A recent Coast News op-ed written by self-proclaimed “democrats, progressive liberals, and left-leaning residents” laments name-calling in discussions about our upcoming Encinitas city elections. The headline is “Name-calling is what you do when you can’t defend your ideas or engage in debate knowledgeably.”
I assume the “name-callers” in question are me and others identifying Marco San Antonio as a MAGA politician. Now listen, I agree: I would never want to be categorized as MAGA. But for Councilman San Antonio — who has praised Trump and Charlie Kirk and encouraged others to vote MAGA — it would appear he would accept the MAGA title as a badge of honor.
It’s clear that the MAGA label is inconvenient to the letter writers, who are fixated on stale, dated battles fought between members of prior councils rather than focusing on the candidates’ current stances. They would prefer to ignore what electing MAGA-aligned politicians means if it allows them to vote in their own personal interests.
What Viskanta, Golden and Lefkowits are talking about — readily apparent to anyone listening in the real world rather than on social media — is a forward-looking vision of Encinitas that acknowledges our current reality. Something very different from the same old shtick we get from Ehlers (who appointed San Antonio), with one-sided arguments about the specter of prior councils for the sake of political convenience.
The letter writers go on to encourage people to “do their own research” and see what all the candidates have to offer, so let’s take a look at some facts:
Fact: While in office, Ehlers, San Antonio and the current council have done nothing to curb overdevelopment or establish local control. There is no plan. They’ve lost a lawsuit and approved every single development that has come before them.
And when a plan is proposed — such as the affordable housing solution Brad Lefkowits mentioned at the St. Andrews forum — they dismiss it out of hand without research or investigation. Ehlers is embarrassingly mistaken that the program has been used only once; as far back as 2021, it had already been used for no fewer than 30 housing conversions.
Fact: Ehlers and the current council have taken Encinitas backward on homelessness. Our safe parking program is shutting down. Access to Buena Creek Navigation Center in Vista is going away. A much-needed $4 million grant opportunity was refused because of partisan disagreements over treatment philosophy.
Fact: Ehlers and the current council have made our streets less safe. Ehlers and San Antonio endlessly tout repaving roads — the Encinitas pavement index has gone up all of one point since its 2020 measurement. And new pavement does nothing for pedestrian safety.
There have been three deaths on the streets of San Antonio’s district in the last two years. Meanwhile, another $3 million in taxpayer dollars is being spent to mire Santa Fe Drive in an endless cycle of construction — this time removing protected bike lanes in front of a high school.
Fact: Ehlers’ slate mates — San Antonio and Sprague — are both registered Republicans.
For actual Democrats, progressive liberals and left-leaning residents, values matter. Plans matter. Protecting our community matters.
We can all agree that name-calling online is meaningless. But don’t simply take the word of stubborn Ehlers loyalists who just happen to put a “D” next to their name. Consider the above and go meet your local candidates face-to-face.
Olivia Heeren
Village Park, Encinitas
