Del Mar residents gather to protest Measure G

DEL MAR — Roughly 30 residents – some with their dogs – stood in front of the north bluff on the corner of Via de la Valle and Highway 101 Jan. 25 to acknowledge their desire to save the bluff.

The protest was organized by Spencer Gobar and shared via various Facebook groups and change.org.

As a Del Mar resident, Spencer Gobar said bringing commercial development to Del Mar is an awful plan and promising bluff access is the developers trying to encourage ignorance from the Del Mar residents.

“This is a terrible idea … once you do it everyone will want to do it,” Spencer Gobar said. “Keep it within the residential zoning. The developers have started to take advantage, assuming the folks are ignorant.”

The march began at 10 a.m. Del Mar resident Mike Majek was at his home scrolling on change.org around 9:45 a.m. when he saw the post for the protest. Majek said it was important to get up and head to the event in order to save the environment for future generations.

“I thought to myself, ‘I got to go down there and maintain the beauty in the city I love so much,’” Majek said. “Let’s save a little bit of the natural environment for the younger generation.”

Del Mar veteran, father to Spencer and local surfer Brett Gobar has a background in environment and planning. Brett views the initiative as harmful to the lifestyle of the community.

“It is bad politics, it is bad planning to let anyone come in and change the zoning … It screws the quality of life for people already living here,” Brett Gobar said.

Also in attendance was one of two City Council members to make any public comment regarding their opinion on Measure G, Deputy Mayor Terry Gaasterland.

Gaasterland said that after reading through the initiative multiple times, it was important to stand up for the community of Del Mar.

“The more I read the initiative, I realized as well-intentioned as it may be, the initiative itself is a document that undermines our community plan,” Gaasterland said.

Many other protesters also said they felt passing the initiative would change the essence of the community they have created in Del Mar.

Spencer Gobar, alongside many others in attendance, said they would want for the land to be turned into a public park.

“It would be great if the people of Del Mar and Solana Beach came together and built a park,” Spencer Gobar said.

With the vote being only five weeks away on March 3, community members for and against Measure G have created change.org petitions to voice their views and values to their fellow Del Mar residents.