ENCINITAS — For elected officials in Encinitas, there was one familiar voice they could almost always count on hearing during public comment.
Whether the issue was protecting coastal bluffs or defending neighborhood character, Encinitas resident Dolores Welty always arrived armed with facts, unwavering convictions and a no-nonsense style.
Welty, a longtime environmental advocate and fixture at City Hall for decades, died last month. She was 91.
A retired teacher, Welty devoted a significant portion of her life to protecting the natural landscapes that define North County, regularly speaking before the City Council, California Coastal Commission and other agencies in defense of open space, coastal resources and responsible planning.
While Welty’s name became synonymous with environmental advocacy in Encinitas, her son, Ryan Welty, said that chapter of her life did not begin until after she retired from teaching at Ocean View High School in Huntington Beach.
“She was a pretty incredible woman — wicked smart, very funny,” Ryan Welty said. “She didn’t suffer a fool, but she was happy to educate. I was lucky to have her as a mother.”
“The one and only Dolores Welty is an environmental inspiration to so many,” said friend Sheila Locko. “She was gentle in spirit but absolutely firm in her analysis and presentation on every issue. Always prepared with facts and figures, she was so compelling in her straightforward and logical presentations. She was honored by all — when Dolores spoke, everyone listened.”
In 1991, Welty, a founding member of the Batiquitos Lagoon Foundation, encouraged Locko to join the foundation’s board. The two became close friends and spent more than three decades working together to protect the lagoon, surrounding coastal habitats and environmentally sensitive areas.
Welty also spent roughly 20 years on the board of North County Advocates, a nonprofit that unsuccessfully sued the City of Carlsbad for allegedly violating its voter-approved Proposition E growth management plan by approving development without meeting promised standards for traffic, parks and open space.
Mayor Bruce Ehlers, who served alongside Welty on the North County Advocates board, said she belonged to a generation of civic leaders whose persistence helped shape modern Encinitas.
“She was one of the original Encinitas activists for the environment and community character and a consummate defender of our environment and the city of Encinitas,” Ehlers said. “She just had a way of speaking to officials … basically tell us in her own words: ‘Do the right thing.'”
Ehlers, the principal author of Proposition A and former chairman of the city’s Planning Commission, said what distinguished Welty was that her advocacy was never driven by politics.
“What you got was purity — not politics, not about party or backing a candidate. It was right or wrong,” he said. “She was there to preserve the community.”
Ryan Welty said his mother’s commitment to environmental and social justice extended far beyond Encinitas. She participated in international human rights efforts through Witness for Peace, traveled to Latin America to document violence against civilians, helped co-found the California Environmental Law Project and openly challenged the U.S. embargo on Cuba by personally delivering medical supplies to the island.
There’s even a photo of Dolores Welty and former Cuban leader Fidel Castro hanging on the wall of the family’s home.
“She was fearless,” he said. “If she thought she was in the right, there was very little that would stop her.”
In 2014, Welty and Locko co-founded Save Our Bluffs, a nonprofit that grew to hundreds of members dedicated to protecting what Welty called “The Gateway to Encinitas,” one of the last undeveloped coastal bluffs overlooking Batiquitos Lagoon.
Over the next decade, Save Our Bluffs opposed multiple development proposals for the property, including residential subdivisions and a proposed 108-bed senior care facility. The group also worked with city, state and federal officials to pursue funding and public acquisition of the bluff, advocating for its permanent preservation as open space and an ecological reserve connected to the larger Batiquitos Lagoon ecosystem.
Ryan Welty said his mother also played an instrumental role in the slow-growth movement that led to Encinitas’ voter-approved Proposition A and worked alongside fellow advocates to protect public access and open space throughout North County.
“She did her work with the help of a lot of people,” he said. “She couldn’t get it done alone.”
Former Encinitas mayor Sheila Cameron, who became friends with Welty nearly 40 years ago while campaigning to preserve 63 acres of open space at Indian Head Canyon, said the two shared a passion for conservation that grew into a lifelong friendship.
“It’s hard to lose a friend and someone who has been such a presence in your life for so long,” Cameron said. “She’s irreplaceable for me. She was a friend and a pal.”
In the final years of her life, Welty remained engaged in local projects. As secretary of Save Our Bluffs, she urged the California Coastal Commission in late 2024 to halt construction of Toll Brothers’ proposed The Cove development overlooking Batiquitos Lagoon until the developer repaired damage from a bluff collapse.
“She was a force of nature, and she was for nature,” Locko said. “She was a true environmental legend. Dolores clearly saw the bigger ecological picture. She was a guardian of the Encinitas and Carlsbad coastal lands and bluffs surrounding the Batiquitos Lagoon.”
Leucadia neighbor Elena Thompson remembered Welty as someone who never hesitated when the community needed her.
“Any important community event that was about improving community character and public safety and environment, Dolores always rallied,” Thompson said. “She truly cared, whether it was saving the bluffs or trees or putting in a walking path.”
Thompson also remembered quieter moments — watching blue herons around Batiquitos Lagoon and sharing a love of Loreto, Baja California, where Welty owned a rental property and frequently hosted friends.
“A kind and gentle soul and a very good life,” Thompson said.
Beyond her public advocacy, Welty supported environmental education through the San Diego Botanic Garden as a member of its Larabee Society.
Away from public meetings and environmental campaigns, Ryan Welty said some of his favorite memories were the quiet mornings they shared after he moved to Encinitas during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nearly every morning, he brought his mother a cup of coffee, and the two worked on Sudoku puzzles, crosswords and jumbles while trading stories and jokes.
“She had a magnetic personality,” he said. “She didn’t just enjoy laughing at herself, she was eager to do so. We’d do puzzles in the morning, and then she’d tell me about some misadventure from the day before.”
Cameron said that outside environmental causes, the two enjoyed attending San Diego Opera performances, watching Italian films at La Paloma Theatre, browsing classic car nights and sharing meals at favorite local restaurants.
“She was always very smart and funny,” Cameron said. “Whether she was speaking at City Hall or just spending time with friends, she always got the message across.”
Even in her 90s, Welty maintained her independent streak. After suffering a stroke, Ryan said, she was still driving herself around town in her bright yellow Corvette.
“She lived a big life,” he said. “She was smart, fierce, unafraid and funny. She had a knack for making you want to live up to her expectations. She was pretty cool.”
Locko said those who worked alongside Welty will continue pursuing her vision of permanently preserving “The Gateway to Encinitas” as part of the Batiquitos Lagoon Ecological Reserve.
“Dolores’ passionate legacy will live on,” Locko said.
A memorial service celebrating Welty’s life will be held at 11 a.m. Aug. 29 at San Dieguito United Methodist Church in Encinitas.
