Current Update – October 25, 2022

I reached out to all the candidates for Mayor, District 3 and District 4 to ask for their position on the citywide train horn quiet zone and improving the safety of the crossings at D Street, E Street, and Leucadia Boulevard. I’ve included their quotes. Hopefully, this is useful to you in your voting decisions for the upcoming election.

Sincerely,

Tim Bratton
https://encinitasquietzone.com

Candidates for Mayor

Tony Kranz: Mayoral Candidate

“I have worked to bring the issue of a citywide Quiet Zone (QZ) to the point where we are today: With the funding available in the current budget to do the required design and engineering of the Supplemental Safety Measures (SSMs) for a citywide QZ so that the city will be competitive for Federal Infrastructure resources. There is an unprecedented amount of funding available and having a “shovel ready” project is critically important.

A recent development in the effort to establish a QZ is that North County Transit District (NCTD) is updating the city’s study by looking at a “corridor wide” project. This would mean that Encinitas and Carlsbad could be added to the Oceanside QZ to provide a horn-free stretch of the rail corridor throughout North County, which would likely save costs for construction of the required improvements in Encinitas.

I will get ahead of the NCTD study by having staff prepare a Request for Proposal NOW to do the design and engineering of the SSMs so that no time is lost between the completion of the study by NCTD and having a consultant hired to create a shovel ready project. Getting an application for grant funding prepared and positioning our project to be competitive needs to happen as quickly as possible in order to not miss another Funding Opportunity from the Federal government. Grant funding is the quickest way to be able to pay for the construction. Without grant funding, it will obviously be much more difficult to pay for the roughly $10 million for the project from the General Fund budget, but I will work to figure out a way to make that happen, even if that means borrowing the money from the Infrastructure Bank.

As someone who lives within a couple blocks of the Leucadia Boulevard railroad crossing, I’m well aware of the impacts the train horns have on our quality of life. It was my proposal to reallocate funding to pay for the design and engineering so that we would be competitive for grant funding. As mayor, I will make it a top priority to get this project completed.”

Cindy Cremona: Mayoral Candidate

“I appreciate the opportunity to address the issue. As a Leucadia resident, I follow this and all related rail issues closely. I am a proponent of quiet zones in Leucadia and safe rail crossings in North Leucadia, neither of which we have. 

The issues, as I see them, are funding and time to completion as well as the challenge of implementing quiet zones along with at grade crossings. At grade crossings are less expensive and a potentially quicker solution, but the city will have to go through the necessary processes with various agencies to satisfy all safety issues. I think, with focus and commitment we can accomplish both. 

I believe these are both urgent matters and should be addressed simultaneously. As a private resident, running for office, I can’t address funding directly. I do believe it will be an issue, like many other unfunded shovel ready projects in our city. I believe we can also be much more aggressive about finding federal and grant funding. I’ve seen other instances that Encinitas has left funding on the table that other cities have collected.

So yes, I’m a proponent of a quiet zone. I can assure you, as mayor, I won’t take ten years to see a project through. If we can garner the funds, we’ll drive this through the necessary channels to get it done. The lack of urgency regarding our most basic infrastructure needs and the lack of resident focused leadership are the very reasons I’m running for office. I’ve always been a ‘get it done’, project oriented executive and look forward to the opportunity of completing long overdue projects while winning back the respect of our residents.”

Jeff Morris: Mayoral Candidate

“You better believe that I’m going to focus on making “all of Encinitas” a Quiet Free zone. I’ve spoken with so many residents who are being psychologically and physically impacted by this noise.  This is a “serious” matter, and I will fight harder than anybody to make this happen. I’m going to get it throughout the town.

In the world we live in I believe “actions” speak louder than “words.” Nobody has come close to the sacrifice I’ve made for our town, and nobody will fight harder for the residents than me. 3 years of Encinitas Watchdog shows my dedication. I am going to be “all over” that out-of-control horn, crossings, and focusing on “residents” needs. I don’t care about politics and political charities, I didn’t make a promise to “them,” I made a promise to Encinitas.

I’m going to fight to end that horn with everything I have, just like I’ve fought for the last 3 years. I want our community happy, I care about Encinitas, and it’s about time the resident’s concerns are pushed to the “top” priority. Cardiff got the quiet zone, I will get it done throughout all of Encinitas.”

District 3 Candidates

Julie Thunder: District 3 Candidate

“I live within two blocks of the rail corridor, just north of Cardiff Elementary School, and have a long record of advocacy on right of way (ROW) matters in Encinitas.  This experience leads me to fully support all efforts to make Leucadia and central Encinitas a quiet zone. 

As a city divided in half by the rail corridor, issues that arise from the trains should be of paramount importance to City government and there should be an official path for grievances.  Unfortunately, our NCTD representation has been lackluster to say the least.

While Cardiff is now in a ‘quiet zone’, I remember well the days of aggressive train horn blowing and I know firsthand its effects on sleep quality and daily life.  I’ve spoken with members of your group and understand that the horns you’re experiencing are far worse than what happened here – which was bad enough.”

Joy Lyndes: District 3 Candidate

“The city has funded a train horn quiet zone study within the City of Encinitas and NCTD is also working with regional stakeholders to study quiet zones as a potential solution. Quiet zones make sense, and we are investing in determining if they are feasible and safe. The next step after the study would be funding.”

District 4 Candidates

Bruce Ehlers: District 4 Candidate

“I support the Train Quiet Zone as a very high City priority.    

The train horns are loud enough that I often hear them in Olivenhain several miles away.  I can imagine how loud the horns are for residents living a few hundred feet from the tracks.

According to the City’s 2019 “Quiet Zone Feasibility Analysis,”1 train traffic is projected to almost double from 67 trains per day in 2020 to 101 in 2030.  The problem will become more frequent, become more dangerous to pedestrians, and continue to impact many residents in Leucadia and Old Encinitas.

In general, I believe City funding should be prioritized to address critical safety issues, essential City services and improvements that impact large sections of our population.  This issue clearly impacts the quality of life for large numbers of residents and is also a safety issue.  The proposed Supplemental Safety Measures (SSM) will improve crossing safety with physical barriers while enabling the quiet zone. 

I support prioritizing this project to start it at the earliest possible opportunity.

Fitting this into the budget is going to be the challenge.  The 2019 feasibility study estimated the project cost at $7.78 million and it has undoubtedly escalated.  By the time it is funded the cost is likely to be close to your stated $10 million dollar cost.  This is a multi-year capital project and would be funded in capital improvement budget and not the 2022/2023 operating budget per se.  This total cost would be a significant adjustment to the current 6-year capital improvement budget.  The current 6-year capital budget is approximate $86 million (over 6 years) and covers projected capital expenditures from 2021 through 2027.2  Other projects included in this budget include $20 million for future Leucadia Streetscape and $1.8 million for mobility element improvements.  The question for the future Council will be if and how to reprioritize the 6-year capital budget.  I would prioritize this type of project ahead of cosmetic improvements although finding $10 million will not be easy.  

If I am elected, I look forward to working with fellow Councilmembers to find a way to fund this project and establish a quiet zone throughout Encinitas.  This would include gaining the cooperation of Carlsbad to solve the north bookend issue on the quiet zone.

A comment on trenching is appropriate too.  I would support trenching in the future.  This is the ultimate solution for improved crossings and rail safety.  I don’t know today whether the long term solution is short trench, a full trench or trench and cover.  I learned some about the trade-offs due to my involvement back in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s when Encinitas first considered it and Solana Beach started their project.  

Trenching is a much longer project due to uncertainty over Federal funding, potential feasibility issues and design details.  I support pursuing the quiet zone immediately but also want to pursue trenching in the long run.  Studies show a 12dbA reduction in train noise from trenching.  That is a four-fold reduction in loudness or sound pressure level that would a huge improvement for everyone’s quality of life.

I look forward to further discussions and moving forward on this item.”

Footnotes:

1. https://encinitasca.gov/Portals/0/City%20Documents/Documents/Development%20Services/Engineering/Capital%20Improvement/COE%20Quiet%20Zone%20Feasibility%20Analysis8-16-19.pdf 
2. https://encinitasca.gov/Portals/0/City%20Documents/Documents/Finance/Budget/Budget%20FY22%204%20Capital%20and%20Debt.pdf?ver=2021-09-22-170642-003

Pam Redela: District 4 Candidate

“Nice to meet you and your group!  I appreciate you reaching out to me on this important issue.  I certainly feel you on the topic of train noise.  I lived on Vulcan as a kid and remember the horns well.  Lots of disrupted sleep.  Today, I can hear them here in Village Park at certain hours!  This is definitely a quality-of-life issue.

I understand also that train horns are part of safety regulations (during my college years I lost a co-worker to a train accident along N. Vulcan).   A quiet zone would significantly cut down on horns, but we must also recognize that conductors would still have the discretion to use the horn for emergency reasons, which hopefully are not frequent.

I am heartened to see that $750,000 has been allocated so far on plans to modernize & upgrade the entire Encinitas rail corridor.  The plan looks to have a goal of increased safety for pedestrians and cyclists while mitigating traffic flow, and Leucadia needs these improvements.  This is certainly something I can get behind, and as a councilmember I would work to find ways to fully fund the project in as timely a fashion as possible.”

Stacie Davis: District 4 Candidate

“I am all for the quiet zone and getting the crossings safe. As far as funding I believe a lot of misallocated funding has been going on. I believe in fixing what’s broken first, taking care of the community’s needs, and safety before spending funds to buy expensive buildings with high mortgage payments. I support the citywide train horn quiet zone, and all safety crossing needed areas.”

Dan Vaughn: District 4 Candidate

“I support making our train crossings safer and eliminating unnecessary noise pollution.

The much harder part is how to pay for it. I am running to represent the eastern part of the city, and there are many unfunded priorities back here. Frankly, my voters are less directly affected by the train horns than folks living west of the I-5, so spending on this project would need to come at the expense of lower priority spending in the coastal districts or from “free money” like Federal infrastructure dollars that wouldn’t come at the expense of D4 priorities.

City-wide, I will prioritize Public Health & Safety, the Environment, and Quality of Life. You folks are doing a good job framing the public safety and QoL benefits. Quantifying these public safety benefits would be helpful in justifying the spending. I believe noise pollution is a legitimate environmental harm, and perhaps there is a way to build that into your arguments. Also, I presume that the horn blasts contribute to chronic stress which is associated with adverse public health consequences. Building out data quantifying the adverse public health consequences of the horn blasts would further raise the urgency and funding priority.

Personally, I think this project stacks up well for funding against say the Pacific View project, but the challenge will be building that consensus among the coastal representatives.”

 

Previous Updates

June 13th, 2022

Funding for the design of the citywide quiet zone is in the published budget and agenda report and is very likely to be approved at the City Council meeting on 6/15/22.

 Here’s the budget:
https://encinitas.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=7&event_id=3496&meta_id=141018

City staff is recommending that the budget be approved which includes $750,000 for the design of the Quiet Zone. The Quiet Zone is mentioned on pages 2, 5, 18, 20, and 23. 

It seems quite solid at this point and there’s no need to attend the meeting or write letters. 

However, if you wanted to thank the city council for allocating funds for the design, that’s always welcome. They hardly ever get appreciation.

The next step is to get construction funding. There’s a meeting with Council members Hinze and Kranz on the 23rd of June. One of the key points will be to understand the best way for us to support the process of getting the construction funded. We’ll post another update then.  

There is an opportunity to coordinate with NCTD to help with funding. They are talking about doing a study to help cities cost-effectively implement quiet zones. 

For now, there’s no specific action we need to take, however that could change as we get closer to needing funding for construction. Please keep talking to your neighbors and ask them to sign the petition and join the conversation in the Facebook and Nextdoor groups.  We’re going to need to keep building the group to get ready for when we’ll need to write letters and attend meetings again during next year’s budget process.

May 15th, 2022

Thanks to everyone who wrote letters in support of the Quiet Zone Design in the budget discussion for the May 11th City Council meeting.

There were 50 letters asking City Council to keep the funding for the Quiet Zone in the budget, which is a very strong signal of support! Good work everyone!

It definitely made it clear that the residents of Encinitas thinks this should be a priority. It got City Council’s attention and I feel confident that it will be in the final budget. We’ll know for sure when the final budget is published before the June 15th City Council meeting.

Check the EncinitasQuietZone.com website for updates a few days before June 15th to see if we need any more letters or speakers. It seems like we are in a good position to get the Quiet Zone design funded so there’s no need for any action now. 

Thanks again for all the letters about the budget. It really made a huge impact!

We’re having a zoom call on Monday, May 16th at 6pm. Anyone who is interested is welcome to attend. We’ll discuss schedules and next steps for what happens after the Quiet Zone Design gets started.

 

Zoom link:
https://encinitasquietzone.com/zoom

 

May 9th, 2022
UPDATE ON OUR PROGRESS SO FAR

Dear Neighbors,

We are “on the right track” with the Encinitas Train Quiet Zone!

We are making incredible progress with the Citywide Quiet Zone! We have 921 people on the Quiet Zone petition, 365 people in the Quiet Zone Google Group, 104 people in the Facebook group, and 97 in the Nextdoor Group. From the exponential growth we are seeing, it is clear that thousands of Encinitas and Leucadia residents are united in their desire to make the City a safer and more peaceful place.

And–even above the trains–our collective voices are being heard!

At the April 13th City Council meeting, there was broad councilmember support for funding $750k for the design of the EQZ. This has now been included in the proposed budget which will be discussed at the May 11th City Council meeting. This is a great time to show your support so that City Council knows that it needs to be included in the final budget which is subject to a final vote on June 15th.

But how to “fast track” the next steps?
First, we have to make sure that the design phase is conducted as expeditiously as possible. This means ensuring that work can begin as soon as the budget is finalized on June 15 and continues without delay until completed. Second, while the design phase is going forward, we need to make sure funds are being allocated to start the construction phase as soon as the design phase is finalized. As we figure out the best ways to work together on these next two steps, we will keep you updated. In the meantime, we need everyone to stay engaged and make clear to the City and other key stakeholders that this is one of the biggest issues for local residents. Please let your friends and neighbors know about our cause and ask them to join our groups and sign our petition. Send a letter to the City Council letting them know that the Citywide Quiet Zone should be prioritized and approved in the 2022 budget.

With your help, we can continue to move full steam ahead on the Citywide Quiet Zone.

How to get involved?
Join us on Facebook
https://facebook.com/groups/encinitasquietzone

Join us on Nextdoor
https://nextdoor.com/g/elmu7kl8h

Join the Google Group
https://groups.google.com/g/encinitasquietzone

Sign the petition
https://encinitasquietzone.com/

Help us print more postcards and signs to get the word out
https://gofund.me/9baa67da