Encinitas council member won’t seek re-election in November

Encinitas Councilmember Joy Lyndes, the only remaining member of the once Democratic majority on the council, announced Tuesday that she will not seek re-election this fall.

“I’ve fought for our residents to protect our quality of life while honoring the diversity that makes Encinitas special …. I’ve led with equal commitment to preservation and thoughtful improvement. So, it’s only after much reflection, and some sadness, that I’ve made the hard decision not to seek re-election,” Lyndes said in a prepared statement.

Reached by telephone Tuesday morning, Lyndes said she was not planning at this time to run for any other elected position, and added that she was simply planning to take “a bit of a break” when her current council term ends in December.

“I tell my friends that I’m going to take a gap year — I never got one when I was 20,” she joked.

A landscape architect who helped create the city’s annual, car-free, Cyclovia bicycling event, Lyndes spent six years on the city’s Environmental Commission before she became a council member. She was initially appointed to the council to fill out the term of Jody Hubbard, who died of lung cancer in 2020.

Lyndes went on to win election in 2022 to a four-year council term and represents the city’s District 3, which primarily covers the Cardiff region.

Items she said she’s proud of supporting or initiating while on the council include the creation of the city’s sustainability manager position...