Asked to remove committee member, Encinitas City Council throws two residents from meeting instead

An Encinitas City Council meeting over the possible removal of an Urban Forest Advisory Committee member escalated tensions between residents and their elected officials when sheriff’s deputies escorted out two attendees at the mayor’s request and others left angrily after council members scolded members of the audience.

A four-member council majority declined to remove Steven Houbeck from his position Wednesday following months of criticism about a post of his on social media that sparked outrage among some residents and was eventually deleted. 

During Black History Month in February, two days after the council appointed Houbeck to the committee, he made a post in the popular Encinitas Insider Facebook group in which he wrote that Superintendent Anne Staffieri of San Dieguito Union High School District recently sent an email to parents “depicting Black contributions to American history.”

He said the video showed “scenes of blacks dressed in tribal gear banging on drums.”

Upset by his use of the term “blacks” and his characterization of a beloved artform, dozens of people in the community began showing up to City Council meetings calling for him to be removed from his position of leadership. Councilmember Joy Lyndes put his possible removal on Wednesday’s agenda, but her motion died without support from any other colleague. 

The four other councilmembers said removal wasn’t warranted even though they did not agree with the language in Houbeck’s post. Councilmember Jim O’Hara said he “didn’t actually like the way he apologized,” but “I don’t get to choose whether his apology is enough for everybody.” 

Instead of censuring Houbeck, the council members questioned the residents critical of Houbeck and their intentions.

They asked whether residents who spoke against Houbeck were politically motivated and accused them of purposefully drawing division. 

“Will this be a teaching moment for Mr. Houbeck and all of us, or will it be more political theater like we have too often been subjected to on the national stage?” Mayor Bruce Ehlers said. 

Although council offices are technically nonpartisan, the Encinitas City Council shifted to the right in the last election cycle. 

Ehlers, O’Hara and Councilmember Luke Shaffer all defeated candidates backed by the San Diego County Democratic Party in November 2024 and they appointed Marco San Antonio to the council in January 2025. Lyndes is the sole council member on the left of the political spectrum. 

Calls for removal

Houbeck did not attend Wednesday night’s meeting in person. He sent in a video message and echoed what he had said at a committee meeting weeks earlier: “My intent was never to degrade members of the community or artistic dancers. I celebrate diversity and artistic expression.”

In his original Facebook post, Houbeck had replied to questions about his intent by saying that the school district’s superintendent was “exhibiting soft racism.”

“No mention of Justice Clarence Thomas of SCOTUS, economic greats like Thomas Sowell, Walter Williams,” Houbeck wrote. “Artists like Prince that donated millions to charities anonymously, Padres great Tony Gwynn who also donated his time and money to the San Diego community. It’s racist for the Left to denigrate accomplished blacks because they’re Conservative.”

Wednesday, speakers including the leader of the North County Equity and Justice Coalition Yusef Miller, Encinitas4Equality President Mali Woods-Drake and Encinitas Union School District school board member Marlon Taylor called on the council members to remove Houbeck. 

Others held signs during the meeting that said “No racists in Encinitas City Hall” and “Houbeck” with a thumbs down.

Miller pointed to the pain that the students were feeling as well, given that Houbeck’s post included a screenshot of an event put on by the Black Student Union at Canyon Crest Academy and said, “He didn’t only insult people here who could come here and spend the time to stand up and speak, those kids that put their heart and their soul into expressing their cultural background, their cultural heritage was insulted, and they can’t be here to speak.” 

Councilmembers vs. constituents

The meeting quickly devolved into direct confrontation between the public and the council. 

Councilmember Shaffer accused the speakers of “drawing division” in Encinitas. He referenced being at the center of controversy in the fall, when Shaffer faced what was eventually two misdemeanors and calls to resign. 

“Every single time there’s been a divisive moment in this chamber, since I’ve been here, I see the same faces routinely, and so you’re getting lumped in with a really divisive group that their whole goal is to come in and draw division,” Shaffer said.

The mayor directed sheriff’s deputies to escort two residents out of the meeting: Joshua Lazerson, who continued to stand up at his seat after being told not to, and Woods-Drake, who yelled “You’re shameful,” at the dais.

Taylor, the school board member, and his wife left voluntarily when they saw how it was unfolding. 

At one point, a council member addressed audience members directly. 

“You’ve done some horrible things to me, horrible,” O’Hara said to Bob Ayers, an Encinitas resident and progressive political activist. “I’m sitting here talking to you.” 

A civil rights complaint called a Title VI grievance was filed with the city after the incident. Wednesday, Ehlers said it wasn’t appropriate to take action before it was resolved. He said city staff had met with the concerned people and planned to release findings by April 29.

Lyndes, who proposed removing Houbeck, said it was “tone deaf” of her fellow councilmembers to blame constituents. 

“I worry when I hear us say that our constituents who disagree with us are divisive,” she said. “I think we missed the point that they are our constituents. We’re not always going to agree, but there were plenty of people who submitted letters asking for us to consider this item and to remove this individual. These are our constituents. They’re our voters.”