A Vote for Cityhood

I’ve lived in Solana Beach for 8 1/2 years. The last time incorporation was on the ballot, I voted against it. I believed the last-minute mailer from a prominent physician that said we didn’t have enough business taxes to support a city, and I believed we weren’t entitled to any of the property tax money. Also, we wanted to keep things the way they were and stay small. We certainly didn’t want signals and traffic and high density. That’s what would have happened of we became a city--right? Wrong! It happened because we didn’t become a city.

Since then, I have become active in the Friends of the Solana Beach Library and the Solana Beach Woman’s Civic Club and have had to deal with the county. I’ve seen how unresponsive our supervisors can be to the citizens of Solana Beach and our urgent pleas for developers to stay within the county building master plan. I’ve driven to downtown San Diego time and time again for hearings, only to see them postponed until afternoon. Then I’ve talked to supervisors and planning commissioners who have already had briefings from the developer and have made up their minds before the hearing that growth at any cost is better than the status quo.

I’ve seen approximately five traffic signals go in on Lomas Santa Fe and Via de la Valle. The traffic has increased so much that it now takes almost 10 minutes to drive from east Solana Beach to west Solana Beach if it’s after 3 p.m.

I’ve seen several condo developments and lot-line homes (all higher density than was planned) being developed during this time, so that now there is a vacancy factor in apartment and condo rentals in Solana Beach for the first time in years.

I’ve seen growth, but I haven’t seen the opponents of Citizens Intending to Incorporate, who say they are the civic leaders of Solana Beach, down at the County Administration Center. Where were these so-called leaders when we were saving our library and Holmwood Canyon, stopping the bullet train, fighting beach erosion, and fighting Inns Suites’ proposed three-story hotel by the beach that would block our view on a scenic highway?

I’ve studied the LAFCO report that proves that Solana Beach has the tax base to support home rule and, yes, we do in fact get property taxes from all these expensive homes. There is substantial proof that more of our tax dollars are spent in other areas of San Diego County rather in Solana Beach. The supervisors like to take credit for fixing up our beaches, and they get large gatherings of the press when the money is allocated. But when does the money get spent on the beaches? To make a long story short--we need our money here.

Since we barely defeated the incorporation vote last time for all the wrong reasons, I hope you’ll join me this time and vote yes on Proposition N. We must have home rule, sensible planning and responsive city government.

PAT VOLLMAN

Solana Beach