIT NO. 94
THE COAST NEWS
.com SERVING NORTH COUNTY SINCE 1987
VOL. 33, N0. 52
DEC. 27, 2019
SAN MARCOS Petition -NEWS
New mayor elected by City Council
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filed to stop development Fate of North River Farms up in the air THE By Samantha VISTA Nelson OCEANSIDE — ResNEWS idents opposed to the
Solana Beach sets 2020 leadership
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By Bethany Nash
SOLANA BEACH — On Dec. 11, the Solana Beach City Council held the vote for the annual mayor rotation. Councilwoman Judy Hegenauer motioned to elect Jewel Edson as mayor in the upcoming year. The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Kelly Harless. The vote was unanimous. Outgoing Mayor David Zito motioned that Hegenauer be elected deputy mayor. The moEdson tion was seconded by Councilwoman Kristi Becker and the vote was unanimous. “Your leadership has been invaluable to our community,” Edson said of Zito. Harless, City Manager Greg Wade and Peggy Walker, a Solana Beach resident representing San Dieguito Alliance for Drug Free Youth, also expressed gratitude and admiration for Zito. Zito spoke before passing the torch to Edson. “It’s important to acknowledge all of the great work that is going on,” Zito said. “Particularly, at staff level, but guided by the council. Thanks to the community for their engagement and commitment to this community.”
General Plan. The second resolution regarding the legality of the acquisition, was approved 3-1 with Schumacher against. “I don’t acknowledge that it was a legal acquisition and they didn’t get city approvals,” Schumacher said. The county acquired the property, which includes a partially occupied commercial building, on Nov. 27, Haber said. The county Board of Supervi-
controversial North River Farms development turned in their petition challenging the project on Dec. 20, after collecting more than enough signatures from fellow residents. Council approved North River Farms, comRANCHO monly referred to as NRF, by a SFNEWS 3-2 vote in early November. For more than a month, a team of residents stood outside stores in Oceanside to collect more than 10,000 signatures to place a referendum on next year’s ballot that could potentially overturn the project’s approval. According to resident Arleen Hammerschmidt, one of the leaders collecting signatures, only 9,609 were required but the team wanted to collect 12,000 to make up for any invalid signatures collected. That tactic apparently worked. “We did the NRF prima facie petition count and counted 10,088 signatures based on the prima facie count which is above the threshold of 9,609,” said City Clerk Zeb Navarro via email. As previously reported by The Coast News, North River Farms proposes to build 585 units
TURN TO AIRPORT ON A7
TURN TO PETITION ON A9
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VETOED: The Carlsbad City Council voted against two resolutions to retroactively approve the county of San Diego’s purchase of land located in the runway protection zone at McClellan-Palomar Airport. File photo
City rejects bid to purchase airport land By Steve Puterski
CARLSBAD — Once again the city of Carlsbad and the county of San Diego are at an impasse regarding McClellan-Palomar Airport following the rejection of two resolutions on Dec. 17. The City Council voted against two resolutions to retroactively approve the county’s purchase of 5817 Dryden Place, which is west of the airport and located in the runway protection zone, according Jason Haber, the city’s intergovernmental affairs director. Councilwomen Cori
Schumacher and Priya Bhat-Patel voted against the resolution, while the resident group Citizens for a Friendly Airport said the purchase violates a settlement agreement with the city. “In staff’s estimation, it does constitute of an expansion of the airport,” Haber said. “Again, (we’re) recommending retroactive city approval, the value in that, but that we think the county did not follow state law.” Even more, Haber said the city doesn’t believe the county followed the steps
laid out in the cooperation agreement. However, by approving the resolution it would allow the city to continue to assert its jurisdiction over the land and limits the allowable and prohibits non-RPZ-compatible uses. One issue is when the county notified of their intention. State law stipulates if the council did not act within 40 days, then the county’s acquisition would be in compliance. The city did not approve the first resolution, acknowledging the acquisition is consistent with the
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