Letter: Your tax dollars at work?

To the Editor,

On Feb. 2, Denise Martin wrote about the Encinitas mayor’s duplicity and his inaction with the latest floods.

It seems to be how things work these days with other mayors and decision makers — promise anything to get the job then show their true colors after they get it.

Mayor Gloria in San Diego also did nothing until neighborhoods flooded, when he went into action. 

This strategy does save money in so far as the floods pinpoint where the creeks and ditches need the most urgent clearing and money isn’t wasted on clearing benign areas.

It’s more important to use tax money on salaries, back-filling the pension pot and pet projects.

This same strategy seems to apply to the LOSSAN rail track although there has been some recent movement. 

Metrolink is going to build a retaining wall in the San Clemente area after the most recent landslide that covered the tracks. They apparently didn’t realize one was needed before. 

Now they know precisely where the wall needs to go, no guessing. 

BTW, there are much more elegant ways of protecting the slopes from water intrusion than a huge tarpaulin, but it’s a start. (For the uninitiated, the intrusion of water is serious and typically reduces the strength of sandstone by over 50%.) 

This idea hasn’t yet reached the Del Mar area, maybe the upcoming rainstorm will leave a section of track dangling in mid-air so that they can see exactly where the most vulnerable spot is. Then they can frantically concentrate on it. 

This section of track has to last until at least 2035, no matter how eager they are to get the track off the bluffs, when their pet project of a tunnel is supposed to be completed.

Your tax dollars at work — eventually.

Michael Featherby

Oceanside