ESCONDIDO LOSES VOICEON SANDAG BOARD

CityCouncil’s majority removes mayorfrom panel

BY JOE TASH

ESCONDIDO

Thecity ofEscondidono longerhas a voiceonthe board ofdirectorsforthe SanDiego Association of Governments, a regional transportation agencythat controlsplanning andfundingfor roadprojectsand oversees regionalprojects fromhousing to beach replenishment.

That’s becausein January, in a split vote alongpar- tisanlines,theEscondido CityCouncil removed MayorPaul McNamaraandhis two alternates fromtheir rolesas representatives to the SANDAG board. TheSANDAG board ismadeupof elected representatives fromthe county ofSanDiego andits 18 cities.Althoughmembers haveremoved their representatives,such as whentheOceanside council removed Mayor Jim Woodin2013 SANDAG officialssaidthey were not aware of a community removingitsentire slate of representativesandsendingno replacements. Thedispute reacheda standoffatthe Jan. 12 councilmeetingwhen,after removing McNamara,the council majority rejected McNamara’s nominationoffellow Democratand Councilmember Consuelo Martinez. McNamaraopted not to nominate any other councilmember to thepost. Whilethe council hasthepower to confirm and removerepresentatives to boardsand commissions, only the mayor cannominate candidates forthepositions.

Atthemeeting, council membersMike Morasco, Tina Inscoeand Joe Garcia, allRepublicans who voted to oustDemocrat McNamara fromtheSANDAG post,stressedthat theiraction was notintended asa personal affront to themayor, butrather a protest over policydirectionstakenby theSANDAG board. Morasco,whoplaced the itemonthe council’s agenda said at themeeting, “Themayor andI have had multiplediscussionsabout this.He knowsthisisnothingmore than philosoSEE ESCONDIDO • B8 bon alongsidethree other chocolate icecreams fromshopsinMichigan, OhioandVirginia. The competition involved a double-blindtaste test byprofessional foodscientistsat Cornell University as wellasan extensive scientific study of theice cream’s ingredients inCornell’s dairy lab.

The award tookthe Wynnsby surprise,butthey’re grateful forthe recognition,as followingtheir dream to openanicecreamshop hasbeen a rocky road,andnotone oftheicecreamvariety.

When theyopened their 110square-foot shopinthe North City development nearCal State San Marcos inOctober2020 the area was deserted. Mostofthestudent apartmentsin North City were empty asthecampus was closed and virtuallyalloftheneighboring retailbusinesseshadclosed due to thelossoffoottraffic due to thepan-

Mixed-use, 295-unit complex wouldbe next to trainstation

BY PHILDIEHL

OCEANSIDE Another transit-oriented mixture of apartmentsand retail shopsisheaded to the Oceanside City Council, which has approvedsimilar projects recentlydespite widespreadopposition from residents.

Councilmembershave acknowledged people’s frustrationswithincreased traffic, difficult parking and the changingskylineof their neighborhoods.But they say Californialaws require the city to approve projects that addressthestatewidehousingshortage and encourage more people to use public transit.

Theprojectcalled Ocean Creek willhave 295apartmentsand 3,000square feetof retailspace in five four-story buildings proposedfor the corner of OceansideBoulevard andCrouch Street.The site isabout three blocks east ofInterstate 5, near a Sprinter light-rail staSEE PROJECT • B14