Virtual Advisories
In-person meetings of the City Council and advisory committees are delayed until September, depending on public health updates. Limited in-person service at city offices are now available. See city website.
Best of Luck, Kristen!
Del Mar is losing a superstar, our Assistant City Manager Kristen Crane. She brought us an unbeatable combination of integrity, commitment, and professionalism. She will take on a similar role in a larger, diverse, full-service city, Murietta. Hopefully, our community can organize a big thank you celebration to recognize all of her accomplishments. We wish you well, Kristen.
Kristen’s message to her co-workers:
Dear City of Del Mar Coworker Team,
It is bittersweet for me to share with you that I have accepted a new position as Assistant City Manager with the City of Murrieta. My last day with the City of Del Mar will be June 30th.
The past 8+ years that I’ve been with the City of Del Mar have been a time of tremendous professional growth for me. Together, we’ve had so many accomplishments that I am proud of, like preparation of the first Climate Action Plan, completion of the Downtown Streetscape, and of course the Civic Center construction. More than those major capital projects and dozens of lower profile items, really what’s been the most rewarding have been the relationships formed with the residents and businesses, and most importantly, each of YOU! You are an incredible team of employees. I’ve worked for five cities in California, and I am blown away by the professionalism and hard work invested by each of you, especially the past two plus years.
Now it’s time for me to move on, and Murrieta offers exactly what I’ve been looking for in a next step at this stage in my life — a larger (110,000), diverse, full-service city in an Assistant City Manager role, within a reasonable driving distance from my home in Rancho Bernardo.
I remember leaving my first job with the City of Glendale and crying, thinking I’d never work with such nice coworkers again. Ha! That’s been the case with each of the cities I’ve worked for. It’s always so hard to say good-bye. I get so attached to the people, and invested in the work. This time is no different.
Thank you for your support along the way and for being such a great group of coworkers and friends.
Kristen Crane
Rental Relief
Council agreed unanimously to extend the rental assistance program to four families for one more year. The Council majority asked staff to investigate how to delete the commitment to continue this program made in the 5th and 6th elements of the Community Plan. See commentary in the May issue of the Sandpiper.
EDCO Enters
Unanimous Council approval of new solid waste collection rates with new contractor, EDCO. See details on city website.
Watermark Appealed
The Del Mar Hillside Community Association and an individual resident have each filed an appeal with the California Coastal Commission (CCC) seeking to overturn the Watermark project which was approved “by right” by the city of Del Mar. The CCC is required to hold a public hearing within 49 days to determine if it raises a “substantial issue” limited to whether it conforms to the Del Mar Local Coastal Program or to Coastal Act public access provisions.
Drought Danger
We are among the 13 million Southern Californians who are not yet mandated to cut outdoor watering to two days per week and soon possibly one. The reason: our water is imported from the Colorado River rather than from the State Water Project’s State aqueduct. The river provides water to some 40 million people and farmlands from Wyoming to the U.S.-Mexico border. However, this is not a supply chain issue. It is the depletion of an essential resource: the water woes on the Colorado River are worsening as a result of the ongoing drought. Distribution, now wildly complicated, is going to get more so with less water. Last winter’s snowmelt runoff that forms the river’s headwaters was down to 32% of the “average.” Lake Mead, close to full in 2000, dropped down to 41% of capacity in 2019 and is even lower now at 34%. The forecast for this year is a continuance of the drought with warmer temperatures and less snowmelt. We won’t have more water in our climate-changed future. It is time to accept our new normal and to learn to better conserve.
Young Ukrainians
Two male refugees (age 24) from the Crimea area of Ukraine, both very courteous and friendly. Need housing, together or separate, and part time work (driving, construction, rental business). Contact victoriabradshaw@yahoo.com