Encinitas, California

The Encinitas City Council voted unanimously to consider a short-term "urgency" measure freezing mobile home park rental rates, with a permanent ordinance possibly following after further staff research. The move came after residents of Riviera Mobile Home Park, facing rent hikes of up to 17%, lobbied council members, telling them they own their homes but are at the mercy of land rental rates set by park owners. Staff will report back at an Oct. 28 meeting on local mobile home park ownership, zoning, and how other cities handle such disputes, including whether a memorandum of understanding between owners and residents could work instead of an ordinance. Park owners pushed back, calling an ordinance extreme, while Riviera's operator, Laguna Asset Management, said it would scale back its planned increase to 4%.

Encinitas is pursuing an agreement with the San Diego Rescue Mission to reserve up to 12 beds for its homeless residents at the South County Lighthouse shelter in National City, more than 30 miles away. The Encinitas City Council voted unanimously on Sept. 16 to pursue the deal after Vista signaled it wants full use of the Buena Creek Navigation Center, a shelter the two North County cities had shared since 2024. Encinitas Mayor Bruce Ehlers called the arrangement more financially responsible than the roughly $715,000 the city spent on its previous Vista beds, and said it is meant to be temporary until more North County shelter capacity exists.

National City Councilmember Jose Rodriguez opposes the plan, arguing wealthier Encinitas is shifting responsibility onto a financially strained community. National City Mayor Ron Morrison is less concerned, noting the 162-bed shelter already serves a regional population, including about 30 Encinitas residents over the past year. The Rescue Mission says it hopes to open a new Escondido shelter that would eventually absorb the reserved beds. The dispute reflects broader tension over how San Diego County communities share homelessness costs and resources.

The Encinitas City Council voted to direct staff to study bringing back red-light cameras after public pressure following a series of deadly crashes, including the death of 12-year-old Emery Chalekian, who was struck in a crosswalk by a driver who ran a red light last April. Staff will examine potential locations, annual costs, data management, and other traffic safety measures, with findings to be presented at a future meeting and a possible vote by year's end.

Encinitas previously ran red-light cameras at two intersections along El Camino Real for 16 years before ending the roughly $209,000-a-year program in 2020. Any new program would operate under California Senate Bill 720, treating violations as civil penalties rather than traffic tickets, with escalating fines and revenue reinvested in traffic safety. Supporters, including Mayor Bruce Ehlers and advocacy group Safe Streets Encinitas, cite past data showing reduced crash rates. Opponents, including Deputy Mayor Jim O'Hara, raised privacy and surveillance concerns and argued the cameras don't address underlying causes like speeding.