ENCINITAS — If he becomes the next mayor of Encinitas, Councilmember Bruce Ehlers says he’ll focus on infrastructure, public safety, and preserving the city’s character.
As of publication, Ehlers is the lone challenger running against Mayor Tony Kranz in the November election.
But who is Ehlers? And what plans does he have for Encinitas?
Ehlers grew up in the Chicago suburbs before swapping the cold Midwest for sunny Encinitas four decades ago. The former engineer and Purdue graduate still considers himself a newcomer to the area despite having lived in Encinitas for 40 years. After eight years in Village Park and New Encinitas, the Ehlers family moved into their current Olivenhain home, where they’ve lived for the last 30-plus years.
Ehlers, married to his wife Beth with three adult children, is also a proud native plant gardener in his sprawling backyard.
“My daughters call me a plant nerd,” he quipped, pointing out some of the impressive native live oak trees he planted in the 1990s. The city’s name, Encinitas, means “Little Oaks” in Spanish, and an oak tree is also depicted on Ehlers’ campaign yard signs.
On the subject of all things green, Ehlers said that if he were elected mayor, he would like to see Encinitas move towards carbonless transportation. That said, he isn’t a big fan of people ditching their vehicles in favor of bikes.
“I support bike lanes in general, but not at the expense of travel lanes,” Ehlers said, who predicts electric cars will be the transport of choice for Encinitas residents in future years.
Improving basic infrastructure is another topic high on Ehlers’ list. To prevent Leucadia from experiencing the same flooding as last winter’s storms, he wants to invest more money in the city’s deteriorating storm drains and pavement.
“We should have fixed Leucadia’s flooding before committing tens of millions of dollars to beautify the area with Streetscape,” Ehler said, which he previously compared to icing a cake before trying to change the filling. “As mayor, I will continue to fund incremental solutions to fix Leucadia’s flooding.”
Ehlers is also pledging to improve public safety by tackling the city’s homelessness problem. This will aid in reducing petty crime, burglaries and the risk of backcountry wildfires.
Ehlers is also passionate about maintaining the city’s small-scale beach town ambiance, so it isn’t surprising that he was the principal author of Proposition A, a citizen-led initiative that requires a public vote for increases in zoning density or building heights above two stories or 30 feet.
Despite city-backed legal challenges since it was adopted in 2013, the courts have upheld Prop A, reaffirming the right of Encinitas voters to have the final say on development proposals that fall outside of certain land-use parameters outlined in the city’s general plan.
For those following local politics, you may remember that Ehlers served for seven years on the city’s Planning Commission.
But in 2022, his role as chairman came to an abrupt and controversial end when he was removed from the commission over his public opposition to the city’s housing policies and his alleged association with the local group Encinitas Residents for Responsible Development.
“Purely political positioning,” Ehlers said at the time. “It’s a political hatchet job.”
Since then, Ehlers won the District 4 seat in 2022, representing neighborhoods in Olivenhain and New Encinitas on the council.
In response to Ehlers’ decision to run for the city’s top job, Kranz told Coast News that voters would “choose a candidate with more than a decade of experience and a record of significant accomplishments.”
“I’m the only one of us who can say that,” Kranz said.
As for Elhers, he will officially launch his bid to become mayor later this month.
“The race is just beginning, and I look forward to a comprehensive discussion, an exhilarating race and fun discussions,” Ehlers said.
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In response to Ehlers’ decision to run for the city’s top job, Kranz told Coast News that voters would “choose a candidate with more than a decade of experience and a record of significant accomplishments.”
“I’m the only one of us who can say that,” Kranz said.
More than a decade of doing everything he can to ruin Encinitas. Kranz, along with Lyndes and Hinze and the newly appointed puppet Blackwell, have followed in Blakespear’s footsteps in reversing everything good about this City.
Voting for Ehlers is an easy choice but he needs two votes on the Council.
Blackwell must lose and in the other race Equity Group member Destiny also needs to lose.
Hopefully we will hear more from Bruce on who he would most like to work with on the Council and then Encinitas can finally cleanse itself from The Blakcspear/Kranz rule of ineptness and developer puppets.