PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ENCINITAS, CA 92025 PERMIT NO. 94
THE COAST NEWS
VOL. 28, N0. 49
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MAKING WAVES IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
DEC. 5, 2014
SAN MARCOS -NEWS
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Former Encinitas Mayor and longtime City Councilmember Teresa Barth is about to embark on her second retirement. File photo
Shining through
Glass artist John Pourroy gives a glass art demonstration last weekend at Glass Ranch, the Del Dios home and glass art studio owned by North County resident Garry Cohen. See the full story on Cohen on page A10. Photo by Tony Cagala
SANDAG faces hurdles over transportation plan By Ellen Wright
REGION — The San Diego Association of Governments, or SANDAG, is facing difficulties with its long range 2050 Regional Transportation Plan. On Nov. 24 the Fourth District California Court of Appeal, Division 1, voted 2-1 that the plan violates state law because it doesn’t adequately assess or take steps to reduce greenhouse gases in the environmental review of the long-range transportation plan. In 2005, former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed an executive order to dramatically reduce greenhouse gases in the state by 2050. The appellate court found SANDAG’s plans conflicted with the directive and failed to disclose environmental risks of the transportation overhaul. “We’re definitely disappointed and concerned with the precedent that the judges ruling will affect, in not only SANDAG’s projects, but anybody else that does (California Envi-
ronmental Quality Act) documents,” Executive Director at SANDAG, Gary Gallegos said. SANDAG approved the $214 billion transportation plan in October 2011 towards improving transit, highways and local roads and streets throughout San Diego. Many local and state environmental groups argued the plan was too reliant on widening and extending freeways, which they argue, increase the amount of drivers on the road. Cleveland National Forest Foundation, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Sierra Club challenged the environmental review of the transportation plan under the California Environmental Quality Act. “The Court of Appeal confirmed that San Diego County officials can’t sweep the threat of climate disruption under the rug,” said Kevin Bundy, a senior attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. “If we’re going to make the changes necessary to avoid global warming’s worst effects,
our leaders must be honest with us about the long-term consequences of their choices. California’s extended drought is teaching us that the stakes are very high.” The court found that SANDAG didn’t “analyze a reasonable range of project alternatives” and failed to “adequately analyze and mitigate the transportation plan’s air quality impacts,” and understated the transportation plan’s impacts on agricultural lands. “Other regional planning agencies throughout California have properly analyzed the environmental and public health impacts associated with their long-range transportation and land use plans; SANDAG didn’t even try to complete an accurate analysis,” said Kathryn Phillips, director of Sierra Club California. SANDAG Executive Director Gallegos disagrees. “Not every region throughout the state got the same target. So our tarTURN TO SANDAG ON A16
Barth ready for her second retirement
RANCHO SFNEWS
By Aaron Burgin
ENCINITAS — Teresa Barth will hop on a plane Wednesday morning. She’s headed to San Francisco. It’s the start of her second retirement. The night before her departure, she will be saying goodbye to her second career, the Encinitas City council, on which she has served since 2006 before not seeking re-election this year. She leaves with no regrets. “I had set a goal of a maximum of two terms, or eight years, that was something my husband and I discussed,” Barth said. “We talked about, ‘After you retire the second time, let’s do ‘this and that. “I felt I needed to respect that, even though running for mayor would be a two-year term,” she said. Barth talked with the Coast News about her eight-year journey, the highs and the lows and what lies ahead for her.
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“A second career” Barth said running for city council was not something she planned on doing. Only three years removed from her retirement from the 22nd Agricultural District — better known as the Del Mar Fairgrounds — she was looking forward to enjoying her newfound free time. Then, Christy Guerin decided to not seek re-election, and Barth — among the more active members of the Cardiff-by-the-Sea community — said she started getting asked, “Why don’t you run?” “It wasn’t on my radar for my retirement, but I knew I never wanted to run against an incumbent, so this was kind of how it happened,” she said. “Since it didn’t appear anyone else would step up, I decided to run.” Barth finished second behind incumbent Dan Dalager in the voting, besting TURN TO BARTH ON A16
VISIT SANTA CLAUS
Presented by:
in Downtown Encinitas in the Lumberyard Courtyard (S. Coast Hwy 101 and H Street)
Sat., Dec. 13 & Sat., Dec. 20 from 3:00-5:00pm
Receive free digital photos of your child’s visit with Santa courtesy of Shadow Catcher Imagery. Prints are also available to order.
www.encinitas101.com
D A N A
P O I N T
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