Coastal Leadership
- Catherine Blakespear, Mayor of Encinitas
As someone who grew up in Del Mar and Encinitas, I know how much of a blessing it is to live here in beautiful North County. My family has been here for 5 generations, and like so many who live here, I couldn’t imagine life anywhere else. I feel incredibly fortunate to be raising my family here.
I first ran for the Encinitas City Council nearly 8 years ago on the promise to preserve North County’s quirky character, enhance our region’s infrastructure, and keep our public spaces pristine and beautiful. I’ve been successfully championing these goals, fighting for improvements and bettering our resident’s lives. But there’s more work to be done, particularly at the state level.
Problems like sea-level rise, homelessness, and drought link the fates of coastal cities throughout the district. Del Mar in particular faces an extraordinary challenge with relocating the train tracks away from the bluff. As the Chair of SANDAG, I successfully fought for the inclusion of that project in the Regional Transportation Plan. When we hired a new executive director and he travelled to Encinitas to see my city I instead took him to the edge of the railroad along the Del Mar bluffs to see the reality there. As your State Senator, I’ll work to secure the funds to get this project done on-time and under-budget.
Now more than ever, we need leaders who will say, “No problem is too big or too small.” Whether it’s building a rail trail or picking up the trash on the freeway, I have the fire in the belly needed to get it done. That results-driven, commonsense leadership is what I’ll deliver from Sacramento.
As a local elected official, it’s clear that the conditions in which we live are increasingly determined at the state level. From combatting climate change to fighting poverty, the state of California is at the forefront of many important issues. It’s critically important that our region has someone who understands our unique challenges. And as a coastal mayor with a record of achieving real results, I believe I’m the right woman for the job.
Catherine Blakespear serves as the Mayor of Encinitas and Chair of SANDAG. She is running for State Senate in District 38, which includes Del Mar along with several coastal cities in San Diego County, plus parts of Orange County. Del Mar was previously in a district represented by Senate Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D) but redistricting resulted in Del Mar being moved into the district currently represented by Senator Pat Bates (R), who is termed out. Mayor Blakespear lives in Cardiff with her husband, two teenage children, two cats, five chickens, and a colony of honey bees. You can learn more by visiting catherineblakespear.com.