ENCINITAS — Mayor Bruce Ehlers delivered his first State of the City address Thursday evening at the Encinitas Community and Senior Center, outlining a back-to-basics agenda that prioritizes infrastructure, local control over land use decisions and homelessness.
Speaking at the annual event hosted by the Encinitas Chamber of Commerce, Ehlers said his administration would focus on preserving the city’s character while managing growth and complying with state mandates.
“Encinitas is special. We live in paradise. But I think you all know that the word seems to be getting out,” Ehlers said. “So the fundamental question facing us is how we maintain our slice of paradise.”
Ehlers, elected in November, said the city will align future decisions with the city’s General Plan, adopted in 1989.
“At some point, our General Plan started taking a back seat to annually updated strategic plans,” he said. “And in my opinion, any plan that you have to update each year is not strategic.”
Beginning this year, Ehlers said city staff reports will include a section detailing how proposed actions align with the General Plan.
The mayor also outlined three primary goals for the year: strengthening local land use control, addressing homelessness and improving aging infrastructure.
Ehlers reaffirmed his support for Proposition A, a 2013 ballot measure he authored that requires voter approval for changes to zoning, density and building height.
“Time and time again, our community has validated the spirit of Prop A,” Ehlers said, who was the principal author of the initiative. “Prop A is the 2013 proposition that required voter approval on zoning, height and density increases. I believe in Prop A and the local voters are the best ones to make those types of decisions.”
Ehlers, a former planning chairman, criticized recent state housing legislation, such as Senate Bill 9, which allows homeowners to split lots and build multiple units on residential parcels without local approval and raised concerns about SB 9’s lack of affordability requirements.
“It does not include lower income housing requirements,” he said. “That’s ridiculous, because that was the legislative purpose used to pass that law.”
On homelessness, Ehlers said the city must enforce laws while offering compassionate support, citing new enforcement tools, such as Proposition 36, which reclassified some misdemeanor theft and drug crimes as felonies, and a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling on public camping in the City of Grants Pass v. Johnson.
“We do this through a combination of public services and public-private partnerships,” he said.
Ehlers pointed to the city’s HOPE (Homeless Outreach Protective Enforcement) program and a collaboration with Vista and state Sen. Catherine Blakespear’s office to open 12 interim shelter beds at the Buena Creek Navigation Center.
“It shows that we can work together to support our residents who are experiencing homelessness and enforce laws at the same time. It’s not an either-or situation,” Ehlers said.
The mayor also addressed the city’s deteriorating roadways, calling for a significant funding boost in pavement maintenance due to a declining pavement condition index.
“We as a council, as a city, need to dedicate an additional million dollars or more of the general funds to reverse this trend,” he said.
Ehlers warned of aging stormwater infrastructure, noting that many corrugated metal pipes in the city are over 50 years old.
“Two years ago, we suffered six major sinkholes, and they cost us $3.7 million to repair,” he said. “Maybe we should be putting a million or two in per year ahead of time and avoid that in the future.”
To address chronic flooding in Leucadia, he said the city must invest $51 million over the next decade to overhaul drainage systems and encouraged public input at the upcoming budget hearing.
Ehlers also supported new at-grade railroad crossings and train horn quiet zones. The project has been underway for years, and hundreds of residents have signed a petition seeking a Quiet Zone throughout Encinitas.
In November 2024, the City Council awarded RailPros a contract to design infrastructure improvements for the Citywide Rail Corridor Quiet Zone. Fieldwork and data collection are underway, including pedestrian counts using equipment installed in April 2024 at the D Street and E Street crossings, the Encinitas Train Station and Leucadia Boulevard.
A community meeting in January reviewed proposed draft layouts for the crossings.
In 2019, the City Council implemented a Quiet Zone in the Chesterfield area of Cardiff. However, plans to expand the zone citywide stalled due to funding constraints to establish Supplemental Safety Measures, or SSMs, to ensure that grade crossings remain safe for pedestrians and vehicles.
Other Updates
In addition to his top priorities, Ehlers highlighted several city projects and issues:
- Parks: The city plans to restore the L-7 lot on Quail Gardens Drive as a future park site.
- Beacons Beach: Recent improvements to the parking lot and sidewalks are aimed at enhancing safety.
- Sand replenishment: Encinitas recently completed a project with Solana Beach and the state and is seeking new sand sources for North Leucadia beaches.
- Public safety: Fire Station 1 was condemned due to seismic risks. A temporary modular station will be installed at the Pacific View property and may later be reused for Fire Station 6 in Leucadia.
- Santa Fe Drive: Streetscape plans have been paused while the city observes traffic patterns and considers revisions.
- City services: Ehlers acknowledged delays in the city’s permitting process. “We just need to fix it,” he said.
- Downtown business mix: He called for greater business variety, saying residents want more than “coffee and alcohol establishments.”
Ehlers closed his remarks with an appeal to protect what makes Encinitas unique.
“Paradise is what we have, and it’s up to us to keep it that way,” he said.
