Encinitas Politics
Why did the policy-making level of our Encinitas city staff push so hard for an extravagant new City Hall and a big expansion of bureaucracy? There is no mystery here. These are not evil people. For the most part, they have the same drives and aspirations as you or I. They want a bigger paycheck, a nicer office and more subordinates.
If anyone doubts that our bureaucracy is bloated, the Planning Department is a good example. Their primary job is to issue building permits. You would think the number of employees in that department would go up and down with the number of building permits issued. In Encinitas, that is only half true. When permits are up, they hire more employees. When permits are down, they hire more employees.
For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1989, the Planning Department had 18 employees and issued 502 permits. For fiscal 1992, they had 22 employees and issued 63 permits, or less than 3 permits per year per employee. Numbers like that reflect an unbelievable lack of respect for the taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars. I would like to suggest a new campaign pledge for our City Council candidates: “If elected, I pledge never to allow the number of employees in the Planning Department to exceed the number of permits issued in a year.”
SCOTT SAW
Leucadia
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