A message in support of Bob Gans for City Council - from vocal opponents of Marisol Measure G

1. A Message from Vocal Opponents of Marisol Measure G
Claire & Tom McGreal, Lynn & Charlie Gaylord, John Goodkind & Felise Levine,
Henry Abarbanel, Linda & Frank Chisari, Judy & Marc Schuckit, Mary & Jeff Friestedt,
Pat JaCoby, Marc & Mai-Lon Gittelsohn, Carol Mason, Jill and John Gartman, Karolen Linderman,
Sheila & Michael Sharpe, Penny & Buck Abell
Dear Del Mar Voters:
We were vocal opponents of Marisol Measure G. In fact, Claire McGreal was a panelist
at the public forum at Town Hall, arguing against Measure G. Some of us wrote articles
opposing Measure G that were published by the Sandpiper. We donated money, knocked
on doors, made phone calls, and/or put our names on mailers opposing Measure G. We
support Candidates Gans, Blair and Warren for City Council.
We do not appreciate the latest tirade launched by Terry Gaasterland and the
Druker/Martinez campaigns falsely claiming that “ALL” supporters of Gans, Blair and
Warren campaigned in favor of Measure G.
Nor do we appreciate the fact that Druker and Gaasterland recently cast two "no"
votes that place our beloved North Bluff in greater jeopardy of upzoning to 20
units/acre or even more - resulting in the potential for hundreds of units on North Bluff.
Druker and Gaasterland’s Sept. 8, 2020 Council “no” votes (on a measure that required
a 4/5ths supermajority to pass) placed Del Mar in violation of State law. Given a chance
to correct those votes on Oct. 5, they doubled down. Del Mar is now in perilous
jeopardy of losing its control over local land use issues, as set forth in our Community
Plan.
How we got here: As Druker is well aware, Del Mar previously had a 2005-2012
4th
Cycle Housing Element (HE) that failed to qualify for certification, because it failed
to identify vacant sites zoned for 20 units per acre; and Del Mar had state-mandated
housing (RHNA) numbers for 2003-2012 that it failed to meet. Dave Druker was on
Council a majority of those years, and was mayor in 2003-04 and 2007-08. As a result of
these failures, in its current 5th Cycle Housing Element (2013-2021), Del Mar received
15 penalty housing units, and agreed to amend the North Commercial (NC) zone to allow
residential use at 20 units/acre. Druker was Mayor again in 2019, and he failed to set
NC rezone on the agenda for a vote, nor did he or Gaasterland bring forward any
alternatives to the NC rezone.
On September 8 and October 5, Del Mar had "last chance" opportunities to bring our 5th
Cycle into compliance with State law by meeting our stated commitment to amend the
NC zone, in time to avoid additional penalty provisions in our upcoming 6th Cycle, and
in time to avoid action against Del Mar for being in noncompliance now. That is the
sobering context by which we must evaluate Druker’s and Gaasterland's "no" votes.
Where we are now:
5th Cycle noncompliance: The City received a formal enforcement letter on September
30, 2020, and after a 30-day required response period (to Oct. 30), we expect to be

2. notified of enforcement actions/penalties that State may seek based on our
noncompliance.
6th Cycle: The City is now submitting its 6th Cycle HE to the State. On Oct. 5, 2020
Council voted 3-2 in favor of the proposed 6th Cycle HE Draft. Druker and Gaasterland
voted “No”. The 6th Cycle HE includes the NC zone (again), and the North Bluff and
Staver properties as required by State law.
If the City cannot reach an agreement with the Fairgrounds to build affordable housing
on that site, Del Mar must rezone a large part of the North Bluff to accommodate
hundreds of units, and possibly also the South Bluff (Staver) property, to meet its State-
mandated affordable housing numbers.
Importantly, the 6th Cycle Environmental Impact Report identifies a "No North Bluff"
alternative, which is feasible IF we include the North Commercial rezone. That option is
off the table without NC. That is, we could swap out the North Bluff and/or Staver lots if
North Commercial is included in the 6th
Cycle.
Furthermore, the City can anticipate receiving "penalty" housing numbers in its 6th
Cycle for its 5th Cycle failure to adopt the NC zoning amendments - and there are few if
any places in Del Mar that can absorb those penalty numbers other than North Bluff or
Staver.
Druker, Gaasterland and Martinez seem to magically think that, if they were to be
elected giving them a 3-2 majority on the Council, they can somehow evade State
housing law. The fact is that NO municipality has successfully challenged the mandates
set forth in California’s Affordable Housing laws. Protecting North Bluff, and preserving
local control over our zoning and development, means electing to Council people who
will bring us into compliance with State housing law.
Further, Gans, Blair and Warren support Del Mar’s 28/7 program to limit Short Term
Rentals (STRs) in our residential neighborhoods, preserving the special character of
our community as set forth in our Community Plan. Druker/Martinez say they will throw
out our existing 28/7 program, but utterly fail to state what, if any, plan they have to
control STRs. In fact, they are supported and endorsed by the Alliance of STR
operators.
Join us in protecting North Bluff and our Community Plan by voting for Gans, Blair
and Warren.
Sincerely,
Henry Abarbanel
Penny and Buck Abell
Linda and Frank Chisari
Mary and Jeff Friestedt
Jill and John Gartman
Lynn and Charlie Gaylord
Marc and Mai-Lon Gittelsohn
John Goodkind and Felise Levine
Pat JaCoby
Karolen Linderman
Carol Mason
Claire and Tom McGreal
Judy and Marc Schuckit
Sheila and Michael Sharpe
Paid for by Bob Gans for Council 2020