By TR Robertson
Carlsbad City Council Member Melanie Burkholder, District 1, spoke to the January meeting of the Carlsbad Youth Enrichment Services (YES) Collaborative recently, at the Pine Avenue Community Center, going over a number of issues the City Council is dealing with, especially those relating to her District. Burkholder began by telling those in attendance a little about herself and her family. Married with two children, she is a mental health therapist and a former Secret Service Agent. Burkholder served as an Agent in the Los Angeles area in the early 2000’s. One of her first city related issues was to indicate her support of the Safer Streets Initiative within the city in an effort to make the streets safer for bikers, drivers and pedestrians. She said she was especially proud of District 1 as she felt it is “a community of people that love the community”. Burkholder feels that there are some issues District 1 is addressing, especially in the area of construction and housing.
One of these issues is the Windsor Pointe Housing Project. She said this is a “San Diego County run pilot program that has two locations on Harding and Oak, with 50 units housing seniors, veterans and severely mentally ill residents”. Her main issue is the facilities have what she referred to as “problems”, requiring visits from the Carlsbad Police Department and rising concerns from residents living close by. She said there is no full-time health care person or mental health services program at the housing units. Burkholder said she is working on setting up meetings with various agencies to try and deal with some of the issues as well as looking into the City of Carlsbad taking over the housing project giving the city better local control of the facility.
Another issue she addressed was the proposed building of another low-income housing project in this district, this time at the Carlsbad Village Square area. Burkholder said there are currently 1,700 low-income facilities in the district. The number of low-income housing units in each city falls under state guidelines. The final housing development issue dealt with the proposed condominium development on the corner of Carlsbad Village Drive and State Street. The main concern is the 45-foot proposed height of the development. She indicated there will be a community meeting at the proposed site next Thursday and anyone interested in hearing about or discussing the development should attend.
During a question-and-answer session, Burkholder spoke about homelessness in Carlsbad. She spoke highly about the Carlsbad Police Department’s handling of homeless issues but said many times their hands are tied. One example is the passing of Proposition 47 that increased the dollar amount for misdemeanor theft against people stealing items in value from $450 to $950, making convictions harder for lower amount theft. Theft from local businesses is a concern and has been increasing in many of these facilities. Burkholder is working with the CPD to create a documentary about how they are handling local homeless issues, similar to the documentary made by the El Cajon Police Department. Burkholder said from what she has heard and witnessed, another problem is that many homeless individuals do not want and have refused help when approached.
When questioned about the need for additional parking in Downtown Carlsbad she said it is definitely needed but laws like AB 2097, prohibiting public agencies or cities from imposing a minimum automobile parking requirements on most development projects located within a ½ mile radius of a major transit stop (like the Coaster Station), have not helped with the parking problem. She said they are looking for a parking structure location close to the downtown area. A parking survey that was conducted is attached. The final issue Burkholder said the city needs to address surrounds the train tracks that run through Carlsbad. Twenty-one deaths have occurred on the tracks and restrictions on what the city can do to make them safer or more warnings established are not allowed. One possible answer is trenching, creating overpasses on the streets going across the tracks, providing access for cars, bicycles and pedestrians. As always, cost is an issue. She will soon be meeting with Congressman Mike Levin to discuss the issue and as a member of SANDAG may be bringing the problem to their attention.
The next meeting of the YES Collaborative will be February 15 with presentations by Alex Swift and Jim Crittenden from the San Diego County Office of Education Program Specialists dealing with Substance Abuse Prevention and Education. For more information on YES visit www.carlsbadusd.k12.ca.us under Parents and Student Wellness.
