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Residents urge Encinitas council to act after four traffic deaths; neighbors press review of Lucadia Boulevard restaurant
Summary
During oral communications, roughly 20 speakers pressed the council for stronger street-safety measures after four recent fatalities, raised specific design and safety concerns about Santa Fe Drive and Encinitas Boulevard, and urged review of alleged unpermitted modifications at 145 Lucadia Boulevard.
Dozens of residents and students used the city’s public-comment period on Tuesday to press the Encinitas City Council for immediate action on street safety and to ask the council to investigate a new restaurant at 145 Lucadia Boulevard.
Multiple speakers said four people died this calendar year in Encinitas traffic incidents and urged the city to treat the trend as an emergency. Natalie Geier, a sophomore at San Diego Academy, asked the city to "declare a local roadway state of emergency" and proposed speed cameras, red-light cameras, electronic road signs and a renaming of Village Square Drive to "Emery's Crossing" as a memorial and reminder after the recent death of a 12-year-old student, Emery Chalikian. Geier listed four people killed this year by name: Emily Hernandez (66), Marcos Perez Domingo (45), Roderick Armstrong (60) and Emery Chalikian (12).
Parents, traffic commissioners and other residents described hazardous conditions at school drop-off areas, on Santa Fe Drive and on Encinitas Boulevard. Dr. Ron Merak, a Mobility Traffic Safety Commission member, and Rachel Graves described a recent e-bike crash at Santa Fe Drive and urged the city to address specific design flaws in the newly built protected bike lane and turning curvature near school entrances. Dr. Merak said he had asked the commission and staff to review the curb and infrastructure after he examined the crash site; a council member said staff would be asked to review the photograph shared at the meeting.
Several nearby residents, including Jeanne Lowe, Daniel Murray and Larry Smith, asked the council to investigate 145 Lucadia Boulevard (the new restaurant/bar taking over the Filano’s site). Speakers alleged unpermitted exterior changes such as roll-up doors and a larger bar area that they said would increase noise, parking pressure and late-night congregations. Daniel Murray quoted a 1997 condition on the site’s ABC license that he said prohibited a bar or lounge area directly serving patrons and asked council to direct staff to prepare a report on conformance and to refrain from issuing a notice of occupancy until the issue is reviewed.
Other speakers addressed council conduct and recent criminal charges involving a council member; some urged recusal or resignation, while others urged deferment to the courts and fairness. Speakers repeated calls for civility and for council members to use their leadership to reduce public polarization.
Nut graf: Speakers combined immediate, safety-focused demands (cameras, speed enforcement, engineering fixes and emergency declaration) with land-use and licensing concerns tied to a particular property, highlighting overlapping public-safety and neighborhood-quality-of-life priorities that the council said staff would review.
Council response and next steps: During the reports section, a council member asked staff to pursue whether a public review of 145 Lucadia Boulevard was possible; staff agreed to follow up. Separately, staff said they would refer the Santa Fe Drive design and the e-bike crash materials to the appropriate departments for review.
Ending: The council did not take final action on the requested emergency declaration or on the Lucadia occupancy; speakers were told staff would accept written materials and follow up via email or future agenda items.
