resident wrote on Sep 3, 2008 12:19 PM:I don't usually agree with Krammer and Mackin but I appreciate them for helping keeping the city and the developers in line.

bj wrote on Sep 3, 2008 1:11 PM:WHAT BEACH, AND FOR WHO/ tHERE IS ALREADY TOO MANY CARS AND MORE THAN ENOUGH TRAFFIC downtown. Why not build somewhere else and let the visitors get to the beach like the real residents have to do. The BEACH is no longer to enjoy here for residents. It is getting built over. Too much greed for money and show, and being on the city council. We already need growth control, as ex Mayor Wilson warned years ago, All this crowding makes it hectic and mind boggling to get caught up in this type of crowding. MONEY and lost of homes and high prices on all and GAS is already eating our wagesm and The only thoughts that the wanting big eyed councils see are the folks that can afford to live there, and damn the others. Why can't Oceanside residents that grew up here and has been here before all this growth started see this. Later on when it is too late. Most will see the headache and not want to even be there. This is sad for the standbys that has been here so long and kept this city going when all this crap was not here. If things are so bad, why are we and tax payers responsible for the good times of others and yet we get nothing from this. TOO MUCH GROWTH

Good news wrote on Sep 3, 2008 1:45 PM:This is good news. It's time for the City to be held accountable to get that parking lot built! Otherwise, thanks to these two, it might never have happened. Thanks to people who take their personal time to make our community better.

Release the hostages wrote on Sep 3, 2008 1:47 PM:Krammer, Mackin and Sanchez have spoken. To aviod the reject of their appeal, they have decided to withdraw it instead. Were is Forest Gump when you need him.

Get your names straight wrote on Sep 3, 2008 2:04 PM:The people who appealed were Krammer, Mackin, and attorney Marco Gonzalez. I know for a fact that Councilmember Sanchez was surprised and not happy with the appeal. In fact, Sanchez has been the main councilmember making this project happen. She negotiated the Wyndham, which passed with no appeal, and she lobbied hard for 4 star Malkin. Rocky and Feller lobbied hard for the hotel/motel cheap project that would have been an eyesore as soon as it was built! Thank you, councilmember Sanchez, for bringing forward economic development in Oceanside!

Thank you city council wrote on Sep 3, 2008 2:07 PM:Kudos to our city council, especially Sanchez and Mayor Wood, for making this project happen. Kudos also to the city staff and to SD Malkin. There's already a positive change in the downtown area. We need the city to build more parking, so that new, higher end businesses will invest in Oceanside, and we need to bring restaurants, etc. to the downtown. We're not done yet, but this is a good start.

Revisionist need to try harder wrote on Sep 3, 2008 3:30 PM:Facilitate; all that Sanchez did was hold the Timeshare and Hotel hostage. Jim Watkins had to agree to Sanchez's demands as did Cohen with the Top Gun (Graves) House. Sanchez has done nothing except to delay the project and add cost. If you find some Jim Wood involvement in this project, or any other project, please let us all know. His MO is to wait and see which way the wind is blowing and vote accordingly.

Coaster wrote on Sep 3, 2008 4:54 PM:The only thing that “Thank You City Council” got right that Wood in Sanchez were in collusion. The only name she left out was Makin. The Troika tried to stifle this project from the beginning. We need to finish the job that was started last election when Makin was voted out and vote out the last two anti-investor council members.

great news wrote on Sep 3, 2008 4:59 PM:This is good news. Lets get on with the Westin

To BJ wrote on Sep 3, 2008 5:49 PM:Why can't the Oceanside residents learn to use question marks after using the word "why" so many times in one meandering rant? Here's some for you ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? I left out the period; I think you're already having one.

Where is the Parking wrote on Sep 3, 2008 6:07 PM:Thanks to the likes of Mackin and Kramer who give their time to insure the City doesn't give away everything just like they did with the movie theater. Where's the Parking? Now we have all those condos and new businesses next to the movie theater and a whole lot more transit users. Where's the parking? New business, new restaurants, new residential all need parking to succeed. Where's the parking?
We need parking if the downtown is going to succeed. Residents will supplement when the tourists go home if there is parking. Mackin and Kramer are on the right track.

Teran wrote on Sep 3, 2008 6:42 PM:Heads on a platter? Not quite. These are two very smart women who know how to get things done on the coast. I remember you Mr. Kern had your head served on a plater when you tried to get the council to support your radical thoughts to disband the coastal commission.

to Revisionist wrote on Sep 3, 2008 7:08 PM:You sure are a revisionist. You have your facts all flubbed up. No one held anyone hostage especially not Sanchez. She has already been interested in getting this hotel going. It's people like you with your negative attitude and bad facts that lead me to believe you're a KFC supporter. Kern, Feller and Chavez all have to go. Vote Feller off the Council now! He wouldn't know a good idea if it bit him in the butt.

To Teran wrote on Sep 3, 2008 8:37 PM:Fairly tuogh charges; of course Shari Mackin is very familar with charges, she bet her political career on them.

Just the Facts wrote on Sep 3, 2008 8:46 PM:Sanchez set up the meeting with Carolyn Krammer, including Surf Rider attorney Marco Gonzalis. The timeshare developer, Mr.Jim Watkins, wanted to build a 7 story building so he asked for 9 stories, Krammer wanted 5 stories. Yes, Sanchez did the math and the rest is history.

Kern the Flame Thrower wrote on Sep 3, 2008 9:03 PM:Well it looks like Councilmember Kern is going to be the designated flame thrower in this upcoming election to keep the KFC troika in office. And is this the same Councilman Jack Fellar that said these two women should be run out of town? And now Kern wants their heads on a platter? And oh yes this is the same Jerry Kern who also wanted to chop off the heads of the Coastal Commission itself. Not a surprise to anyone who follows the KFC and what they have done to destroy our neighborhoods and our quality of life.
I sure hope the voting residents of Oceanside wake up and vote KFC out of power. If we don't vote them out we are all in for a real rough life here in the neighborhoods. It will become a developer frenzy and KFC will sell everything to the highest bidder. Wake up Oceanside our quality of life is for sale. Kramer and Mackin, thanks for fighting for the public because our city council does not.

Matt wrote on Sep 3, 2008 9:06 PM:This is a great strategy for Makin, Sanchez and Kramer. You know your going to lose and you won’t be able to delay the project any longer so you surrender and claim victory. And then have both your friends’ blog in and tell you what a great job you’ve done. At least Kern is honest in his remarks.

Kudos wrote on Sep 3, 2008 9:40 PM:Kudos to the two ladies who brought the City to task. The City keeps giving away our public parking that we the residents pay for. Pretty soon all the developments will take our parking. The downtown movie theatres are a perfect example. They never supplied one space of parking! You go girls. I wish there were more of you in the community!

Retired wrote on Sep 3, 2008 10:46 PM:You can sure tell from the blogs that Sanchez has put her retirement hours to good use. She now has time to blog all day without using the County's computer. However, no one is buying it Esther.

MP wrote on Sep 4, 2008 6:05 AM:Where is the parking has hit the nail on the head. We own a home downtown and have been very concerned about parking for sometime now. Thank you to these ladies for keeping an eye on this.

mt wrote on Sep 4, 2008 6:29 AM:The appeal was without merit. Let's move forward. I hope everyone realizes that these delays are costing money. The financing market is much different today. There was a cost for each concession demanded by this minority. We will end up paying for their obstructions.

owner wrote on Sep 4, 2008 7:13 AM:Build it so my Property value goes up!!
That's why My family bought it in the past! Try driving to the beach in L.A.
They have traffic, not us. Also more $$ for the businesses not just Marine shoppers!

He Said wrote on Sep 4, 2008 7:38 AM:It's amazing how the Surfrider group thinks they're welcome in Oceanside just because they have a street named after them. It's also curious when someone from that organization speaks at the council meetings they are always from some other city. This complaint to the coastal commission was never going to get off the ground. Good time to withdraw after you found out you basically lost. Krammer and Makin need to return to the world of common sense and quit trying to keep themselves in the pubic arena by involving themselves in frivolous ...

Gen wrote on Sep 4, 2008 8:58 AM:Contrary to BJ's rant, nothing has been built ON the beach. It's still there, still sandy, and there's still more of it here than just about anywhere else along the coast.

This was dealt with parking. Parking for smog producing, gas-guzzling, greenhouse gas belching, environment destroying cars. Not exactly what I would expect from anyone supposedly concerned about the environment. I find it ironic that a bunch of people that won't allow us to build a road because it will destroy a beach (laughable given the facts), tried to delay a project based on the need to build something that, by the old and worn arguments they typically use, will only increase traffic at the beach.

Have any of you been downtown on a busy weekend and tried to go to the beach? There already isn't any place to park. And if they build more parking, then more people will come, and there STILL won't be any place to park.

Luckily, there are other places in Oceanside where on any day but the absolute busiest, you can easily park less than a block from the beach, stroll down to the sand, and enjoy it in relative calm, just as my parents and grandparents have going back almost 70 years.

Why would any local want to go the pier when it's packed towel to towel, canopy to canopy, with nothing but redneck inland tourists, donning short black socks and sandals, plopping themselves down 6 inches in front of you, when you don't have a prayer of enjoying the beach at all, is completely beyond me.

The concession CPPB are bragging about consisted of 30 some-odd parking spots, that on any given weekend will be filled by 8am anyway. And on the days when this isn't true, parking isn't a problem anyway.

This appeal was an empty threat from the beginning. The fact that the CCC Staff didn't agree goes to show just how far out there it was.

Next CPPB will appeal because the plan doesn't include enough gas stations on Coast Highway, limiting access to the beach by locals due to the tourists buying all the gas.

Clever Gen wrote on Sep 4, 2008 11:12 AM:...sort of. The citizens in opposition may have been grasping at straws to delay a poor project due to parking issues. That was the only legal recourse, because in its vigor to prove that Oside isn't a washed-up gang-ridden community, the Council keeps approving coastal projects without full reviews. They have been irresponsibly skirting standards that will eventually force out residents who can currently afford to live near the water. Bad, bad precedents - I hope the citizens will continue to mobilize in opposition to projects such as this.

Why so bitter wrote on Sep 4, 2008 11:56 AM:Mr. Kern, if you can't say something reasonably nice about someone, don't say anything. (Especially in public). Oh wait, your practicing for the upcoming election. By the way, I won't votin for your buddy Feller. Talk about two people who like seeing their name in the paper! DUH!

Thats enough wrote on Sep 4, 2008 1:15 PM:Now that the Hotel is going to be built it is time to say enough! Enough give aways to redevelopment!
Enough give aways to the likes of the Surf museum! Enough give aways to Main Street! Enough Give aways to the Chamber of Commerce! Stop diverting monies that should be going into all Oceanside neighborhoods. We are tired of having to live in crime -plaqued squalor while the businesses and residences downtown prosper at our expense. And for you know-it-alls we are not moving from our crime-plagued neighborhoods. We are demanding the city to fix them. Enough Already. Remember we are mad as hell and not voting for Feller, Gibson or Rocky. They want to turn Oceanside into a literal concrete and asphalt jungle. Leave us some open space guys or why don't you take Feller's own advice and move out of town. There is a lovely town in Alaska called Wisalia looking for a Mayor and city council since their woman Palin has become a token choice for V.P. Actually KFC maybe you need to work with Palin to learn how to deal with strong women.

Oside Res wrote on Sep 4, 2008 1:59 PM:I voted for Kern and boy that was a mistake. Keep your opinion to yourself. Karma

TaxPayer wrote on Sep 4, 2008 2:02 PM:I am voting Gibson and Feller. Get our city moving.

To Clever Gen wrote on Sep 4, 2008 2:02 PM:The Hotel will give the gangsters new victims.

Taxpayer wrote on Sep 4, 2008 2:55 PM:Bet you live downtown in one of those row homes. You probably moved from L.A. area to get away from the city mess. You thought you could buy in an inexpensive beach area like Oceanside so you could actually see your property values go up. Then you would sell and go to a well planned community like Carlsbad or some of the other wealthier beach cities like Solana Beach, Cardiff, Del Mar because downtown Oceanside will be too crowded. You know why those towns are nice because they are well planned. Does that about sum up Mr. Taxpayer. If not tell me you are a long time resident and not just an investor. Put your money where your mouth is Mr. Taxpayer. I pay taxes too and I am tired of the likes of Feller wasting my tax monies on frivolous downtown expenses like the Surf Museum.

Gen wrote on Sep 4, 2008 4:24 PM:I actually agree that citizens should mobilize when a project doesn't fit their vision of what Oceanside should be. The Manchester Debacle was a hideous thing, gobbling up property intended in perpetuity for the residents of Oceanside, and I was actually pretty outspoken about it. And, the majority agreed and killed it. Kudos to CPPB and everyone for doing so.

I just happen to draw the line when something has already been planned, reviewed, and is on the verge of moving forward. I don't think anyone can say this project hasn't been fully reviewed. Some may think it a poor project, but obviously not enough to kill it.

The time to argue about things like that is during the planning and review process, not after it. It's bad for the community, and contributes to all the divisiveness that plagues us as a city.

I don't favor mis-using the system by filing an appeal that never had a chance in the first place, and which from the beginning was intended to be nothing more than a stall tactic. The gig is up. The decision has been made. You win some and you lose some.

CPPB lost this time around, so rather than act like children who didn't get their way, it would just be refreshing for once to have them admit it and move on, rather than costing everyone a bunch of money crying over spilled milk. And it might, in some small way, bring the community together, rather than split it apart.

Dear Tax Payer wrote on Sep 4, 2008 5:01 PM:Please for the sake of your neighbors don't vote that way.

Either you love developers and or lobbyist to fill those members pockets full or you are in on the BAD politics they stand for as well?

Your gig is up which is it?

You have got to be kidding me wrote on Sep 4, 2008 9:25 PM:It must be the pave it over KFC group who is responsible for this latest fiasco. Just give them a little space and the next thing you know there is a problem like this. What next, I hope the do not take up in projects in my neighborhood.