Editorial: Leadership Over Politics

Protecting Del Mar’s long term interests often requires our Council to make difficult decisions in present time that will benefit us in the future. This is often difficult to accomplish for short term political reasons, but we need leaders who can rise above political gain when the stakes are vital for our future. We are facing such a situation now in regard to achieving our fair share of affordable housing. Three situations illustrate the challenge.

First is the 50-unit, 4-story Watermark project near the Jimmy Durante traffic circle. We lost an opportunity to get a smaller, 38-unit, 2-story project because two members of the Council, Gaasterland and Druker, chose a losing (but politically appealng) battle instead of a reasonable compromise. Without Council votes for a specific plan, the developer abandoned the smaller project and used state law to get approval for a larger project with no discretionary review by the City.

The second situation involves our current plan to place up to 61 affordable housing units on the fairgrounds to help satisfy our legal obligation to the state. It seems increasingly unlikely that the current 22nd DAA (Fair) Board will approve a Fairgrounds housing site for Del Mar before the City’s November deadline under our State-certified Housing Element. If that deadline is not met, Del Mar is obligated to upzone portions of the North and/or South bluff properties to make up for the Fairgrounds housing.  Yet another situation involves Seaside Ridge, a North Bluff development proposal by property owner Carol Lazier, currently in court seeking to use a “builder’s remedy” State law provision to build a very large housing project. Attorney General Bonta has already sent two letters expressing concern about Del Mar’s posture toward the Lazier project, and in the past, Bonta has taken forceful action to intervene on the side of affordable housing in cases involving other cities. It is unclear when a court decision will be rendered in the Lazier case, but a win in that case could be a Phyrric victory, if a failure to obtain a Fairgrounds housing site by November forces Del Mar to upzone North Bluff for a significant number of housing units.

Unfortunately, the fact that the November Council elections will take place before the fairgrounds housing deadline means that we are more likely to see political posturing than leadership on these critical issues. True leadership would recognize the very real risks we face with respect to the North Bluff, and muster a majority Council vote to enter into settlement talks in the Lazier case, to negotiate for a lower-density project, and less impact on North Bluff, with potential public benefits such as a bluff-front walking trail.

We’ve already learned how little we gain from grandstanding; it’s time for true leadership.