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Bar Room Survey?
Cake, and Eat It Too! by Brian Huster and Bettina Experton | September 2009
Two big events took place without much fanfare at the Lagoon last month. more>>
After a several month hiatus, the Del Mar Art Center (DMAC) will hold its grand reopening reception with music and refreshments on Sunday, May 3, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Del Mar Plaza. The public is invited to attend. more>>
Environmentally
Fair?
New projects for which approval is being sought include adding a 200,000 square foot exhibit hall, a 330 room condominium hotel, a 58,000 square foot three-story office structure, a new electronic sign board along I-5, and paving the land east of Jimmy Durante Boulevard for “improved” parking. more>>
Water rationing in Del Mar? How could that be? It could happen by July 1st if not sooner due to the worsening dry-weather conditions throughout the Sierras and the entire state of California.
Del
Mar Celebrates Its
50th This year Del Mar will celebrate its fiftieth year as an incorporated city. Gaining independence through incorporation was accomplished after months of deliberations and debates. The “battle” ended in July, 1959 when Del Mar’s residents, who voted to incorporate, saw their wishes granted by the County Board of Supervisors on July 7th and the State of California on July 15th. Both bodies officially declared Del Mar an “incorporated city.” more>> Democracy
at Work An overflow crowd of community members at the January 12th City Council meeting reacted passionately to a proposal by Acting City Planning Director Brian Mooney to replace current zoning in the business district with a new "Form Based Code.” more>>
Voters
say “Si,
Si” Change comes slowly in Del Mar, but usually for the better because of intensive review of proposals and the involvement of dedicated citizens. Such was the case for Measure G, the extensively vetted mixed-use project proposed for the old gas station site on Camino Del Mar Del Mar at 10th street which was overwhelmingly approved on Nov. 4. more>>
Evolution
of the Sandpiper The Sandpiper was conceived in the ‘90s by a group of citizens who felt that Del Mar’s Community Plan was central to the story of how the community developed. It would be a forum for all, but especially for those newcomers who were attracted to this unique community but did not know its history or core values. more>>
CITY
COUNCIL APPROVES “ADOPT-a-SPOT” PROGRAM
Council
Drops TMD Stance In an effort to avert opposition to its proposed hotel-room tax (TOT) increase on the November 4 ballot (known as Proposition H), the City Council, on September 22, unanimously rescinded an ordinance it introduced in August that contained language referring to the possibility of a tourism marketing district (TMD). The ordinance was intended as the first step toward implementing the TOT increase, if approved by voters in November. more>>
DM
Home Prices Still
Above Average The correction in the San Diego real estate market continues. North San Diego County is no exception. The median price of all homes sold in North San Diego County, in August 2008, was $390,000, a decrease of 32.76% from the same period last year. But are North County statistics representative of Del Mar? more>>
Fight
the Bite!
Del
Mar OKs Clean Water The clean water ballots have been counted, and voters approved both measures overwhelmingly. The first measure to confirm the rates we have been paying up to this time was supported by 68.8%. That amounts to an average household payment of less than $11 per month. The second measure to approve rates for the future was supported by 62.4%. That amounts to an average household payment of less than $14 per month. more>>
Council
TOT Action Stirs Controversy
What
You Need to Know About
TMDs If you’re like me, the term “TMD” may be new to you. Here’s a quick explanation of what a TMD is and why business owners are so keen on it. A TMD is a Tourism Marketing District – a modern, specialized form of a traditional assessment district. An assessment district is a defined geographic area in which monetary assessments are imposed on owners of property to pay for improvements that benefit the property. Assessment districts have long been used in California to pay for constructing improvements such as streets, sidewalks, parks, landscaping, and other improvements that benefit property owners. more>>
City
Council Election A
Done Deal? The August 13 deadline to qualify for the November 4 City Council election ended with only three candidates filing to run for the three open seats. The candidates are Carl Hilliard, the lone incumbent seeking re-election; Mark E. Filanc, a 12-year veteran of the City’s Planning Commission, and Donald Mosier, a five-year veteran of the Design Review Board. This may be the first city council election in Del Mar’s 50 year history in which there is no competition. Some Del Mar residents thought it “shocking” not to have a choice of candidates to pick from. Other residents see it as an opportunity. (See editorial ) more>>
Power
to the Tower
Co-chaired by Jill Coughlin and Piper Parry, the event generated over $58,000 in donations to complement the earmarked $550,000 from the Coastal Conservancy. Additionally, the Del Mar Foundation has approved a $35,000 challenge grant, matching new community donations for the Beach Safety Center, and $15,000 has been secured by local community groups including the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club and others. more>>
New
Curves in the Garden
Path The Garden Del Mar Project took an unexpected turn after the July 21 City Council discussion considering approval of the project's Specific Plan. In a widely distributed e-mail sent early the next morning, developer Bryn Stroyke announced that he had decided not to move forward with the application, stating that, “the project can no longer proceed as envisioned and that the incredibly tight schedule has been dealt a fatal blow”, attributing this decision to comments made by Site Steering Committee members at the meeting. more>> City Council Takes Key Action to Approve Garden Del Mar Project for the Ballot Web Exclusive Update
Election
Watch: Three Seats
Voters will elect three members on the Del Mar City Council in November. The window for pulling papers for candidacy opened in July. more>>
YES
= Clean Water + Balanced
Budget This week the City of Del Mar is distributing a ballot package by mail to all Del Mar property owners and water customers. On this ballot are two important questions. more>>
Del
Mar City Budget, 2008-2009 The table below summarizes the city's budget for the next fiscal year, recently adopted by the City Council. Some interesting items to note are: The budget is balanced with a healthy contingency reserve of over $1million; Transient occupancy tax is money paid by those who rent hotel rooms here; “Race track” is our share of the "handle", i.e., money that is bet at races; The clean water fund represents the amount we pay to comply with state and federal unfunded mandates; The capital improvement fund is the amount we accumulate for large long-term needs; Much of the money under “lifeguard” and “beaches and parks” is to provide services to visitors. more>>
Calming
the Traffic on Crest
Al
Jacoby, 1927-2008
Barbara
Schneiderman, 1935-2008
Historic
pink lady gets makeover
Conflict
Sprouts in the Garden From the tone of the recent Planning Commission meeting, it sounds as though, despite 40 to 70 (depending on how one counts) community hearings on the project, there are issues remaining around the project's traffic impact on its adjacent residential neighborhoods. more>>
Clean
Water Isn't Free
The good news? Our regional water quality is improving. The bad news? Progress in this area is not cheap. Continuing improvement will be costly, but at least we can ensure that the financial burden is fairly distributed. Over the past seven years the State of California through its regional water-quality boards has begun implementing the Federal Clean Water Act. Few citizens disapprove of clean water, but equally rare are the citizens who are aware how they are paying for it. more>>
A
Vision for Village
Revitalization
Famed
Surf-Break Wipes Out
Toll Road by Betty Wheeler | photos by Virginia Lawrence
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Plans to underground utilities
Bulldozers
Gone and Bridge Open
Arts
Alive Again in Plaza
Water
Everywhere: But Not
a Drop to Drink 
Del
Mar residents will vote
this November on an
ordinance authorizing
the City Council to
raise the hotel
tax (TOT) from
the current rate of
10.5 percent up to 13
percent. But the Council’s
actions to place the
measure on the ballot
raised a controversy
within the community
over the relationship
of the TOT to a parallel
proposal from Del Mar
hotel owners to form
a Tourism
Marketing District (TMD).
The TMD would authorize
an assessment similar
to the TOT on hotel
room rentals and be
used to develop a marketing
program aimed at attracting
more visitors to Del
Mar. 
On
August 6, the Friends
of the Powerhouse hosted
214 community members
at En Fuego Bar and
Grill to raise funds
in support of a new
City of Del Mar Beach
Safety Center in the
17th Street public lot.
After
three years,
We
lost a treasure
Barbara
Schneiderman
