ENCINITAS — The Encinitas City Council has introduced an ordinance it hopes will provide more clarity around vehicle camping.
The proposed ordinance builds on items discussed on Aug. 13 and includes several changes to the municipal code.
The first change would remove the clause “at night” from the code governing camping on private property. The revision would ban camping on private property without the owner’s permission at any time of day.
Supporters of the change say it would close a loophole that prevents officers from intervening when someone camps in their car during the day on private property — a situation in which officers could otherwise intervene if the vehicle were parked on public property.
Another proposed change would extend the current ban (10 p.m. to 6 a.m.) to 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. During a Dec. 10 council meeting, city officials said that the change is intended to give people more time earlier in the evening to find safe overnight accommodations.
“I’m grateful that we’ll have the opportunity to help our Sheriff’s Department have the tools they need to engage people to provide services or ensure the safety of our residents in the best possible way,” O’Hara said.
A final change would add language to the municipal code’s definition of “camp” to clarify what does not constitute camping and to address personal property. That change originated at the Nov. 19 meeting.
The item is tentatively scheduled to return to the council for adoption on Jan. 21, 2026, according to a city spokesperson, though the date is subject to change.
New city attorney
Encinitas also has a new interim city attorney and interim assistant city attorney.
The city entered into an agreement with Colantuono, Highsmith and Whatley, PC, which has represented dozens of municipalities throughout California, according to the firm’s website.
Ajit Thinad will serve as interim city attorney, and Andrew Jared will serve as interim assistant city attorney. Thinad attended his first City Council meeting on Dec. 10.
“It’s such a great honor to be your city attorney,” Thinad said at the meeting. “It says interim, I hope to take that off at some point.”
The selection of an interim city attorney followed closed-session City Council discussions in October and November, shortly after the council voted to terminate its contract with former city attorney Tarquin Preziosi of Jones Mayer Law, according to city documents.
Funding for legal services comes from the General Fund and is already accounted for in the current fiscal year, according to city documents.
The legal services contract includes a $27,825 monthly retainer for up to 105 hours, according to city documents. Additional services will be billed at $275 per hour, and the monthly fee will be prorated if the 105-hour threshold is not met.
Those rates will remain in effect through July 1, 2026.
Park designer picked
The Encinitas City Council unanimously approved a contract with Schmidt Design Group, based in San Diego, to prepare plans for the L-7 Park project.
The L-7 Park site encompasses 9.4 acres, located mainly between Quail Gardens Drive and Quail Gardens Lane, near the southwest holes of the Encinitas Ranch Golf Course.
The site on Quail Gardens Drive near Leucadia Boulevard was purchased by the city in 1998 and has long been designated for park development, according to city documents.
The design contract totals $756,263 and includes a 15% contingency, or $113,439, according to city documents.
