City Attorney candidates at PBTC debate. Moderator PBTC president Cathie Jolley, Robert Hickey and Mara Elliot. (photo by Mica Porte)
Sub-Committee Report from the Pacific Beach Town Council Meeting, Oct 19, 2016
By Micaela Porte
In regards to the PB Town Council meeting last night with City Attorney Candidates, Robert Hickey and Mara Elliot, and discussion of Prop 64 (legalizing cannabis) and Prop 57 (criminal sentencing, non-violent crimes) among other things, it would seem that the City of San Diego is suffering from a deplorable crisis in definitions.
San Diego doesn’t know how to define:
- visitor accommodations
- night clubs
- where the 30 ft height limit is measured from*
- non-violent crimes.
The city is in legal, economic and moral conflict on every front, wasting time and money (taxpayers) apparently, simply, because of lack of proper definitions.
“If it is not defined, it is not enforced” said one of the candidates, but I forget which one, in a discussion of Prop 57 and the ” non-violent crime list”, but I remember that it was Candidate Hickey who said his philosophy was, “If you don’t know it’s a problem, then it’s not a problem,” in a discussion of short term vacation rentals. Not sure who the “you” was in that statement.
Not surprising, then, that representatives from the mayor’s office, in defense of Prop J (lease revenue sharing from Mission Bay Park) at the September PBTC meeting said, “We left “the language” “vague” on purpose….”
If it is not defined, it is not enforced.
I hope the city attorney’s office will get some interns to get out a dictionary and look up some definitions, and some of the staffers of council can type it up and present a tidy package to their bosses with some the key definitions that we seem to be lacking here in San Diego.
I was meaning to use that word, “clarify”, but did not manage to get it in, but here it is: clarify.
I’m voting for Candidate Elliot because she, at least, is convinced of the definition of “visitor accommodations.”
* how about measuring the 30 ft height limit from the registered property survey elevation on record with the city?
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Perhaps a 2nd Grade English Vocabulary class should be required for all elected officials
Are you kidding me?
“If you don’t know it’s a problem, then it’s not a problem,” in a discussion of short term vacation rentals.
We do know it is a problem.
His problem is that the AirBNB lobby donates a LOT of money to his campaign and takes him on recreational excursions. He doesn’t want to cut off the limbs of his money tree.