ENCINITAS – Reading from a written proclamation honoring the life of Robert “Bob” Bonde, widely regarded as the “Father of Encinitas,” Mayor Bruce Ehlers couldn’t help but interject.
“In 1981, Bob and his beloved wife Joanne, his partner of 73 years, moved to Cardiff-by-the-Sea, built their home by hand, and immersed themselves in civic life,” Ehlers read before pausing.
“Boy, that’s an understatement,” he said with a laugh.
Bonde, who died Aug. 5 at 92, was one of the founders of the city of Encinitas, remembered as a tireless civic advocate and watchdog for the people. His passing came just two months after the death of Joanne, his high school sweetheart and wife of more than seven decades.
Born in 1933, Bonde grew up in California and met Joanne in a Carmel High School study hall when they were teenagers, according to his obituary. The couple married in 1952 before he left to serve in Korea with the U.S. Marine Corps.
Bonde earned a degree in industrial arts from San Jose State University and later a doctorate in education from Colorado State College. He taught industrial arts at Humboldt State and Long Beach State universities before moving into administration, ultimately serving as executive dean of facility planning at California State Polytechnic University.
In North County, Bonde quickly immersed himself in local civic life, bringing experience from the City of Upland Architectural Commission and the Chaffey Union High School board. He became a central figure in the fight against a proposed high-speed bullet train that threatened Encinitas with noisy elevated rails and spoiled ocean views, and he earned the title “Father of Encinitas” for his pivotal role in the city’s 1986 incorporation.
He retired at age 50, moving with Joanne in 1981 to a beach house they built by hand in Cardiff-by-the-Sea. Together they raised three children: Michael, Jennifer and James.
In a recent interview, Ehlers noted that Bonde’s influence is still reflected in today’s lengthy City Council meetings, which often stretch past midnight with residents actively engaged. Just last month, Ehlers noted that none of the council meetings ended on the same day they started, with the most recent session on Aug. 27 wrapping at approximately 1 a.m.
“I think Bob helped – with the help of many other activists and leaders – but he was one of the instigators,” Ehlers said. “He brought together this group of activists – if you will – involved citizens to form the City of Encinitas. And we’ve always had a very active citizen group. And that’s a good thing.”
Even into his 90s, Bonde continued to advocate for residents and local control, endorsing Ehlers’ mayoral bids because he believed the mayor would “promote and fulfill the promise of incorporation and fight for local control of our land use decisions,” Ehlers said.
Pam Slater-Price, former county supervisor and Encinitas mayor and council member, told The Coast News that Bonde was always “a gentleman.”
“He didn’t go around trying to make people dislike him or be angry with him,” Slater-Price said. “But he was very strong in his positions and he didn’t waiver in terms of what he believed was right.”
In May 2009, Slater-Price, then a supervisor representing District 3, presented Bonde with a proclamation for his mentorship of a new generation of active citizens, the overall “betterment of Encinitas citizens,” and his diligent efforts to incorporate the area as a city in 1986, as reported by The Coast News.
From that day forward, May 2 in San Diego County would be known as “Bob Bonde Day.”
“I remember him saying how it was ironic when I gave him that proclamation because he’s spent a lot of time badmouthing and fighting the county,” Slater-Price said. “And I felt the same way.”
Bonde, who served as president of the Encinitas Taxpayers Association, also voiced his opposition to a $22 million Cardiff School Bond in 2016 and warned residents about the San Diego Association of Governments and North County Transit District attempting to supersede local control over the rail corridor.
“Bonde was just always a guy who believed in standing up for the city – standing up for the residents – and he would speak truth to power whenever and anyway he felt necessary to help protect the city,” Slater-Price said. “He was down [at city hall] all the time. He was not always on (the council’s) side. You know, he was someone who was always on the people’s side – on the residents’ side.”
Former Encinitas mayor Tony Kranz said Bonde’s decades of leadership helped shape the city’s identity, crediting him with pushing for incorporation so residents could determine their own future.
“Bob Bonde was a community leader that worked to get the City of Encinitas incorporated so that decisions that shaped the future would be made by people with a direct stake in the outcome,” Kranz said. “He worked tirelessly over the last several decades to advocate for what he thought were the best solutions for our community. His passion for Encinitas never waned and our city is better because of it.”
Jerome Stocks, former mayor and council member for Encinitas, said Bonde served as a watchdog for local politics and city government.
“Certainly, he and I had differences of opinion on many things and reached different conclusions given similar facts many times, but nonetheless it was an important role I think in having watch dogs,” Stocks said. “Even if you weren’t going to agree with Mr. Bonde, you knew he was out there and so you double-checked your numbers and double-checked your logic. I think it helped hold everybody accountable to have people like Bob Bonde around.”
Stocks said that the formation of Encinitas as its own city created a kind of local revolution, which required “a certain warrior mentality” among Bonde and his peers.
“I feel very blessed to have been able to experience the evolution of the city and to be involved in the city at all,” Stocks said.
Kristin Gaspar, former county supervisor and Encinitas mayor and council member, said that Bonde would always be remembered as the Father of Encinitas.
“While we didn’t always stand on the same side, we shared a deep love for this community, and over time built a relationship grounded in that common purpose,” Gaspar said. “It is rare to meet someone so devoted to preserving the character of a place for future generations. His legacy will forever be part of Encinitas.”
Beyond city politics, Bob and Joanne spent 11 years hosting international flower and garden tours while maintaining an open-door spirit at home. Friends and neighbors recalled Bonde as generous with his tools, time and advice, always ready to lend a hand from his workshop, according to his obituary.
He died two months after Joanne, with whom he shared 73 years of marriage.
1 comment
One of the finest men I have ever known. I greatly appreciated his leadership in fighting against the coastal bullet train project, followed by the push for incorporation, and his steadfast defense of local control over zoning and land use, which is arguably my greatest single “hot button” local quality of life issue. I had the pleasure of knowing him and working with him for more than 40 years, some of that time in his basement ADU “War Room.” A life well-lived, indeed.
Small correction: A 1952 marriage would mean 73 years, not 78, but a long and strong union, nonetheless. Joanne was a gem.