by Richard J. Riehl on March 26, 2010
If you walk the seawall late at night along Carlsbad Boulevard, you may hear voices in the distance sounding the alarm: “To arms! To arms! The unions are coming! The unions are coming!”
The familiar warning cry began with a Feb. 20 headline in the North County Times: “City’s unions expected to play active role in mayoral election.”
From the day City Councilman Keith Blackburn declared his candidacy for mayor, tongues have been wagging about how police and firefighters unions have announced their intent to do whatever they can to put the former police officer in the seat that Bud Lewis occupied for a quarter of a century.
Unlike in Oceanside, labor unions have not played a major role in Carlsbad City Council politics. With more union involvement, will North County’s model municipality of political civility be in danger of being sucked into the all-consuming black hole of partisanship that plagues its northern neighbor?
Follow the jump for the rest of the story. . .
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by Richard J. Riehl on February 11, 2010
From the urgency of its actions, you’d think the Friends of Aviara had just discovered a Super Walmart was about to open its doors on the shores of the Batiquitos Lagoon.
The La Costa neighborhood group is suing Carlsbad’s City Council for approving a planning document that would bring affordable senior housing to their backyard. The lawsuit is a pre-emptive strike on a proposal the City Council has never discussed, much less approved.
What the council did approve at its Dec. 22 meeting was a revision of the city’s general plan that references Pontebello, a proposed project that would add 76 low- and moderate-income units to its housing plan, helping the city meet the state’s affordable housing law.
Senior Planner Scott Donnell explained that if the city failed to obtain state certification for its housing plan it could lose millions in future state and county government grants. Carlsbad would also be exposed to lawsuits halting development until the state steps in to mandate the number and locations of affordable housing units.
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by Richard J. Riehl on December 4, 2009
Is Carlsbad city councilman Mark Packard really more interested in political grandstanding than public safety?
As a member of the North County Transit District board, he cast the only “no” vote to fund a study to install a federally required safety system on our local commuter trains. He said he did so because the feds weren’t funding it. Upon hearing from their attorney that failure to comply with the law would mean there’d be no commuter rail service here after 2015, the eight other members of the board voted to fund the study.
Follow the jump for the rest of the column. . .
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by Richard J. Riehl on November 20, 2009
On his Web site’s home page, San Diego County Supervisor Bill Horn explains his personal political philosophy about government and public debt. Quoting himself first, then Lincoln and Jefferson, he congratulates himself for having the honor of serving as an “elected guardian of our County.”
In law, a guardian is defined as someone assigned by the court to be responsible for the care and management of the person or property of a minor or of someone of unsound mind. The word is also sometimes used to describe a defender of public morals.
Maybe that explains Horn’s crusade against teens checking out R-rated DVDs from their public libraries, medical marijuana, and allowing disabled persons to ride publicly subsidized buses to visit casinos.
Assuming most elected officials are in favor of democracy and opposed to public debt, what sets Horn apart is that he evidently thinks of his constituents as either children or incompetents.
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by Richard J. Riehl on November 6, 2009
Who poses the greater threat to the safety of Carlsbad residents, drivers using cell phones while weaving their way at high speed down El Camino Real, or a bunch of guys standing around on the sidewalk hoping to be offered a job by the multitaskers whizzing by?
The sting operation they launched last month to catch violators of the city’s anti-solicitation ordinance indicates city police seem to think the guys on the sidewalk are more dangerous. According to police Capt. Neil Galucci, the bust is “almost like a prostitution citation,” because it requires that the perpetrator enter into a hiring agreement. Police approach the day laborers in unmarked cars and civilian clothes, pretending to offer them work. If they fall for the scam, the undercover cops drive their victims a few blocks away and cite them for being tricked into violating the law. Those suspected of being in the country illegally are turned over to the U.S. Border Patrol. [click to continue…]
by Richard J. Riehl on October 23, 2009
Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings at a single bound. I thought of my favorite superhero when I read the qualifications required of the ideal candidate for a position recently posted on the Internet.
The successful applicant, according to the job description, must be a “proactive visible leader, with a collaborative, engaging management style,” and should have “the right blend of skills to navigate these challenging times and build a bridge to the future.” He/she must have “highly developed communication skills, effective interpersonal skills balanced by a sense of humor,” and the ability to be “politically astute, but apolitical.”
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by Richard J. Riehl on September 11, 2009
The scenes were straight out of a spaghetti Western.
In Encinitas one afternoon last month, 12 self-styled patriots strolled down First Street, the downtown stretch of South Coast Highway, as a similar group had done at Carlsbad’s Village Faire a few weeks earlier. North County’s version of the “Dirty Dozen,” six men and six women, carried unloaded guns in holsters strapped to their waists. They said they were exercising their constitutional right to bear arms.
Six unarmed roadies distributed literature to passers-by.
Some on the sidewalk turned away in fear and disgust, as residents of Dodge City once did when gangs of hooligans rode into town. Above the traffic noise, you could almost hear the plaintive whistling of “Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darling,” from the 1952 movie, “High Noon.”
The events were enough to inspire another fairy tale from this columnist.
Once upon a time in the Land of Pink-Tiled Roofs, a collection of very angry little men formed a support group. Resentful that the royal rulers didn’t show them enough respect, they dubbed themselves the Minute Little Men, claiming to be the kingdom’s true patriots.
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by Richard J. Riehl on July 17, 2009
When I learned North County Transit District directors are thinking about privatizing the operation of our local buses, I thought about my recent experience as a passenger on an outsourced bus during Carlsbad’s Village Faire a couple of months ago.
My wife and I took the shuttle downtown from the Poinsettia Coaster Station.
The driver was courteous, had a fine sense of humor and showed by his driving that he cared about getting us there safely. The return trip with another driver, however, was a white-knuckler.
As we boarded the bus at the downtown station, the driver was talking animatedly on his cell phone. I figured he was updating a dispatcher on his location. But when he continued the conversation, steering with one hand, as he drove through the heavy downtown traffic, it became evident it was a personal call. When my wife was about to ask him about that, he put his cell phone down.
We were relieved he’d be able to focus his attention on driving.
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by Richard J. Riehl on July 5, 2009
The power of the pyramid prevailed when the Carlsbad City Council voted unanimously at its June 9 meeting to accept a report prepared for the parks and recreation department by a Colorado consulting firm paid $50,000 for their advice. Pyramids were all the rage in the 1970’s, with advocates claiming structures shaped like Egyptian pyramids unleashed magical powers that could preserve foods, clarify thinking and improve your sex life.
From the praise the city council heaped on the pyramid model of cost-recovery for Carlsbad’s parks and recreation programs, you’d think council members believe the power of this pyramid will help them escape the wrath of special interest groups. If they raise fees they can always blame the pyramid.
It makes good sense to base the funding of resources on who benefits most from using them. That’s what the cost-recovery pyramid attempts to do. The base level of the model represents resources that provide the greatest benefit to the entire community. The top level represents resources providing the greatest benefit to individuals.
Follow the jump for the rest of the story. . .
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by Richard J. Riehl on May 8, 2009
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when I heard Keith Blackburn’s robo-call to action. While other North County cities struggle with budget cuts threatening vital services, Carlsbad’s rookie city councilman was asking for our help to keep his campaign promise to bring a second swimming pool to the city. I wondered if he’d been inspired by Congressman Bilbray’s recent onslaught of irritating electronic invitations to his “teletown meetings.” Was this just the beginning of year-round campaigning by our local politicos?
Although I didn’t attend the council meeting, I did watch the videotape of it several days later on the city’s Web site. To my surprise, I found myself in total agreement with Blackburn’s argument in favor of starting work now on the Alga Norte Park and Aquatic Center. [click to continue…]
If you walk the seawall late at night along Carlsbad Boulevard, you may hear voices in the distance sounding the alarm: “To arms! To arms! The unions are coming! The unions are coming!”
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