Julie Thunder

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PRIORITIES

Local Control

I believe in smart growth with good planning, not forced growth with no planning. It’s imperative that we PROTECT Encinitas from the Sacramento push to over densify coastal cities. One way is to pass the statewide constitutional amendment to restore Local Control back to each city – and to elect councilmembers who support this.

I’m the only D3 candidate who supports Local Control of zoning issues and open space preservation and procurement.

Housing & Overdevelopment

We are getting much more housing than promised with less affordability than required, creating even more problems with the state housing agency, HCD. As a city, we need to get right with this issue to achieve smart targeted growth in our housing stock, and avoid the damaging effects of ill-conceived development. To do that we need a council that prioritizes the best interests of our residents, instead of surrendering to Sacramento lawmakers who can’t even find Encinitas on a map.

Public Safety

Crime has been rising throughout Encinitas, a problem which I won’t ignore while on City Council. I support more Sheriff’s deputies when needed.

Another concern is the wildfire risk posed to neighborhoods along the outer edges of the city – South El Camino Real, Manchester Avenue, and all of Olivenhain. I support a permanent fire station in Olivenhain to better protect our periphery and the Escondido Creek – a vital asset for wildlife and native plants that’s vulnerable to fire.

Homelessness

Our policy on homelessness should combine compassion with common sense enforcement of city ordinances.   And we should never ignore a sudden increase in our homeless population like we’ve recently seen.  Data released in May shows that Encinitas homeless numbers have risen at a faster rate than any other city in North County.  During the same time period Carlsbad saw a significant reduction in their homeless population.  I’m willing to ask the obvious question, what are our neighboring cities doing right that we could be doing in Encinitas?  And where does the County fit in? 

Open Space & Our Environment

Our most important assets are the land we live on, the water we play in, and the air we breathe. I’ll work to protect our air quality, beaches, and lagoons while advocating for a full restoration of the Open Space Acquisition Fund to allow us to procure more undeveloped lands – before they’re gone.

Other Issues

• CARDIFF SCHOOL DISTRICT – As a parent of Cardiff & Ada Harris graduates, and a 37-year resident, I fully support the school remodel and I’m thrilled that the multi-purpose room can now be completed.
• EL CAMINO REAL SPECIFIC PLAN – Upzoning the ECR Corridor for mixed-use development could be a good thing – in moderation. But this plan wants to apply the new rules to the ENTIRE corridor commercial district, from LA Fitness to REI. They want to “re-imagine” the corridor into an urban center with 4-6 story high buildings, adding 5,000-8,000 new housing units, above shopping centers. This is a large burden for the people who live nearby and requires much more civic engagement from affected residents. Read more here.
• S. HIGHWAY 101 – Bike accidents along the 101 corridor between Cardiff and Solana Beach were virtually unheard of prior to the 2020 installation of curbs, bollards, paint, and signs. Since the changes were made, there have been dozens of injury accident’s. City leaders need to admit mistakes and BE WILLING to change or reverse course. I will petition the City Manager and my fellow councilmembers to RE-EVALUATE the changes and CONSIDER safety corrections that are clearly needed.
• TRANSPARENCY – Develop a ‘sunshine ordinance’ to ensure that deliberations of council, commissions, and other city business are conducted before the people and that city operations are open to the public’s review.
• GOOD GOVERNANCE – Create a hybrid way of conducting City Council meetings during a pandemic to limit exposure to all without closing City Hall, and allow more people to participate from home.
• COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARDS (CAB’s) – Encinitas used to have a 5-person advisory board for each of our five communities. Let’s learn what problems brought about the downfall of the CAB’s and consider reestablishing them to increase community involvement and outreach.
• STOP ELECTING OUR MAYOR – While this requires a city-wide vote, I believe it’s worth exploring the idea of returning to a 5-district city council with the mayor’s seat rotating amongst the district representatives. This would give New Encinitas its own representation and would effectively flatten the power structure to prevent any single councilmember from amassing too much control. Earlier in Encinitas’ history, we had a council made up of five members who elected one of their own to act as mayor for a year, causing infighting and polarization. It also led to our current 2-year term mayor and 4 council districts, leaving New Encinitas without a singular representative.
• EXPAND 500 FEET RULE – Requiring notification within 500’ of a private remodel makes sense. But, if a project is large and will affect more people, like the redesign of a road or a new group of homes or apartments, we need a larger and more logical range of notification. Perhaps 2,000 feet? Or a selection of traffic corridors that will be affected? Or, the entire voting district the project is located within? This needs to be further explored with community input.
• IMPROVE CITY WEBSITE – We need a city announcements page that’s easy to find, intuitive, and updated often. This will help more people stay involved with important decisions and updates. Other cities do this, why haven’t we?

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