Mayor Bruce Ehlers called for removing the Santa Fe Drive protected bike lane at a Cardiff mayoral forum on Tuesday, Sept. 22. He also defended the city's decision to skip a $3.9 million state homeless grant before about 130 attendees at Ada W. Harris Elementary School, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

Challenger Rimga Viskanta, a San Dieguito Union High School District board member, pushed back on both positions during the roughly 15-question event hosted by the Cardiff-by-the-Sea Town Council Committee of Cardiff 101 Main Street and moderated by a Coast News reporter. San Dieguito Academy High School students were among the crowd.

Bike lane fight

Ehlers said the protected bike lane on the south side of Santa Fe Drive near San Dieguito Academy is dangerous because of the many driveway access points along its route. He called for removing it along with other recent roadway changes approved by a prior council.

"They are not a panacea, they don't automatically make things safe," Ehlers said of protected bike lanes.

The lane was completed in 2025 for $4.15 million, with $3.09 million coming from state funds secured by State Sen. Catherine Blakespear, KPBS reported. The City Council voted in February to replace it with a buffered painted lane at an estimated cost of $3.4 million to $3.6 million. Ehlers said the city has had two deaths on other roadways where protective bike lane devices are being blamed for causing the accidents.

Viskanta said she too had concerns about the renovated roadway but would not support "completely ripping out a protected bike lane." She said city staff had offered low-cost improvements the current council majority is bypassing in favor of the costly removal.

A state bill could block the removal entirely. Senate Bill 144, on Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk with a signing deadline of Wednesday, Sept. 30, would prevent Encinitas from removing or modifying the lane for five years. The City Council voted 4-1 on Sept. 10 to ask Newsom to line-item veto that provision.

Councilmember Joy Lyndes cast the lone opposing vote.

Homeless grant debate

The candidates also split over the council's June decision not to apply for a $3.9 million state Encampment Resolution Funding Grant. The council voted 4-1 against submitting the application, with Lyndes again the sole dissenter, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Ehlers said the grant would have required Encinitas to fund a "housing first" program where drug-addicted people would gain housing before attending treatment. He said the city has reduced its homeless population since he took office two years ago by enforcing its ban on camping and problem behaviors such as public urination.

Viskanta called the decision a "real missed opportunity" and said she believes the council majority declined to apply "for political reasons," noting the state Legislature is dominated by Democrats and none of the current council majority belongs to that party. She pointed out that the San Diego Rescue Mission, which Encinitas recently contracted with for homeless services, had recommended the city apply. Rescue Mission representatives told council members in June that they had not had issues using state grant money for a treatment-first program in Vista.

The draft application would have funded a four-year program to relocate about 100 people illegally camping near Interstate 5 between Manchester Avenue and La Costa Avenue, in the downtown Transit Center area and at the 44-acre Encinitas Community Park near Santa Fe Drive.

Encinitas voters will choose between Ehlers and Viskanta on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Two council seats, in District 3 and District 4, are also on the ballot.