A factual timeline of the Encinitas Plumbing name and its origins in Encinitas, California
Encinitas Plumbing has a longer history than many people realize.
This page exists to document that history clearly, factually, and accurately.
Over the years, multiple businesses have operated in North San Diego County using similar names. Some were properly registered and documented through formal filings, while others used similar names at different times. As a result, customers occasionally encountered confusion about which company they were dealing with.
What follows is a straightforward timeline of the Encinitas Plumbing name — who used it, when, and under what legal status — so customers can better understand the documented history behind the business operating under that name today.
Methodology: The timeline below is based on publicly available records, including corporate filings, fictitious business name registrations, contractor license records, state filings, and federal court documents. Dates and descriptions are drawn from those records and presented here for historical clarity.
The Original Encinitas Plumbing
Encinitas Plumbing was originally operated by Paul Nibecker, a local plumbing contractor who obtained his California contractor’s license in 1990 and began operating as a sole proprietor under the Encinitas Plumbing name in North San Diego County.
In 1995, Mr. Nibecker formally recorded the fictitious business name “Encinitas Plumbing” with the San Diego County Recorder/Clerk, documenting the name that had already been in use in the community.
Mr. Nibecker operated Encinitas Plumbing for many years before eventually retiring from the plumbing trade. His fictitious business name registration for Encinitas Plumbing expired in January 2019. From that point forward, the name sat unclaimed and legally available under California law.
Formation of Encinitas Plumbing (2019)
Encinitas Plumbing was incorporated as a California corporation by Timothy Sortor (Mr. Sortor) on June 19, 2019.
At the time of incorporation, the prior fictitious business name registration associated with Mr. Nibecker had expired, and the Encinitas Plumbing name was legally available under California law.
Encinitas Plumbing has operated as a California corporation under that name since its formation in 2019.
Licensure Background
Mr. Sortor was first licensed as a California contractor on January 23, 2004. He currently holds licenses as both a C-36 Plumbing Contractor and a B General Building Contractor in the state of California.
Use of the Encinitas Plumbing Name Prior to 2019
Public records indicate that prior to January 2019, the Encinitas Plumbing name and closely related variations were used in ways that overlapped with an existing long-established Encinitas Plumbing identity in San Diego County, creating ambiguity around business affiliation, licensing alignment, and name usage during that period.
After the original Encinitas Plumbing fictitious business name expired in January 2019, the name became available for registration and continued to appear in the marketplace under varying structures and levels of formal regulatory association, including informal references in online reviews, directories, and community forums.
Residual use of the name continued to appear intermittently in public-facing content even after formal registrations changed, illustrating how business names are frequently referenced informally and without strict alignment to underlying licensing or registration status.
During this period, James Booth operated a plumbing business in California under the name Encinitas Plumbing & Drain, a name closely associated with the established Encinitas Plumbing identity that had existed in San Diego County since the mid-1990s.
Public records and contemporaneous statements reflect the following:
- Booth was associated with plumbing business activity in California for several years prior to obtaining a California contractor’s license, which was first issued on June 11, 2011, as a sole proprietor.
- Although the Encinitas Plumbing & Drain name appears in use over an extended period, the fictitious business name Encinitas Plumbing & Drain was not formally recorded with the County of San Diego until August 17, 2017.
- A Nevada entity using a similar name, Encinitas Plumbing & Drain, LLC, was first formed by Booth on October 10, 2012, but was later permanently revoked.
- A separate Nevada corporation, Down Under Plumbing, Inc., was formed by Booth on February 6, 2004, and held a Nevada contractor’s license between 2007 and 2012. Available records indicate that this entity was later permanently revoked.
- Business activity associated with the Encinitas Plumbing & Drain name was, at times, directed through C & Z, Inc., a California corporation owned by Booth and first incorporated on July 11, 2017, but later experienced periods of suspension.
- In July 2020, after Encinitas Plumbing had already been lawfully incorporated for over one year, Booth revived suspended corporation C & Z, Inc. and renamed the entity Encinitas Plumbing & Drain.
- At the time of this corporate revival and name change, the revived C & Z, Inc. entity did not yet hold a corresponding California contractor’s license. The license was not reissued to the corporation until November 9, 2020.
Historical accounts from individuals familiar with the local plumbing industry during that period, describe referral practices that were common at the time.
During this period, referrals were associated with business names connected to Booth, including Encinitas Plumbing & Drain. Public records also reflect that Down Under Plumbing, Inc., a Nevada corporation affiliated with Booth, held a Nevada contractor’s license from 2007 to 2012.
This period is relevant to understanding the historical use of the Encinitas Plumbing name and similar variations prior to its lawful incorporation and use by Encinitas Plumbing in 2019.
A Clean Summary of the Record
At the time Encinitas Plumbing was formally organized as a corporate entity by Mr. Sortor in June 2019, C & Z, Inc. was suspended and not authorized to operate under the Encinitas Plumbing name.
On July 14, 2020—more than one year after Encinitas Plumbing was incorporated by Mr. Sortor— Booth revived the previously suspended C & Z, Inc. entity and renamed it Encinitas Plumbing & Drain. This marked the first time Encinitas Plumbing & Drain existed as a California corporation.
At the time of this corporate revival and name change, the Encinitas Plumbing & Drain corporation did not yet hold a corresponding California contractor’s license, which was not reissued to the corporate entity until November 9, 2020.
After reviving the C & Z, Inc. entity and renaming it Encinitas Plumbing & Drain— Booth published the first website associated with Encinitas Plumbing & Drain using the domain EncinitasPlumbing.com. That website remained live until February 2023, when the Encinitas Plumbing & Drain corporation was formally terminated.
A Timeline That Matters
January—June 2019: A Name Becomes Available
From January 2019 through June 2019, the name Encinitas Plumbing was not registered by any individual or business entity with the County of San Diego or the California Secretary of State.
In June 2019, Mr. Sortor legally formed Encinitas Plumbing as a California corporation, becoming:
- The first corporate entity ever registered under the Encinitas Plumbing name
- The first business to lawfully secure and operate under that fictitious business name after it became available
This marked the beginning of the Encinitas Plumbing customers know today.
Continued Use of “Encinitas Plumbing & Drain”
Even after Encinitas Plumbing was incorporated by Mr. Sortor in June 2019, Booth continued operating under the Encinitas Plumbing & Drain name through a revived corporate entity that did not yet hold its own California contractor’s license. That contractor’s license was not issued to the corporation until November 9, 2020.
During this time:
- The two businesses were not affilitated
- The names were legally distinct
- Encinitas Plumbing operated independently, under its own license, entity, and branding
Despite the similarity of names and overlapping service areas, the two businesses operated distinctly, and customers were able to differentiate between them based on licensing status, business practices, and quality of service.
Why This Matters to Customers
For customers, business names, licenses and corporate filings are not abstract legal concepts — they are how trust is formed.
Homeowners reasonably rely on business names, contractor licenses, websites, and online listings to determine who they are hiring and whether a company is properly licensed. Here, any potential confusion stemmed from the subsequent revival and renaming of corporate entities to closely resemble an already-registered business, rather than from independent or simultaneous adoption of similar names.
During the period described above:
- Multiple plumbing businesses operated in the same region using closely related names
- Contractor licenses, business entities, and branding did not always align in a way that was visible to the public
- Customers had no practical way to determine whether those businesses were affiliated successor entities or entirely separate companies
Encinitas Plumbing has always operated under its own license, legal entity, and branding, and has never been affiliated with Encinitas Plumbing & Drain. Any questions that later arose were attributable to post-registration, corporate changes and name reuse, not to any lack of distinction in how Encinitas Plumbing operated.
This context is important, because it explains how misunderstandings arose, why questions later surfaced, and why accurate public records — rather than rumors or assumptions — matter when evaluating what actually occurred.
2021 Litigation and Its Outcome
In 2021, Booth initiated litigation against Encinitas Plumbing and its owner, asserting a series of claims related to the use of the Encinitas Plumbing name and alleged business interference.
Among the allegations asserted in the lawsuit were claims that Encinitas Plumbing and its owner had engaged in fraudulent conduct, including accusations that business registrations, name filings, and corporate formation were improper or unlawfully obtained.
The causes of action asserted included, among others:
- Trademark and/or trade name infringement
- Unfair competition
- Business interference—related claims
- Claims arising from the historical use of the name “Encinitas Plumbing & Drain”
These claims were presented to a federal court and fully litigated.
In February 2022, a United States District Court Judge dismissed the case with prejudice, bringing the matter to a final conclusion. A dismissal with prejudice means the claims were rejected on their merits and cannot be refiled.
The court’s dismissal rejected all allegations asserted in the complaint, including claims of fraud. No ownership rights to the Encinitas Plumbing name were awarded, and the litigation did not invalidate Encinitas Plumbing’s corporate formation, fictitious business name filings, or lawful use of the name.
Referral Practices and Industry Context (2007-2011)
During the mid-to-late 2000s, it was common in the local plumbing industry for certain service calls — particularly drain work — to be referred externally rather than handled in-house.
During this period, Plotke Plumbing referred drain calls to outside operators. Individuals including Clara and Ernie Sanchez were associated with those referral practices, and Susanne Holle was employed by Plotke Plumbing at that time.
These referrals occurred independently of any business later formed under the Encinitas Plumbing name.
This historical context is relevant because it helps explain how certain operators continued to receive drain work during periods when licensing and business name compliance would later become an issue.
Addressing Recent Misinformation
In recent years, public allegations have circulated suggesting that Encinitas Plumbing obtained its name through forged or fraudulent filings.
These allegations are not new. Claims of fraud were explicitly raised and litigated in federal court during the 2021 lawsuit and were dismissed with prejudice in February 2022.
Those accusations are unsupported by any court finding and are directly contradicted by public records, state filings, and the outcome of the 2021—2022 federal litigation.
Encinitas Plumbing’s corporate formation and name registration were conducted lawfully, transparently, and in accordance with California law during a period when the Encinitas Plumbing name was available for registration.
Availability of the Encinitas Plumbing Name in 2019
Public records indicate that the prior fictitious business name registration associated with the Encinitas plumbing name expired in January 2019. From that point until the formation of Encinitas Plumbing as a California corporation. In June 2019, no individual or entity held an active county fictitious business name registration for Encinitas Plumbing. The name was therefore available for lawful registration under California law at the time Encinitas Plumbing was formed.
Current Business Status
As of the time of publication, Encinitas Plumbing operates as:
- A properly registered California Corporation
- A fully licensed California plumbing contractor, operating in full compliance and in good standing with the State of California
- A business operating under its own legal entity, license, and branding
This site exists to document verifiable facts, preserve historical context, and ensure that the public record accurately reflects how the Encinitas Plumbing name was established used over time.
Names matter in a small community. Accurate records matter just as much. This page exists simply to provide a clear timeline of how the Encinitas Plumbing name came to be associated with the current company and the work we continue to perform for homeowners throughout Encinitas and coastal North County, San Diego.
To learn more about our approach to residential service and repair plumbing in Encinitas, visit our About page.
A name carries weight. So do accurate records.
Sources and Public Records Referenced
- California Secretary of State — Corporate entity filings
- San Diego County Recorder / Clerk — Fictitious Business Name filings
- California Contractors State License Board (CSLB) — Contractor license records
- United States District Court — Case records relating to the 2021-2022 federal litigation.
- Nevada Secretary of State — Corporate entity filings
- Nevada State Contractors Board — Contractor license records
This page summarizes publicly available records and historical filings relating to the Encinitas Plumbing name. It is intended only to provide context regarding the formation of the current company and is not intended to make statements about any other past or present businesses that may have used similar names.