O.K. sports fans, old business first. Response from last week's "How to know If You're a true Leucadian Quiz." has been overwhelming. So much so, some Leucadia business owners have decided to create a contest, complete with prizes, discounts, and the chance to design the "I'm a true Leucadian" T-shirt. The official Quaaludian status symbol.

Here's how it works. Send in your T-Shirt design, and those of us who created the quiz will then decide on the winner. This gifted individual would then receive a more than $100 worth of prizes, including a $50 tab at Papa Gus,. Pretty cool, huh? Contest entries should be be sent to Rey Solares at 698 North Coast Highway 101 Leucadia, Ca. 92024. Art work does not have to be camera ready.

Once the T-shirts have been produced, those having passed the "How to know if your a True Leucadian" Quiz will then be able to purchase one of these collectors items at some ridiculously low price at Shatto and Sons. All others will have to pay full price. Those of you who have already recycled last week's Coast News can request a copy of the quiz at [defunct email address], or at the aforementioned Papa Gus.

Now on to the new business, that is really an old business, which, like Freddy Krueger, must be beaten back to the grave every couple of years or so. Yes ladies and gentlemen, Sports Shinko has risen from development hell once again. 

For those of you that follow the news, you'll remember recently the Encinitas Chamber of Commerce made sure every news organization in the area knew that they had to hold to their banquet in a neighboring city because Encinitas is deficient in meeting halls. If you think sociopaths on the rampage is a nightmare, just imagine having to drive five miles for valet parking.

It is no coincidence that the capitalist crew publicly bemoaned their lack of banquet space, this whining by press release was orchestrated to coincide with the expiration of the coastal development permit currently held by the Encinitas Resort Corporation. It seems the greedy boys not only need a place to gather so that they may congratulate themselves on the rape of yet another coastal bluff, they also want their share of the Legoland tourist bonanza.

The coastal property slated for destruction is the 4.3 acre bluff-top lot located along the west side of Highway 101, just south of Batiquitos Lagoon in the northern Encinitas. The site is bounded by the parking lot at Ponto State Beach to the north, Highway 101 to the east, and Sea Bluff Condominiums to the South. And like the proposed Manchester Beach Resort, this glorified Motel 6 should be stopped.

As proposed Sport Stinko will be a 138,460 sq.ft.,two-story plus basement level,30-foot high, 130-unit resort hotel. Has anyone noticed that every hotel built these days is referred to as a resort hotel? What's next, the Cardiff Resort Motel. Also planned for the Sport Stinko Resort is a restaurant, a retail shop, meeting rooms, 4,062 sq.,ft. of banquet facilities, a three-level subterranean parking garage, and a swimming pool with cabanas. All conveniently placed 55 ft. from the bluff's edge.

Considering a mansion in La Jolla has just lost that much land to bluff erosion, doesn't placing  six stories of concrete and tourists within striking distance of the Pacific ocean seem rather reckless. Then there is the issue of traffic. Does this mean Encinitas Resort Corporation is going to be responsible for widening La Costa Blvd. west of I-5? When SANDAG predicted 1 million more people in San Diego County within the near future, did that include the millions of tourists a year as well? The $64,000 question is: Are we sardines or are we lemmings.

Before you start looking for a nice compound in Montana, it is important to know that this beast can still be stopped. Needed are letters to the Coastal Commission, lots of them, and not just from Encinitas residents. The proliferation of coastal hotels affects us all. If enough of us write to every level of state government, asking that the coast not be walled for the sake of tourism, we can protect our fragile coastal ecosystems, as well as our quality of life.

When writing letters refer to Application No.: 6-92-203-E3, and ask that extensions be denied due to the amount of extensions already given and the fact considerable coastal development has occurred since the project was originally approved. Also of note is the fact that this was approved by a pro-development majority appointed by a newly elected Pete Wilson.

Letters should be addressed to:
The California Coastal Commission
San Diego Area
3111 Camino Del Rio North,  Suite 200
San Diego, Ca. 92108-1725

For more information call Commission staff at (619) 521-8036