Meet Two Independent Candidates for City Council in Encinitas, CA

On November 5, 2024, voters in Encinitas, California will vote for their next mayor and two city council members. Two city council candidates, Luke Shaffer in District 1 and Jim O’Hara in District 2, are running as GoodParty.org Certified candidates, offering a fresh, independent approach to local governance.

GoodParty.org spoke with both candidates about their backgrounds, motivations, and visions for Encinitas. Both Shaffer and O’Hara expressed a commitment to responsible development and community engagement.

Luke Shaffer: An Experienced Veteran for District 1

Luke Shaffer’s journey to becoming a candidate for the Encinitas City Council is deeply rooted in his personal history and professional experience. Born and raised in Encinitas, Shaffer left his hometown to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he spent 15 years honing his leadership skills. His military career included four combat deployments where he gained experience in coordination, logistics, and leadership.

“I ended up in the United States Marine Corps, where I became an F/A-18 fighter pilot. Along the way, I had four combat deployments, two on the ground and two in the air, with my first and my last deployment being my ground deployments,” Shaffer said.

During his first deployment in Iraq in 2008, Shaffer worked closely with local officials, training almost 700 Iraqi police officers and gaining insights into how cities function and make critical decisions.

“All of that leads to a lot of understanding of how a city comes to decisions on implementation, to everything from a stop sign to, in that time, defending a war-torn country and individuals inside the community,” Shaffer said.

His military background, particularly his experience in leading diverse teams across multiple countries, has equipped him with a unique perspective on leadership and accountability — qualities Shaffer believes are essential for a city council member.

During one of his later deployments, Shaffer served in Quantico, Virginia, where he trained second lieutenants and top martial artists in the U.S. Marine Corps. Finally, Shaffer returned to the West Coast for his final deployment. There, he led 75 Marines of 24 different job types across five countries.

“My two ground deployments give me a lot of ability to understand — not being the expert necessarily in certain specific job titles, but being able to hold those job titles accountable to the job that they're there to do,” Shaffer said. “I possess an advanced understanding of how to help a city manager and the city staff run the city as a city council member.”

Shaffer emphasized the importance of holding city officials and staff accountable to residents.

“[We need to] hold them accountable and get our residents proper answers, whether we like the answers or not, and make sure that transparency is here,” he said.

Upon returning to Encinitas, Shaffer and his wife transitioned into entrepreneurship. This shift allowed them to focus on their family and community involvement, with Shaffer dedicating time to coaching high school sports and becoming increasingly active in local activities. 

“This specifically is what we are trying to dedicate our time and energy to: going after things that mean something to us,” Shaffer said. “Our life has a greater meaning. We’re not just getting on the freeway, plugging in and doing a job that doesn't really have any value. We’re creating a better home, city, or humanity, and that's what we're dedicated towards.”

Shaffer said that while he first started thinking about running for office during his time overseas, his interest in running for city council was more recently sparked by a local development project near his home. He observed that the project’s developers planned to construct 149 housing units on 2.5 acres of land, without sufficient parking space for the number of residents.

“At that point, I got involved. I had to speak out,” Shaffer said. “I’m not against development and growth; I’m just against bad growth, forced growth, and bad legislation.”

As Shaffer began speaking out, he felt called to serve in a different capacity, this time for city council in his hometown. 

Shaffer’s campaign for city council is currently centered around three core principles: sensibility, accountability, and transparency. He believes these values are crucial for restoring trust in local government and meeting the needs of the community. 

His goal is to bring a level of common sense and pragmatism to the city council, ensuring that decisions are made with the long-term well-being of Encinitas in mind.

In the context of development and construction, Shaffer said this goal requires slowing down, thinking strategically, and creating a long-term plan. He hopes to advocate for new developments to follow stricter safety standards.

“To not have to put down power lines, to not have to go through the normal progression, and to not have to create safe walks to school — stuff of that nature is very, very disappointing, because it's basically allowing the state to put our residents’ lives at risk — not just adults, but children,” Shaffer said. “That's just not okay with me, and obviously for my own children and then for neighbors and neighbors’ children. That's just sad. The weakness in some of the local leadership is harming our own hometown. That’s something I’d like to change. You have to be willing to say no, because lives are at risk.”

Overall, Shaffer said he hopes to make the Encinitas City Council more level-headed and responsive to citizens. He also plans to lead by example, helping the city move toward more sustainable growth.

“Real leadership is saying, ‘I’m headed that way. I will go at a pace that if you’re willing to keep up, we can all get there,’” Shaffer said. 

Jim O’Hara: A Community Champion for District 2

Jim O’Hara, a city council candidate in District 2, offers a different but equally compelling vision for Encinitas. With 30 years of experience in business and extensive involvement in local organizations, O’Hara has spent much of his life working to improve the community he loves. 

O’Hara is the founder of an events company, Race San Diego, where he regularly works with municipalities and nonprofits. His professional experience has given him a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing small businesses and the importance of fiscal responsibility in local government. 

“Our city has a fantastic per capita tax revenue coming in, that's constantly growing year after year. We have plenty of money coming through, but we're not managing it correctly,” O’Hara said.

Like Shaffer, O’Hara’s decision to run for city council was partly motivated by concerns about overdevelopment. He also said that as a business owner, he has been increasingly affected by some of Encinitas’ recent policies.

As a city council member, O’Hara hopes to encourage city spending on essential services, rather than projects that don’t directly benefit residents.

“In our city, because we've been so focused on agenda politics, we've been spending tons of money on trophy projects. Those trophy projects have actually made us run out of money, to the point where our city doesn't have enough money to pay for its infrastructure needs. It doesn't have money to pay for new firehouses or any of the things that we actually need,” O’Hara said.

Part of the solution, according to O’Hara, is giving power back to local residents.

“In our town, when people get up and speak at city council meetings, they get up there to be on record and not to be heard,” O’Hara said. “I want to get to the point where you are on record, but you're also heard and considered in the decisions we make. Right now, in our state of California, Sacramento has a louder voice in city council than our residents do. I want to bring it back to the residents.

“In a state the size of California, there are a number of people in Sacramento who can't even find the town I live in, Encinitas, on a map. So I don't want to put my friends and my neighbors’ future solely in their hands.”

O’Hara said he also hopes to promote bipartisanship on Encinitas’ city council. This includes giving more of a voice to residents who fall toward the center of the political spectrum.

“The middle has been quiet for a long time, and right now the middle is starting to be affected by these decisions,” O’Hara said.

As an independent, O’Hara feels he can provide more meaningful representation for these center-of-the-aisle voters.

“As an independent, I’m able to be a voice for them, to nurture what's great about our city, and to parallel that with all the changes that are coming down, so we keep what we all love about our community,” O’Hara said. “We nurture that spirit. We make sure that certain simple things like fiscal responsibility and infrastructure are included in those decisions. All the things that help the city function day-to-day are the priority, so people can enjoy their life and not worry about the next step that the city is going to do or not have something falling in their backyard constantly.”

O’Hara emphasized the importance of independent thinking, as opposed to groupthink or thinking as a political bloc.

“Coming back to this idea of problem-solving, you don't solve problems when there’s groupthink. You solve problems when there's a conversation about it. You put all the details out there, and you come up with the best solution that fits as many needs as possible. Being independent, for me, is the way to do that,” O’Hara said.

O’Hara’s community involvement goes beyond politics. He has been instrumental in organizing local events and initiatives, including working in the local running community with more than a dozen run clubs like the Pannikin Run, Encinitas Run Club, and Coastal Run Club — totaling over 5,000 members in North County, San Diego. He uses his professional and personal resources to connect members to opportunities in the running community.

O’Hara also helped start a local farmer’s market, as well as a toy drive that has collected thousands of toys for underserved children. He said that last year, the toy drive collected over $10,000 worth of toys for the nonprofit Casa de Amistad.

For O’Hara, running for city council is the next step toward making a difference in Encinitas.

“Right now, the door is more open for positive change. It's more open for opportunity,” O’Hara said. “Combining this idea of being in the community and doing charity for the right reason, because we want to benefit the community, and then coupling that with my business experience, I feel like I can do a lot there.”

Because of this community focus, O’Hara is committed to running a grassroots campaign for city council.

“It's a grassroots campaign versus a machine campaign, for lack of a better way to put it. I believe in community. I believe in the power of community. I believe in the grassroots,” he said.

Creating a Brighter Vision for Encinitas

While Luke Shaffer and Jim O’Hara come from different backgrounds and are running separate campaigns, they share a similar vision for the future of Encinitas. Both candidates are committed to responsible development, ensuring that growth in the city is sustainable and benefits all residents. They are also united in their desire to improve public safety, promote community engagement, and make local government more transparent. 

Both Shaffer and O’Hara are running on platforms that prioritize listening to residents and making sure their voices are heard in city council decisions. They are committed to maintaining the unique character of Encinitas, ensuring that the city remains a vibrant and welcoming place for all its residents.

Ways to Get Involved in Encinitas

As the November 2024 general election approaches, the residents of Encinitas have important decisions to make. Luke Shaffer and Jim O’Hara represent a new generation of leadership — one that is independent, community-focused, and committed to making decisions that reflect the best interests of the people of Encinitas. 

Here are a few ways voters can get involved:

• Get ready for election day. Check your voter registration status on the California Secretary of State’s website, and make a plan to get to the polls on November 5, 2024.

• Stay up-to-date. For the latest updates on Shaffer and O’Hara’s city council campaigns, visit their campaign websites. Visit Shaffer’s website here, and O’Hara’s website here.

• Volunteer. Visit Shaffer and O’Hara’s campaign websites to learn about the latest ways to volunteer with their campaigns. Or book a meeting with GoodParty.org to learn about opportunities to support independent candidates in California and across the country.