PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ENCINITAS, CA 92025 PERMIT NO. 94
THE COAST NEWS
.com MAKING WAVES IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
VOL. 29, N0. 39
OCT. 2, 2015
SAN MARCOS -NEWS
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.com Assistant City Clerk Shelley Collins gathers referendum signatures submitted by a volunteer organization which is hoping for the chance to vote on the Agua Hedionda 85/15 Plan. Photo by Bryan Snyder
Doug Long, left, and Gordon Smith, president of the Encinitas Community Garden’s nonprofit board ready the city’s community garden, the first of its kind, for its debut Saturday. Photo by Aaron Burgin
Community garden to make its debut By Aaron Burgin
ENCINITAS — The parcel of land along Quail Gardens Drive that lay fallow for years is now lined with 63 rectangular planter boxes built out of sturdy cedar, and the aroma of relatively fresh compost is thick. This is the scene at the Encinitas Community Garden on Wednesday morning. On Saturday, the garden — the first of its kind in Encinitas — will be filled with local dignitaries, farmers and the half dozen people who fought for more than six years to see the dream of a space for the commu-
nity to gather around agriculture become a reality. Gordon Smith, president of the Encinitas Community Garden’s nonprofit board, is one of them. “This has been a labor of love for all of us involved,” Smith said on Wednesday. “Saturday is an opportunity for all of us to celebrate all the work that it has taken to get here, and the excitement moving forward.” The Journey Smith was among the original group of people in 2009 that wanted
to create the city’s first community garden, a staple in many communities across the country but not in Encinitas due to a number of factors, including lack of space and a city code that did not specifically mention community gardens. The city’s planning staff believed it should be treated as a roadside stand, because the permitting process would allow it to vet the impacts the garden could have, such as traffic, odor and event noise. A minor use TURN TO GARDEN ON A20
Brust lends listening ear, stresses service, to start tenure By Aaron Burgin
“The best part about all of these communities are the people,” says new Encinitas City Manager Karen Brust. Courtesy photo
MARIA DAMIAN
BRIAN STRANGE
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beautiful city and I have been getting to meet so many wonderful people.” Brust, who has lived in Encinitas with her husband
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ENCINITAS — Karen Brust said her first 30 days as the city manager of Encinitas have been all about listening. Listening to the City Council members articulate their vision and goals. Listening to the city staff members express their concerns and desires. And listening to people in the community talk about what makes Encinitas great and what they want from their city government. “It has been great,” an upbeat Brust said Wednesday — her 29th day on the job as the new head of the city’s daily operations. “It has been so nice to work in the community I call home. We have such a
Mitch and their children for 15 years (two years in Cardiff and the rest in Olivenhain), was chosen out of a group of 60 hopefuls to succeed former City Manager Gus Vina, who left earlier this year to take a job in Brentwood, Calif. She served as the city manager in San Juan Capistrano and Del Mar before her arrival in Encinitas. “The best part about all of these communities are the people,” she said. “It’s what makes the communities so beautiful. It has been a pretty incredible career being able to serve these communities. “These communities are rich with character, history, pride and community engagement, and these are values
that I uphold,” Brust said. “And we want to uphold those values.” Brust said she has been in a lot of meetings over the past month. She has met with each of the council members and is working on a planning session with council in which they will create a two-year work plan that will implement elements of the city’s strategic plan. “That will be very helpful,” Brust said. “Because we will know exactly how to move forward and it will articulate how to get the best results for our community and result in the best quality of life for our residents.” Looking ahead, Brust TURN TO BRUST ON A17
Vote may happen for RANCHO SFNEWS strawberry fields mall By Ellen Wright
CARLSBAD — Opponents of the upscale retail shopping center proposed by Caruso Affiliated turned in more than 9,100 signatures on Sept. 24 to overturn Carlsbad City Council’s August approval of the Agua Hedionda 85/15 Plan. Diane Nygaard, President of Preserve Calavera called it a Herculean effort. “At the beginning we really felt there was very little chance of success because we were going up against such huge odds,” Nygaard said. “We were outspent $100 to $1.” In August, Carlsbad City Council unanimously approved a 27-acre shopping center on the Agua Hedionda Lagoon, after a divisive meeting with a record-number of speakers. County of San Diego Registrar of Voters has until Nov. 5 to validate the signatures. In a written statement, Rick Caruso said he plans to continue doing community outreach. “We will wait to see the outcome of the Registrar’s count of the petition signatures, but whatever the outcome of the tally we continue to be 100 percent committed to the Carlsbad community and to making the 85/15 Plan a reality whatever path it takes,” said Caruso. Opponents had 30
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days to gather enough signatures to overturn the council’s decision. If the signatures are validated, the council will have the option to repeal the initiative or send the decision to the voters. The council can either wait until the next regular election, which is next November or hold a special election which would be held no sooner than about three months after the council makes a decision. A special election will cost the city between $450,000 and $550,000. Duplicate signatures will not be counted, nor will signatures that do not match the registrar’s list of voters currently registered in Carlsbad, according to the city spokesperson Kristina Ray. Non-profit Citizens for North County spearheaded the signature drive and aimed to get 9,800, a number they fell short of by about 800. They were required to collect 6,523. Caruso Affiliated also ran a campaign to let people withdraw their signatures from the opposition-led referendum and 723 requests were made to withdraw signatures from the petition. In August, Mayor Matt Hall said the plan would add tremendous value to the city and goes beyond TURN TO SIGNATURES ON A18
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