I’m saddened to share that my dear friend and former Encinitas City Council colleague Jody Hubbard slipped away from this world last Monday morning after a year-long battle with lung and brain cancer. Earlier this year, she reluctantly stepped down from the Council so she could deal with her illness.
If you had met her, you know that Jody was a bright light and a pure joy. When she and I last visited a few days ago, she laughed, shared the latest, and maintained her familiar zest.
Our entire community mourns Jody’s passing. She was a vibrant member of our community and served Encinitas with distinction – first as an engaged citizen, then as a city commissioner, and for two years as a Councilmember representing District 3, which included her Cardiff-by-the-Sea home.
Jody was not only a force of nature, she was a force for nature.
When she was growing up in Los Angeles her family was deeply dedicated to the environment, a passion she also embraced. Her father helped create the 67-mile Backbone Trail through the Santa Monica Mountains, and her equestrian mother is part of the Encinitas Trails Coalition.
A desk-bound CPA and long-term care planner by trade, Jody was at her happiest outside, whether in the wilderness, the ocean, or cycling our coastline. Her deep love for the outdoors manifested in working to preserve and create safe areas where people can walk, hike, run, or bicycle.
Jody and I shared a commitment to barrier-protected bike lanes as the key to encouraging more riding, and the new Coast Highway protected bike lane was one of her proudest achievements.
She was also very invested in exploring solutions for people experiencing homelessness, and was an early advocate of our city’s overnight parking lot for people who have lost their homes but still have their cars.
Encinitans appreciated her friendly and approachable energy – Jody always seemed to have time to talk with residents while she was out and about, and was eager to help them solve any city-related issues they had.
I’d like to share with you some photos of the things Jody loved. She told me that riding her bike gave her joy the second she sat on the seat. We shared a commitment to visibility as twinners with the same bright jackets.
Jody loved dogs, especially her devoted dachshund Sadie!
Cardiff’s Dog Days of Summer and Jody Hubbard were a match made in heaven.
Bodysurfing was one of Jody’s most sublime outdoor pleasures – she used this photo of herself in her 2018 City Council campaign materials.
On behalf of the city, I want to extend my sincerest condolences to her mother, Joanne, the entire Hubbard family, and the community who knew and loved her. We adjourned this week’s City Council meeting in Jody’s memory.
She will be dearly missed, and I know that many share my feeling that life was better with Jody in it.
May you reunite with the infinite, dear Jody Hubbard.
With love,
P.S. Here are some news articles about Jody’s passing from the Encinitas Advocate, the Coast News and the North Coast Current.
And one last Jody photo…
Jody and Sadie enjoying a coastal hike in Big Sur. (Photo by Jody’s friend Carol Wolf.)
