The Coast News INLAND EDITION
.com ESCONDIDO, SAN MARCOS, VISTA
VOL. 6, N0. 18
SEPT. 3, 2021
Bills may hold future of housing
Vista debates how to divvy pot revenue
By Tigist Layne
By Steve Puterski
REGION — Debates over two California State Senate housing bills have been heating up in recent weeks as the two bills could decide the future of housing and zoning laws in the State of California. SB 9, by Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), would allow up to four units and a total of eight market-rate units on lots that are currently zoned for single-family housing. Developers would not be required to pay for any infrastructure improvements to those lots. If this bill passes, property owners could create a duplex or subdivide the property into two lots and build up to two units on each lot for a maximum of four units. SB 10, authored by Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), would allow buildings with up to 10 market-rate units on lots that are currently zoned for single-family housing. The legislation would also allow local governments to override voter-approved restrictions on rezoning and allow local governments to upzone without going through a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review. A recent poll commissioned by Housing is a Human Right, the housing advocacy division of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, showed that more than 70% of California voters oppose both bills. The poll results showed that half of these voters are concerned about the bills’ lack of affordable housing requirements. Solana Beach Mayor Lesa Heebner told The Coast News that these two bills fail to actually address the real housing shortage in California. “What they say is that there’s a housing shortage, TURN TO HOUSING ON 9
BLOWING BUBBLES IN THE GARDEN Youngsters got wet and had fun at Alta Vista Botanical Gardens’ monthly Kids in the Garden class, “Using and Saving Water,” in August. The next class, “Recycled Art and Sculpture,” is Saturday, Sept. 11. See Page 8. Courtesy photo
VISTA — A spirited and sometimes heated debate was front and center as the City Council approved how to disperse its excess cannabis revenue during its Aug. 24 meeting. The council capped its cannabis revenues within the General Fund at $4 million per year, with the excess being allocated to various city priorities. The city had $1.13 million from Fiscal Year 2020-21 and unanimously approved cannabis decoys, scholarship and youth prevention and early intervention programs, increased lighting in neighborhoods and park restroom maintenance. The battle, though, was over adding a San Diego County Sheriff’s deputy to the Community Oriented Policing and Problem Solving (COPPS) team and two park rangers, or enforcers. The council approved, 3-2, adding the COPPS deputy and rangers, which were all recommended by staff and within the proposed $1.13 million budget. Councilwomen Corinna Contreras and Katie Melendez both opposed the hiring of a deputy. “These funds are specifically for special projects and I don’t TURN TO REVENUE ON 16
Awaken Church harvesting ballots ahead of recall By Tigist Layne
REGION — Awaken Church is collecting its congregations’ ballots for the upcoming governor recall elections at each of its five San Diego campuses, but none of the church’s locations are designated ballot drop-off spots. According to California law, voters can mail their ballot, return it in person to an election center, put it in an official drop box operated by their county or give it to someone else to return it for them. The law says people who return ballots for others must print on the ballot their name, state their relationship to the voter and sign it. And, they must re-
A PRACTICE known as ballot harvesting is legal but has caused controversy in recent elections. Courtesy photo
turn the ballot within three days of receiving it. However, the ballots will still be counted even
if the collector does not sign them or keeps them for longer than three days, as long as they are filled out
correctly and returned by Election Day. Awaken Church has outwardly encouraged members to “Vote yes to recall Gavin Newsom” during church events and on social media. The church, though not a designated ballot drop-off location according to the county Registrar of Voters, is encouraging their congregation to bring their ballots to any Awaken Church campus on Sept. 5 and Sept. 12. “Awaken Church is not a designated mail ballot drop off location,” said Cynthia Paes from the San Diego Registrar of Voters. “We advise voters to return their voted ballot to an official site, either at a US Post-
al Service Collection box or one of more than 130 official mail ballot drop off locations currently available around the County. These official options are the best way to keep voted mail ballots secure and ensure every legally cast ballot is counted.” The practice, known as ballot harvesting, is legal, but has caused controversy in recent elections. In a 2020 report by House Ranking Member Rodney Davis and the Republican staff of the Committee in the 116th Congress, the committee argues that “this behavior can result in undue influence TURN TO BALLOTS ON 9
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