View as Webpage

News from the City of Carlsbad | April 10, 2025

With spring well underway, it’s the perfect time to get outside and enjoy everything our community has to offer. In this week’s update, I’ll highlight some of the ways you can make the most of Carlsbad’s great outdoors, including:

• Visiting a trail that offers rolling hills and sweeping views
• Keeping your eyes peeled for our latest species in the spotlight
• Participating in a program to connect through gardening

I’ll also share a behind-the-scenes video of the construction of our newest recycled water tank, which is nearing completion.

Here’s today’s full lineup:

• New storage tank expands Carlsbad’s recycled water capacity
• Featured trail: Robertson Ranch East
• Spring species spotlight: Western monarch butterfly
• A quick refresher on the city’s sign rules
• Meet Carlsbad Reads Together author Julia Alvarez
• Dig into our Grow Your Garden program
• Community events and activities
• What’s on the agenda for your next City Council meeting

New storage tank expands Carlsbad’s recycled water capacity 

The Carlsbad Municipal Water District is wrapping up work on a new 1.5 million gallon recycled water tank that will expand the city’s recycled water capacity.  

If you’re often in the area near Poinsettia Lane and Black Rail Road, you’ve likely seen an increase in construction activity while the new tank was being built. This is Carlsbad’s fourth recycled water tank. If you haven’t seen it yet, this video will give you a behind-the-scenes look at the construction process from the ground up. 

Crews are putting the finishing touches on now, including final paving around the tank, and construction is expected to be complete in the next few weeks. 

Carlsbad city leaders have long been actively involved in water issues, establishing Carlsbad as a leader in water conservation and recycled water. 

• Last year, we delivered nearly one billion gallons of recycled water to HOAs, golf courses and others who need water for non-drinking purposes. 
• Recycled water is also supplied to many of our city parks, median strips, shopping areas and freeway landscaping.
• Each gallon of recycled water used saves a gallon of drinking water.  
• We deliver more recycled water per capita than any other city in our region except for San Diego. 

You can learn more about how we use recycled water on the city’s website.  

Upcoming city construction 

The new recycled water tank is just one of our city construction projects now underway in Carlsbad. Our construction map is updated weekly to show where big city projects are taking place, including the widening project along El Camino Real between College Avenue and Jackspar Drive that will affect traffic.

• The northbound lanes through this area may be temporarily reduced to one lane for a couple of days while crews set up a concrete barrier to separate traffic from construction.
• After the barrier is in place, the existing two northbound car lanes in the area will remain open during construction.

Featured trail: Robertson Ranch East

As I mentioned last month, community volunteers recently helped complete some maintenance and improvements at the Robertson Ranch East trail. With that in mind, I thought I’d tell you a little more about it in case you want to visit. 

• In all, the mostly dirt trail spans 1.6 miles, though to do all of it you’ll have to double back, as you’ll see in the map.
• The trailhead can be accessed from several neighborhoods, but the best starting location with parking is near Fire Station #3 at 3465 Trailblazer Way.
• Some parts can include steep climbs, but others are mostly flat and great for birdwatching.

The trail begins and ends in neighborhoods, but in between you can descend into a canyon that’s part of a nature preserve.

The vegetation in the open space of the creek area includes riparian scrub and marsh. Trees commonly found in this wetland community are willow and cottonwood and support the overall ecological functions of the watershed. 

The watershed eventually connects to the Agua Hedionda Lagoon to the south and west, supporting unique avian fauna, flora and aquatic species specific to California coastal lagoons.

Watch this video for a tour of the trail with our trail captain.

Also, each spring we do see an increase of rattlesnakes and bees on trails. Before you head out, please visit our website for trail safety tips.

Spring species spotlight: Western monarch butterfly

With wildflowers blooming across Carlsbad, spring is a busy season for pollinators like the black-and-orange Western monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus).

Monarch butterflies are known for their beauty, but there’s a lot more to them than meets the eye.

• Monarch wings are covered in scales, which make them aerodynamic. They flap their wings about 5 to 12 times a second.
• The bright colors on a monarch’s wings act as a warning sign to deter hungry predators.
• Monarchs have tiny taste sensors on their feet, helping them find nectar and water.
• Monarch caterpillars eat only milkweed plants, making them toxic to predators.
• Monarch caterpillars can grow to be 2,700 times their original weight.
• As adult butterflies, monarchs can feed on a variety of plant species.

Monarch butterflies—along with other pollinators like native bees, flies, moths and beetles—are crucial to our ecosystems, supporting native plants and crops that make our region healthy and beautiful.



Western monarchs are famous for migrating to the California coast from October to late February to spend the winter in eucalyptus, pines and cypress trees. Now, come spring, monarchs spread across interior California and other western states to breed in areas with milkweed (Asclepias spp.), a plant that’s essential to monarch populations. 

Though monarch numbers have declined dramatically in recent decades, efforts in Carlsbad, across California and nationwide are helping to protect and restore critical habitats that support this beloved insect.

The City of Carlsbad’s ongoing habitat protection efforts are critical to protecting pollinators like the Western monarch butterfly. By supporting a balanced ecosystem, we’re helping to keep our planet healthy – a key goal in the City Council’s 5-Year Strategic Plan.

Visit our website to learn how to protect monarchs and other pollinators. 

A quick refresher on the city’s sign rules 

Spring is typically a time of year when more Carlsbad homes are put up for sale, leading to more open houses and the directional signs guiding people to them. The increased number of open houses has prompted some questions about our sign laws and how we enforce them.

We have rules in place to limit signs to help maintain our community character, protect public safety and support free speech on private property.

Too many signs can create visual clutter in our community and make important traffic and safety signs harder to see. Signs placed in the public right-of-way can also block sidewalks and create a hazard.

Here’s a quick recap of the City of Carlsbad’s sign ordinance and how it relates to real estate signs:  

• Real estate signs in Carlsbad are allowed on private property with the permission of the owner.
• They are not allowed on public property, including streets, sidewalks and the city's "right-of-way,” which typically extends about 10 feet inward from the curb. 
• The ordinance applies to all kinds of commercial signs, including real estate signs, campaign signs, A-frames and more. (By law, we can’t allow some types of signs on public property and not others.)
• City staff will pick up signs in the right of way. Real estate agents can retrieve them by scheduling an appointment with our Code Enforcement Division at 442-339-2703.

Learn more about city real estate sign rules on our website.

Meet the Carlsbad Reads Together author Julia Alvarez

If you’ve started reading our 2025 Carlsbad Reads Together book selection, “The Cemetery of Untold Stories,” you may already have a sense of the unique storytelling abilities of author Julia Alvarez. The book follows Alma, a retired author and teacher, who inherits land in the Dominican Republic and creates a cemetery for her unfinished manuscripts and notes.

Alvarez has spent her career writing novels, poems, non-fiction and young adult books, and was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2013 for her contributions to literature. You can meet her and hear more about “The Cemetery of Untold Stories” at a special author event on April 24.

Julia Alvarez Author Talk

Thursday, April 24, 6 p.m.

Carlsbad City Library on Dove Lane

1775 Dove Lane

Visit our website to learn more about Carlsbad Reads Together and related events and activities.  

Dig into our Grow Your Garden program

If you’re looking to improve your gardening skills and add new plants to your collection, the Carlsbad City Library's Grow Your Garden program can help. Held on the second Saturday of each month, the program allows gardeners in our community to connect as well as:

• Swap succulents, seeds, fruit, vegetables and herbs with your neighbors
• Learn new gardening techniques from local experts

This Saturday, we’re featuring a workshop on "Maximizing Planting Potential" with Greg Reese, the farm manager at Fox Point Farms in Encinitas. Greg focuses on growing organic food using methods that restore and improve the land, like rainwater harvesting and no-till market gardening (a method that minimizes soil disruption).

Grow Your Garden: Maximizing Planting Potential

Saturday, April 12

10 a.m. to noon

Workshop, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Georgina Cole Library

1250 Carlsbad Village Drive

Find the full schedule of our Grow Your Garden series on the library’s website. You can also pick up free seeds through our Seed Library program, available at the public service desks at all three Carlsbad library branches.

Community events and activities

Here are some City of Carlsbad events and activities coming up soon at our libraries, community centers and the Carlsbad Senior Center.

• Cinema Club Film Friday, “Silver Linings Playbook” – Friday, April 11, 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., Dove Library
• Concert: O’side Rockers (adults 50+) – Monday, April 14, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., Carlsbad Senior Center courtyard
• Reel Wednesday, “The Firm’ – Wednesday, April 16, 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., Dove Library
• Open Studio: Fredric Hope, “Silent Storytellers” – Thursday, April 17, 2 p.m., William D. Cannon Art Gallery

Find more activities and information in our city calendar, the Senior Center’s Seaside Insider newsletter and our Spring Community Services Guide.

What's on the agenda for your next City Council meeting

The next City Council meeting is Tuesday, April 15, starting at 5 p.m. in the City Council Chamber. Topics include:

• A monthly update on how the city’s investments are performing
• Awarding a construction contract to repair and upgrade the five beach access stairways, the upper sidewalk and railings and lighting on the west side of Carlsbad Boulevard between Pine Avenue and Tamarack Avenue
• An agreement to operate the concession stand and snack bar at Alga Norte Community Park 
• Adopting an ordinance approving the Police Department’s use of what’s considered military equipment, as required by state law
• Results of the annual program to eliminate the fire hazards of dry weeds and rubbish on vacant lots around the city 
• The five-year plan for the city’s housing agency, which works to make more housing available to people with lower incomes
• Recent developments in state housing law and a report on pending state housing legislation and the city’s advocacy efforts
• An agreement with SDG&E and the owners of the former power plant site under which the city will obtain ownership of six acres of coastal property, including Cannon Park, and a lease amendment and funding to support development of a trail along the south shore of Agua Hedionda Lagoon

The agenda and staff reports are available on the city’s website.

3 easy ways to participate

1. Sign up to get agendas and staff reports emailed to you directly
2. Provide feedback via email before the meeting 
3. Sign up to speak at the meeting

… and 3 ways to watch

1. Follow the meeting live on the city's website 
2. Watch the meeting live on the city’s cable channel: Spectrum channel 24 or AT&T U-verse channel 99
3. Watch a recording of the meeting afterward (online or on our channel)

Board and commission meetings are also livestreamed on the city’s website and available to watch afterward. You can see the meeting schedule on our city calendar.

Have a great weekend!

Geoff Patnoe

City Manager