PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ENCINITAS, CA 92024 PERMIT NO. 91
THE COAST NEWS
.com MAKING WAVES IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
VOL. 31, N0. 37
SEPT. 15, 2017
Changes MARCOS madeSAN to -NEWS design and planning . group requirements
Council wants horizontal districts
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By Aaron Burgin
ENCINITAS — If Encinitas is to elect its future council members by districts, the current City Council wants the districts drawn horizontally so they each touch the coast and the inland areas and preserve as much of the city’s five communities as possible. This was the consensus of the council at the Sept. 6 council meeting, the first in a series of five public hearings that will yield a map outlining the city’s new voting districts. Encinitas is in the process of crafting districts in the wake of a lawsuit threat by Malibu law firm Shenkman & Hughes, which said that the city’s current atlarge voting system dilutes the power of the city’s Hispanic voters. The city has three months to hold hearings and workshops, after which time it will decide whether to adopt the new district maps and switch to district elections, or defend itself in a lawsuit filed by Shenkman & Hughes. At the first meeting, which was sparsely attended, a consultant outlined the basic guidelines for crafting the districts — including the required population for four districts and five districts. The council members then discussed their wishes for the maps. By having horizontal districts, the council said, each of the council members would have key elements of the community in their district, such as the beach, the railroad tracks,
By Bianca Kaplanek
CELEBRATING 30 YEARS! STORY ON A9: Started in a garage on a shoestring budget, The Coast News is celebrating 30 years of providing hometown news. Above, Publisher Jim Kydd and General Manager Shelly Medearis in 1990. Left, the first edition, published Sept. 17, 1987. File photos
the freeway and El Camino Real. “You want investment in the big projects and the big areas that need attention,” Mayor Catherine Blakespear said. “You want to have multiple people invested in them.” If the council were to choose to create four voting districts with a mayor selected in a citywide election, the districts would each have roughly 14,880 people, based off of the most recent census data in 2010. The districts in a five-district map would have just under 12,000 people, with an acceptable deviation of less than 10 percent for each of the districts, according to the staff report. This means that at least two of the city’s historical community boundaries would not be acceptable for districts because two of the communities — Olivenhain and Cardiff-by-the-Sea — are too small, and would TURN TO DISTRICTS ON A14
Harbor Days hit Oceanside shore By Promise Yee
OCEANSIDE — Harbor Days bring two days of swashbuckling fun Sept. 16 and Sept. 17. Among event highlights are the Nail ‘N’ Sail team boat build and race across the harbor, and the 2.4-mile open water Tiki Swim. Both events are fun competitions and great spectator sports. In the Nail ‘N’ Sail competition teams have a set supply of materials to construct a boat within a limited amount of time. Then teams race for first-place-finish bragging rights. Some boats sink before they reach the finish line. Others jet through the water. To add to the fun. teams come up with whimsical names and costumes. “We have 12 teams this year,” Kristi Hawthorne, Oceanside Chamber of Commerce vice president of events, said. “You never know who is going to win, the costumes and boat decorations are al-
ways fun.” The Tiki Swim usually draws more than 500 swimmers. All swimmers hit the water at once and swim from the pier to the harbor. Top finishers complete the race in about 30 minutes. A 1.2-mile swim from the south jetty is also part of the race. Both days are filled with music, food, exhibits, vendors and pirates. An interactive pirates’ village just outside the vendor area lets guests engage with mateys and mermaids. There are family-friendly pirate games, activities and demonstrations. Kids age 10 and under are encouraged to dress up and compete in the pirate costume contest held at noon both days. Visitors also have a chance to meet Captain Jack Sparrow. He
DEL MAR — In an effort to clarify the qualifications for THE Planning Commission and Design Review Board VISTA members, City Council at the Sept. 5 NEWS meeting changed the wording of the eligibility requirements for both quasi-judicial bodies. According to the municipal code, appointees to the two panels had to be “qualified electors,” which are generally defined as people 18 or older who have lived in a city, state or county for at least 30 days prior to an election and are registered to vote there. Council unanimously approved changes that require members to be regRANCHO istered voters in Del Mar who maintain SFNEWS residency for no less than six months prior to their appointment. Residency is defined as anyone “who maintains residence and is physically present” in the city for no less than six months per calendar year. Committee membership will be terminated for those who don’t meet the residency requirement. Council members Dwight Worden and Ellie Haviland asked staff in June to research eligibility requirements for the two groups to address concerns about residency. Jennifer Gavin, an associate planner, said she looked at wording used by other cities and found most use the term “residency” in their eligibility requirements. While voters are supposed to register for and vote in the precincts of their permanent residence, that may not always be the case, the staff report states. Although council members said they adopted the new language to avoid ambiguity, Tina Thomas took it personally. She said she is legally registered to vote in Del Mar. She and her husband, also a Del Mar business owner, have owned property in the beach community for 10 years but don’t currently live there because their home is under construction. When the work is completed
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