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Environment

Carlsbad Mayor Takes Stock After Measure A Defeat

By Alison St John / Reporter
Published March 7, 2016 at 3:00 AM PST
This story was published more than 8 years ago.
The Yes on A tent being dismantled in Carlsbad, March 1, 2016.
Alison St John
The Yes on A tent being dismantled in Carlsbad, March 1, 2016.

Carlsbad Mayor Takes Stock After Measure A Defeat
Measure A in Carlsbad was defeated -52 percent "no" to 48 percent "yes", but the battle over the Agua Hedionda lagoon is not over. Carlsbad Mayor Matt Hall said it’s too soon to consider other projects, but the site is still a valuable piece of property.

Carlsbad voters defeated Measure A by a margin of 52 percent to 48 percent, but the battle over the Agua Hedionda lagoon is not over.

Mayor Matt Hall told KPBS last week that it’s too soon to consider other projects, but the site is still a valuable piece of property.

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Hall said the Encina Power Station next to the site is due to close next year, possibly adding to the value of the land, especially if San Diego Gas & Electric removes the switching station.

The mayor is taking stock after the measure's defeat two weeks ago, despite it having the City Council's unanimous support. The project's developer, Rick Caruso, also spent $10 million on the campaign.

An overflow crowd fills the courtyard outside Carlsbad City Hall, as the City Council votes on a plan to build a shopping center on the shores of the Agua Hedionda Lagoon, Aug. 25, 2015.
Alison St John
An overflow crowd fills the courtyard outside Carlsbad City Hall, as the City Council votes on a plan to build a shopping center on the shores of the Agua Hedionda Lagoon, Aug. 25, 2015.

Hall said he got the message that citizens don’t want a high-end shopping center on the shores of the Agua Hedionda lagoon, and he’ll sit down with opponents to try to close the rift that split the community.

“Let’s calm down and think about what makes Carlsbad great, and let’s keep working toward that," he said.

Hall does not regret voting to approve the initiative last summer, rather than putting it on the ballot at that point. Many opponents were angry when the City Council approved the plan, leading to a referendum to overturn the vote.

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“I haven’t really thought about that,” Hall said. “I did what I thought was right at the time, and I haven’t looked back on my decision.”

Hall said it was Caruso who chose to try the initiative process rather than go through the normal CEQA environmental review.

“Developers are very smart and are making big investments, and they have to make the choice as to how they choose to process,” Hall said. “Part of that is they need to have a clear understanding of the communities in which they are working. And in this case, it’s very clear they want to have things processed through CEQA."

Caruso has declined to comment on any next step. In a statement, he said, “While we had hoped for a different outcome, we are proud of our effort, our plan, the integrity of our message, and we are thankful for the great friends and supporters we have made over the past four years.”

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Environment San DiegoBusiness
Alison St John
Alison St John currently serves as a general assignment reporter and occasionally co-hosts KPBS Midday Edition. She fell in love with KPBS Radio when she arrived in San Diego in 1985 and first heard NPR. She has been a voice on KPBS Radio since 1989, and has served as a news reporter for radio, TV and the web, as well as anchoring, hosting, producing and editing. Alison has reported on stories about North County and was based in the KPBS' North County Bureau. Alison covered the metro beat during the critical period of the San Diego City pension crisis, and the education beat while Alan Bersin was the controversial Superintendent of San Diego City School District. She covered health when the industry was converting to managed care and told welfare reform stories in the late 1990s when Clinton was “ending welfare as we know it.” She has covered land use issues extensively, looking at the challenges of meeting a growing population while preserving community character, and developing a better transportation system to meet environmental concerns. She has done many stories on the military in San Diego, and the series she edited on the challenges veterans face returning from active duty to civilian life won “Best of Show” from the San Diego Society of Professional Journalists. She occasionally hosts the KPBS Roundtable and KPBS Midday Edition. Alison has won awards from the San Diego Press Club, the Society of Professional Journalists, the Associated Press TV and Radio Association, and the California Golden Mike Awards. Alison was born in Tanzania, brought up in Scotland, and earned her degree in psychology and sociology from Durham University in England. Her postgraduate diploma is in student counseling. She worked in England, Nigeria, Switzerland, Belgium, India, and Japan before moving to the United States in 1981. She now lives in Oceanside and enjoys how her community is growing and changing.
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