Supervisors Support Pleas to Remain Rural

The desires of a major San Dieguito landowner and residents of Olivenhain to remain outside the boundaries of a proposed incorporation in their north coastal area gained a favorable response Wednesday from the county Board of Supervisors.

The board members voted unanimously to ask the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) to take those desires into account and reconsider boundaries of the proposed city, which would include the communities of Encinitas, Leucadia, Cardiff and Olivenhain.

Paul Ecke Jr., who heads the Ecke Ranch properties, explained that the 900-acre Ecke holdings should be excluded from any incorporation action because “we are an agricultural preserve” and “we are farmers and we seek to remain farmers.”

If the Ecke holdings were included in the proposed incorporation, he said, “It’s very possible that some future (city) planning commission, looking for a way to expand the tax base for the new city, might decide that this property should be developed.”

Both Ecke Ranch and Olivenhain interests have asked LAFCO members for exclusion at a public meeting, but the county board’s request Wednesday is expected to prompt the eight-member commission to take a second look at their pleas to remain rural.

Olivenhain property owners seeking exclusion are on the eastern boundaries of the proposed city; the Ecke Ranch is bounded by the City of Carlsbad on the north and the proposed new San Dieguito incorporation area on three sides.

County supervisors have no power to force a change in the incorporation boundaries, but they can advise LAFCO of their opinions. Two members of the commission, Brian Bilbray and Paul Eckert, are also county supervisors.

The unscheduled county board action Wednesday prompted protests from San Dieguito incorporation activists Bob Bonde and Marjorie Gaines, who expressed concern that the additional deliberations might cause cancellation of the June 3 election date set for voting on the incorporation proposal.

Supervisor Susan Golding, after consulting with county legal officials, assured the incorporation supporters that final action by LAFCO could come as late as Jan. 31 without forcing postponement of the June cityhood vote.

Supervisors agreed to postpone their final approval of the San Dieguito proposal until Jan. 29 to allow LAFCO to study the boundary changes requested by residents.