Council Member, District 2 — City of Encinitas

The city council has not created such a plan yet. However, I believe that it’s important that we

keep an open line of communication with all residents of our community on all critical issues,

including our justice system. Through roundtable discussions with residents who are equity and

justice advocates and other stakeholders, we can work together toward effective and equitable

solutions for Encinitas.

The City Council has worked hard to keep our community safe during this difficult time. I’m

proud to say that despite many challenges, including the influx of visitors to our beaches this

summer, Encinitas has had the 3rd or 4th lowest case count of COVID-19 among the 18 cities in

San Diego County. 

The state’s decision to allow for early releases was made out of concern for the health and

safety of California’s incarcerated population and staff. More than 2,300 prisoners have tested

positive for COVID-19 and at least 31 have died from illnesses related to the virus. California is

reducing the incarcerated population at eight state prisons to a level that is low enough to

allow for social distancing among those who remain.

The prisoners who have been released have been incarcerated for nonviolent crimes and have

180 days or less left to serve on their sentences. A second group who could be released would

have no more than one year left to serve and the same eligibility rules would apply. Prison

officials have said they will prioritize those who are 30 or older.

Encinitas has many resources to assist members of our community that will be available for

those who may be making such a reentry. For example, those who might be vulnerable to

homelessness can seek help through Opening Doors, a program that pairs individuals with

housing navigators who can assist them in finding permanent housing. And for those already on

the streets, the Homeless Outreach Program for Empowerment (HOPE) has teamed with social

workers with sheriff’s deputies from the Community Oriented Policing and Problem Solving

(COPPS) unit to connect those individuals with the same resources. Those programs were in

place before the pandemic began. At the onset of the crisis here, Encinitas’ city council moved

quickly to also obtain hotel rooms for homeless residents.

The council’s commitment to our most vulnerable residents during this challenging time has

been an essential part of our efforts to ensure the well-being of our community.

As global pandemic forced many crowds indoors, Encinitas faced quite the opposite: summer crowds flocking to our beaches as early as April. Even with local, regional, and state guidance to reduce recreational travel, we did not see fewer people at our beaches. In fact, we experienced an extended summer high season. This situation not only elevated the potential transmission of the coronavirus, it overburdened lifeguards and compounded fears felt by Encinitas residents about confronting large crowds. Many residents and friends expressed apprehension about visiting their beloved neighborhood beaches, concerned they could not enjoy the outdoors safely. My action was to turn that concern into stewardship. In partnership with city leaders and Encinitas lifeguards, we set up kiosks at popular beach access points to educate visitors about our local health guidelines, physical distancing, encourage public safety actions, and offer free facial coverings to anyone who arrived without one. I organized willing neighbors to create a volunteer group that was stationed at these beaches in shifts on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from the July Fourth weekend to Labor Day. Lifeguards provided shaded canopies, chairs, gloves, hand sanitizer, tables, and chairs and volunteers managed visitor contact at the access points. Lifeguards could focus their attention on keeping beachgoers safe in the water and volunteers could work to achieve facial-covering compliance through education and outreach. Social media proved to be a great tool to engage the community in the project and we held an art contest. Together with our beach volunteers, we ran a competition for local artwork to brand and customize plain masks. The winning design was a stylish female surfer carving over the phrase “Help keep our beaches open.” That set of masks was crowd-funded by neighbors inspired by the grassroots effort. A well-known beloved local screen printer brought the masks to life. Sixty volunteers devoting 200 hours of service distributing 15,000 masks kept our beaches open all summer long. This effort re-affirmed my faith in the collaborative spirit of Encinitas residents. Creativity, volunteerism, new relationships and civic engagement came from the 60 of us working together on the common goal of keeping beaches open alongside our dedicated city staff and marine safety professionals. I’m proud of what Encinitas staff, lifeguards and volunteers achieved together for the unforgettable summer of 2020 and I’m proud to have set up the organizational structure, harnessed volunteer energy and creativity to confront and overcome an unprecedented challenge. Leadership in 2020 should be solution-oriented, run on people power and unite neighbors over common goals.

The three biggest challenges facing this region in 2020 are:1)  pandemic and the economic challenges associated with COVID, 2) climate change and the property damages and public safety impacts it will create, and lastly, 3) the failure and incompetence of our national leadership that’s given rise to acceptance of misinformation and extreme division within communities.

 

1)In the economic stress of a pandemic and failing job market, and you have a recipe for historic levels of hardship. Regardless of a residents’ income level, they deserve to be treated as a part of this community with dignity and compassion. As elected officials, I believe it's our job to create policies that allow for communities that are more inclusive. That paves the path for more diversity, which enriches all communities. 

  

There is no doubt that we have some big challenges ahead. Getting through these challenges will demand city leadership that is tenacious, visionary and unifying. Thankfully, we have in place right now. I believe it’s more important than ever that we keep our city’s leadership going strong and charging forward. We cannot afford to be derailed at a time when so much is on the line. 

2) As I write this, The eerie orange haze has finally cleared here in Encinitas. But what remains is the devastation across our beautiful state. 

My heart breaks for the loss of lives, homes, entire communities and wildlife. I anticipate that even as you read this, thousands of fire fighters are risking their lives to contain the flames, battling in treacherous conditions. I am thankful for their bravery and service. 

I also feel a renewed sense of urgency. Climate change is quite literally outside our front door. We must do more to protect our environment, and we must do it now. 

That’s why I’m fiercely committed to policies that fight climate change. As your Deputy Mayor, I’m proud that my voting record reflects that. I’m honored to be part of a City Council that’s already investing in infrastructure for safe, emission-free travel, renewable household energy and safeguarding our neighborhoods from heavy floods, drought and fire danger.

I believe we need elected leaders who acknowledge that climate change is happening right now, and are prepared to fight it with bold, progressive policies. These hellish, historic wildfires have galvanized my resolve to that. And I hope this crisis has crystallized just how critical it is you vote wisely this November. 

3) Our community faces unprecedented hardships: a pandemic, climate change, local businesses under strain, and to exacerbate it all, an incompetent and heartless national response that fuels division in communities at a time when we need to be working together more than ever.

 

Encinitas deserves strong, trusted leadership. Despite the toxicity of national politics seeping into local elections, I believe in the collaborative spirit of Encinitas residents to overcome the challenges we face together if we elected leaders who demonstrate integrity and respect for diversity of opinion. 

Homelessness begins at home. 

 

There’s this notion that our homeless population has migrated here from some other place. That’s simply not an accurate picture. 

 

In fact, according to a recent news article by Calmatters, “surveys indicate people living on the streets are typically from the surrounding neighborhood.” For example, in San Francisco 70% of the homeless population were once housed there. In Los Angeles, the same is true for three-quarters of the homeless population there. 

 

When we talk about homelessness in Encinitas, we’re often talking about locals who have lost their homes here. Understanding that is the first step to understanding this local issue. 

 

Furthermore, this local issue demands local solutions. We must provide resources right here in Encinitas, where we see the homelessness happening. Turning a blind eye will only allow the problem to worsen. 

 

Sadly, we can also expect an uptick in homelessness. Between the pandemic and economic calamity, there’s tremendous suffering — and hard times will likely only get harder for those who are experiencing homelessness, or close to it.  

 

We need to be prepared. And we need to be realistic. Though our city is idyllic in many ways, we are by no means immune from the ripple effects of the bigger world. As we live through this historic period of hardship, we need to be cognizant of our most vulnerable population, the unsheltered individuals, families and children who share this community with us.   

 

I’m proud to be part of a City Council who responded to community concerns of rising homelessness with an action plan that clearly outlines our challenges, giving experts the clear picture they need to recommend solutions. We expect actionable solutions to come soon. When they do, we will need the community’s support. 

 

I’m also proud of the progress that has already been made. For example: HOPE (Homeless Outreach Program for Empowerment ), which is a program that enables law enforcement and a social worker to help homeless people get back into housing. I plant to continue leveraging state and county resources to amplify the social-services support we can offer our unsheltered residents.

 

We often hear that residents fear that homeless people will drive crime rates higher. I want to take a moment to underscore what a remarkably safe city Encinitas is. In fact, Encinitas was just ranked the 29th saftest city in the entire state of California, according to data from Safewise (a security product review site). This success is a testament to our local leadership, and yet another indicator that we need to keep that in place. 

 

Even so, our law enforcement lets us know that they need more support to better handle the mental health challenges they encounter when dealing with the homeless population.  Fortunately, thanks to Supervisor Fetcher’s leadership at the County level, we will see increased funding for mental health mobile crisis response. 

 

My hope is that as a city we can do more to prevent crises.