ENCINITAS — Retired Deputy Fire Chief Ed Sprague, a candidate for the District 3 seat on the Encinitas City Council, is pledging earlier public notice of proposed projects, regular office hours and a focus on public safety and infrastructure maintenance ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
In an Oct. 5 release, Sprague outlined proposals to give residents more opportunities to participate in city decisions, including plain-language summaries of major agenda items and improvements to the city’s online dashboard to track project costs and timelines.
“Putting residents first starts with listening,” said Sprague. “At forums, on doorsteps and at kitchen tables across District 3, I’ve heard the same thing: people want a council member who shows up, answers their questions, and brings them into decisions before those decisions are made, not after.”
According to his campaign, Sprague grew up in Cardiff and attended Oak Crest Junior High and San Dieguito High School. He later raised his family in Carlsbad, where his three children also attended Oak Crest and schools in the San Dieguito Union High School District.
Four generations of his family have lived in the family’s Cardiff home, where his son and daughter-in-law are now raising his grandchildren, the release states.
Sprague’s background includes nearly 30 years in fire service, retiring as a deputy fire chief; 13 years as an elected director of the Olivenhain Municipal Water District, including nine as board president; and three years as a commissioner with the San Diego Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), according to his campaign. He also taught emergency management and fire technology at Palomar College for seven years.
His platform includes preserving beaches, parks, neighborhoods and open space; protecting local control over development; and ensuring new projects contribute their fair share toward roads, parks and public safety.
On public safety, Sprague said he supports sheriff’s deputies and the new Encinitas Fire Safe Council, which his campaign describes as modeled on Olivenhain’s efforts. He also supports voluntary home wildfire inspections and updated evacuation plans addressing wildfire, tsunami, flooding and dam failure.
Sprague said he would prioritize infrastructure maintenance before new projects and work to reduce what his campaign described as a multimillion-dollar maintenance backlog while maintaining the city’s financial stability.
The campaign listed endorsements from the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association of San Diego County and California Cities for Local Control.
“This campaign isn’t about party or politics. It’s about the people who live here,” Sprague said. “I’ve spent my career showing up when things get hard. I’ll keep showing up for Encinitas, and I’ll keep listening.”
More information about his campaign is available at EdForEncinitas.com.
