Written by Dr. Melanie Burkholder, candidate for Assembly District 76
Just under one year ago we lost three good citizens to a tragic accident here in Encinitas when the bluffs gave way. One needs only to walk that long stretch of beach to know that it is only a matter of time before more of those bluffs give way, next time possibly taking an entire house with it. As we know, this is not just about saving property owners; this is a public safety hazard, and an exigent one at that.
SB 1090 streamlines and facilitates the capacity for the Governments of Encinitas and San Diego County to develop and approve substantive repairs to the bluffs to prevent such a tragedy from happening again. However, one of the biggest benefits of this bill is exempting required reviews directed by the California Environmental Quality Act. This is not the time to be worried about environmental impact; the impact has already occurred, and it will happen again. This is an emergency situation where lives are in danger, and immediate remediation is required.
One needs only read the multitude of articles that were published on August 3, 2019 to understand what happened that day, and what will happen again if no action is taken. I give my absolute strongest endorsement and recommendation to vote in favor of SB 1090, and respectfully request you vote yes on this important piece of legislation.
