Last night we welcomed a full house of community members for our first in-person City Council meeting since March 17, 2020. It was a long agenda, lasting until nearly 11 p.m.! But it was great to see everyone in person and to be back in the City Council chamber after all this time.
If you tuned in, you might have noticed an empty seat on the dais due to the resignation last Friday of District 1 City Council Member Cori Schumacher. We wish Council Member Schumacher the very best and appreciate her service to the City of Carlsbad.
Next week, the City Council will discuss ways to fill this vacancy. Here is a link to a summary of options prepared by the City Attorney’s Office. In short, the City Council may decide to appoint someone to fill the remainder of the term, which expires next November, or hold a special election. Under the city’s municipal code, if someone were appointed, that person could not run for the seat for at least one year after completing the term.
The meeting July 20 will be held in person at City Hall and start at 6 p.m.
Redistricting commissioners selected
Also yesterday, the city conducted a random drawing for members of a new Independent Redistricting Commission, the group that will ultimately decide on new boundaries for City Council districts. District maps need to be updated every 10 years following the Census to make sure all districts have the same number of people. The city has four City Council districts, and the mayor is elected citywide.
|
|
We broadcasted the drawing live as Clerk Services Manager Faviola Medina did the honors, based on criteria laid out by state law and the City Council. The first commission meeting will be July 29, followed by the launch of the public engagement process in August. New district maps must be approved by next April. Read more about redistricting here.
COVID-19 Update
Case rates are in the news again lately as we begin to see the numbers creeping steadily up over the past month. With the widespread availability of vaccines, the risk of serious illness is no longer a top concern. However, it’s worth noting that COVID-19 is still out there, even as most of daily life has returned to normal.
Some increases in case numbers were expected following the July 4 weekend and general reopening of the state. At the County Board of Supervisors meeting yesterday, the public health officer gave an update on increasing COVID-19 infections, nearly doubling last month, from 1.9 cases per 100,000 people June 15 to 3.7 on July 12. Hospitalizations and ICU admissions are also increasing, although this is almost exclusively among those unvaccinated. These trends mirror what is happening nationwide, with more cases in areas with lower vaccination rates.
COVID-19 variant cases also are increasing, according to the county. Ten variants have been identified in the region, four of them having been designated as variants of concern, including the Delta variant. To date, 107 cases of the Delta variant have been reported in the region, but the county health officer explained that genetic sequencing takes a couple of weeks and is not widely done. The actual number is likely much higher, along the lines of how this variant has spread in other parts of the world.
Looking at Carlsbad’s cases, as of the last reporting period ending July 7, our weekly total of new cases was 28, compared to a month ago, when Carlsbad’s weekly total was 17.
Vaccine survey results
The county also shared the results yesterday of its second countywide survey about vaccines. Specifically, the latest survey identified the most common concerns among those reluctant to get vaccinated.
The survey identified three focus areas:
- County residents who received their first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine and are overdue for their second dose
- Residents who are hesitant about getting the vaccine because they feel they do not have enough trusted information
- San Diegans who are resistant to getting vaccinated in general
County residents who stated they were unlikely to get vaccinated were most concerned about potential side effects of the vaccines. Another common concern was the perception that vaccine development was rushed. The findings of the survey were shared with the medical community last week to better help physicians and providers address patient concerns surrounding vaccinations. You can read more about the survey results here.
Carlsbad’s newest park is taking shape
|
|
In the far northwestern part of the city, down the street from Buena Vista Elementary School and Cole Library, Buena Vista Reservoir Park is starting to take shape. You can see the latest progress in this video.
This small neighborhood park offers beautiful views to the west and includes a children’s play area, picnic tables and a trail that loops around the perimeter. The design was completed in collaboration with local residents and will honor the site’s history as home to one of the city’s oldest water reservoirs. We are planning on it opening in late summer. Read more
Carlsbad’s 40 under 40
Carlsbad is sometimes described as a retirement community – in fact, we do have a larger percentage of retirement age residents than other cities in the region. But that doesn’t mean we don’t also have a thriving community of young emerging leaders too.
|
|
The Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce just released its list of 40 leaders under 40, and I am proud not only to see all these amazing professionals get the recognition they deserve, but to see some of our very own members of Team Carlsbad made the list. You can read more about these leaders in the Carlsbad Business Journal.
Boogie Board turns 50
At the risk of making our over 40 readers feel just a little older, this week marks the 50th anniversary of the Boogie Board, invented right here in Carlsbad by Tom Morey. You can read about the anniversary celebration in this article from the Coast News. And here’s a fun article that explains how Morey came up with the different features of the Boogie Board and how it’s evolved over the years. One of our “industry clusters” (a term of art in the economic development world) in Carlsbad is action sports.
Most people know Carlsbad as the golf capital of the nation because of the strong presence of major golf companies, but many other well-known sports brands have their start right here in Carlsbad too. In all we have about 2,500 jobs related to action sports with an average salary of $103,000. In the past 10 years, these companies have filed 1,728 patents! See a map of action sports companies on our Life in Action website.
Look for more news later this week in our This Week in Carlsbad recap. Until then, stay safe, stay connected and continue to #Care4Carlsbad!
Scott Chadwick
City Manager
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
