Encinitas to explore new limits on late-night business hours

Encinitas will look into banning all-night businesses from being open from 2 to 5 a.m.

The proposal, which came at the request of a 7-Eleven franchise owner, was placed on Wednesday’s agenda by Councilmember Jim O’Hara. After debating the concept, the council ultimately voted 4-1, with Councilmember Joy Lyndes opposed, to direct city staff to do more research and see if Encinitas could use other cities’ ordinances as a template when crafting its own business hour limits. The issue will return at a future council meeting for more debate.

“My mom and dad still say nothing good happens after 2 a.m. … (and) for the most part they’re right,” O’Hara said as he explained why he was seeking the daily closure period.

If the city does this, it could reduce crime and create a much-needed, nighttime quiet period in downtown, he said.

Lyndes said she could support the council sending a letter endorsing the 7-Eleven franchise owner’s request to change his business hours, if the issue is that his corporate franchise agreement currently requires him to stay open 24 hours a day and he doesn’t want to. But, she said, she didn’t support a citywide ban on all 24-hour businesses.

“I don’t think it’s the city’s job to carve out public policy for one business owner,” she said.

Mayor Bruce Ehlers and Councilmember Luke Shaffer also said they had reservations about the proposal. Ehlers called it “a bit of an overreach,” while Shaffer said, “it almost seems...