Mayor Ehlers outlines 'Get Stuff Done' agenda focusing on roads, flooding and homelessness

Mayor Bruce Ehlers delivered the City of Encinitas’ State of the City address, laying out the council’s priorities for 2026 and early 2027 and stressing a practical theme he called “Get Stuff Done.” He said the city completed 15 miles of paving this year and expects another 18 miles by summer, an effort he said will restore the city’s Pavement Condition Index and deliver “nearly two years’ worth of pavement improvements in just one year.”

Ehlers described operation-level investments in drainage and flood protection in Leucadia, saying the city deployed two temporary pumps on Vulcan and Orpheus that have “significantly reduced flooding downstream” and that the council has appropriated funding for design of a South Vulcan flood‑mitigation project to make the work shovel‑ready for grant applications. “Upon completion, we will have a shovel‑ready design that we can pursue grants for construction,” he said.

On homelessness, Ehlers said the city has shifted toward a dual approach of services plus enforcement. He flagged a partnership with the San Diego Rescue Mission that added two case managers and a housing navigator; he told the council the program has engaged 66 people and moved 15 into housing in its early months. He also said recent state and court developments gave the city stronger tools to address camping in public spaces.

Traffic safety and policing were also front and center. Ehlers praised a sheriff’s traffic enforcement program he described as a monthly maximum enforcement day and said the council had approved two additional traffic deputies. “Changing driver behavior will be key to making our streets safer for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists,” he said.

Ehlers used the address to outline public‑safety and emergency‑response changes, including a temporary Fire Station 1 at Pacific View to restore downtown response times and council funding for design of a relocated Fire Station 6 to house a three‑person crew and a full fire engine. He also highlighted regional work on beach nourishment: Encinitas completed phase 1 of a multi‑jurisdiction US Army Corps project and has approved planning for a phase 2 targeted for 2029.

Why it matters: Ehlers framed the speech as an operational brief and a planning roadmap. The address emphasized projects with near‑term deliverables — paving, pump deployments, design work for flood mitigation — signaling a focus on maintenance, resiliency and service delivery rather than sweeping new policy initiatives.

What’s next: The mayor said some of the projects (for example, South Vulcan design) are positioned to pursue grant funding once designs are complete; the council will continue quarterly reviews of the 76 objectives they set during the goal‑setting session referenced in the address.