OCEANSIDE - Senior transportation, a crackdown by the city on graffiti and the status of design guidelines for three blocks of North Pacific Street dominated City Council discussions Wednesday night.

With all five council members lauding the work of Oceanside's Senior Citizens Commission and staff, the council unanimously approved a contract with Santa Ana-based American Logistics Company not to exceed $115,000 for a pilot senior citizen shuttle service that would provide direct-service rides for those 65 years and older.

Costs would be based on one-way service and the senior client would be charged a $5 co-pay per one-way trip.

The program will be paid for with a grant from Genentech, which will last for a year. After that the city will have to find other ways of paying for the program if there is enough demand to continue it, said Megan Crooks, a city management analyst.

"The word is out," Crooks said.

Councilman Jerry Kern suggested that Kaiser Permanente and Scripps Encinitas might be tapped to help pay for the program if numbers gathered over the next year show the demand is there.

With regard to graffiti, Councilman Jack Feller called Oceanside's situation the worst he's seen "in quite a few years."

He pointed, as an example, to Greenbrier Drive at Oceanside Boulevard where the Sprinter light rail line is under construction, saying "it's on everything."

Feller put the issue on Wednesday's agenda for discussion only.

Councilwoman Esther Sanchez said she was glad the council was talking about the issue, but that the council needs to be sure that it goes after those who commit the crime.

Mayor Jim Wood, who spent 31 years in law enforcement, said the biggest problem is a societal change that has high school and middle school students refusing to identify taggers.

"They don't tell us anymore," he said. "We need somebody to come forward who lives in the community and who can tell us what's going on."

The council also continued discussion about design guidelines for three blocks of North Pacific Street between Surfrider Way and Breakwater Way.

Councilman Rocky Chavez brought the discussion back after the council last month voted down a request by Sanchez to consider a zone change that would require a minimum of 5 feet between homes on the three blocks of North Pacific Street.

Sanchez put the item on the agenda at the request of resident Pamela Myers, who lives on the street and has fought to preserve the ocean view and keep it open to sea breezes. However, the council rejected that idea by a 3-2 vote, with Chavez, Feller and Kern all voting no.

The west side of the three blocks is lined with homes that sit atop bluffs and overlook the Pacific Ocean. The street runs between the city's downtown and Oceanside Harbor.

Downtown design guidelines have been discussed by the city's Redevelopment Advisory Committee for more than a year, and will be the subject of a workshop Oct. 18, said city redevelopment manager Kathy Baker.

Chavez showed the council examples of how La Jolla and Pismo Beach have preserved their views.

"I think we can get there. I think it's compromise," he said. "I know staff has been working on this, but I wanted to bring it back to talk about how we can get to that vision of capuccino on the beach."

Chavez said he hopes in addition to addressing side setbacks for future development, ideas for creating visual openness, trees, walls - everything will be included in the workshop recommendations.

North Pacific Street resident Sharon Lucarelli told the council she would like no antennas on roofs of the houses on the west side of the street and was concerned about unsightly trash cans and keeping them concealed.

"I think those two things are very important," she said.

Feller pointed out that unless there is new development along the west side of the street, there won't be anything to change.

"You can't make them do something to an existing piece of property," he said, adding that the city has heard little testimony from property owners on the west side of the street.

- Contact Staff Writer Marga Kellogg at (760) 901-4067 or mkellogg@nctimes.com.