Encinitas council approves CDBG funding for Community Resource Center after narrowing proposed conditions

The Encinitas City Council on April 16 approved the citys 2025 consolidated plan and 2025–26 annual action plan for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds and authorized the city manager to submit required materials to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, while narrowing proposed conditions on a downtown service provider.

City staff presented the plans and a draft subrecipient agreement for the Community Resource Center (CRC), a downtown nonprofit that operates a food and nutrition program and other services. Melinda Dacey, the citys housing services manager, told the council that staff and the city attorney had added performance obligations to the draft agreement at the councils direction in March. Those obligations included requirements that clients wait in a designated breezeway with restroom access and that CRC keep the area clear of trash at the end of each business day.

CRC Chief Executive Officer John Van Cleef and more than a dozen residents and service‑sector speakers addressed the council during a lengthy public hearing. Supporters described CRCs food pantry and case management for seniors, survivors of domestic violence and low‑income working families. "In 2024, there was a monthly average of 410 unique incident visitors to CRCs food and nutrition program," Van Cleef said, and he asked for performance standards that are aligned with HUD guidance and uniformly applied across subrecipients.

Other public speakers urged stricter controls, arguing that a small number of repeat individuals engaging in illegal or disorderly conduct near the CRC are harming downtown businesses and public safety. Speakers proposed additional enforcement, targeted security patrols and clearer measures of program success. Several people displayed video and photos during public comment and asked the council to condition or withhold funding.

Council members sought a middle path: they affirmed support for CRCs food distribution while stressing the need to address a small subset of resource‑resistant individuals who repeatedly create nuisance or criminal problems downtown. After debate, Mayor Bruce Ehlers moved that the council adopt the staff recommended actions to submit the consolidated plan and annual action plan to HUD but remove the two specific draft contractual conditions (the designated waiting‑area language and the end‑of‑day trash clause) from the CRC agreement. The motion also directed staff to continue working with CRC and other partners on measurable performance standards, and to include homelessness‑action planning and enforcement options in an upcoming agenda item.

The motion carried unanimously; the clerk recorded the outcome as "that motion carries unanimously with Deputy Mayor Lines absent." The council also indicated it would continue the broader homelessness discussion at a May 14 meeting and explore interim tactical options discussed at the hearing, such as targeted security or rotating patrols in downtown hot spots.

Votes at a glance - Consent calendar (multiple items): approved unanimously with Deputy Mayor Lines absent. - Consolidated plan / Annual action plan / CDBG submission and funding for public services (including Community Resource Center, Boys & Girls Club, Meals on Wheels): approved unanimously with Deputy Mayor Lines absent; staff directed to remove two specific draft conditions for CRC and to continue joint work on measurable performance metrics.

What the council decided not to do tonight - The council did not adopt the draft, exclusive performance language in the CRC subrecipient agreement as written; instead it asked staff to redraft performance measures that align with HUD requirements and apply consistently across subrecipients.

Context and next steps - Staff said HUDs submission deadline is May 15 and recommended council action to meet that timetable. The council approved the submission and authorized the city manager and designees to complete the filing. - Councilmembers and CRC leaders agreed to continue working on by‑name outreach coordination, clearer performance metrics (including tracking unique and repeat clients), and tactical enforcement approaches in partnership with the Sheriffs Department and city staff. Staff will return to council with updates at the May 14 meeting, when the city will review its homeless action plan and consider targeted measures for downtown public safety.