Dear Editor,
The City of Encinitas prides itself on transparency, yet recent shifts in City Council meeting protocols suggest a move toward selective participation. Public comment is the bedrock of local democracy; when rules become inconsistent, the integrity of our governance is compromised.
For months, I submitted speaker slips for residents whose work schedules or commutes prevented them from arriving before the deadline. This ensured that voices marginalized by logistical barriers were represented. However, at the April 8 meeting, the City Clerk informed me this was “no longer allowed” due to new protocols. No explanation for this change was provided.
The inconsistency became glaring during the April 22 meeting, in the discussion of Steven Houbeck’s removal from the Urban Forest Advisory Committee. While I was barred from submitting slips for absent community members, the council accepted a pre-recorded audio comment from Mr. Houbeck, who was absent to attend a theater event.
Councilmember Luke Shaffer reportedly requested this accommodation and placed the recording first in the lineup, ahead of nine residents present in the chamber.
During deliberations, Councilmember Shaffer dismissed those calling for Houbeck’s removal as “ideologues,” yet he only spoke with Houbeck and did not speak to community members who were harmed by Houbeck’s social media post.
He further asked whether critics had reached out to Houbeck, ignoring testimony from Rachel Leshaw, co-founder of the Encinitas West African Dance Community, who stated she had reached out multiple times without receiving a response.
This creates a dangerous double standard. If a recording is an acceptable substitute for someone attending a social event, why is the simple act of a neighbor filing a slip denied to working residents struggling to reach City Hall?
When protocols are applied based on personal connections or political alignment, it is no longer “protocol”—it is gatekeeping. We must demand a clear, equitable public comment policy that prioritizes all residents, not just those with the right ties.
Theresa Beauchamp
Encinitas
3 comments
This rule goes back to Jerome Stocks and maybe before. Beauchamp became a newly minted activist just in time to stump in 2024 for the failed newcomer candidate Destiny Preston. Thanks to the chambers-packing antics of Beauchamp and Woods-Drake, the rule that was lax under Ehlers at first is now back.
Beauchamp has herself and her cronies to thank for the return to the old rules. By their own admission they have been showing up to agitate and disturb the chambers. And here some of us thought the council meetings were intended for the council to thoughtfully consider city business, not be constantly interrupted by out of town instigators.
Attempting to delegitimize a 38-year resident as an ‘out-of-town agitator’ doesn’t change the facts regarding inconsistent public comment protocols. Advocacy for transparency and social justice is a right of every community member. We should be encouraging more civic participation, not using disparaging labels to silence those who ask difficult questions of our leadership.
Never ending whining and agita from The Blakespear crowd.
If you don’t want to see this come back to Encinitas Government then please vote against Leftkowits, Viksanta and Arielle Golden.