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Earth Day and clean waterways

Keeping our ocean, lagoons and creeks clean is one of the best ways to protect our environment and keep our community healthy, on Earth Day and every day. Carlsbad beaches are among the cleanest in San Diego County and our city staff work hard to keep them that way.

Many people don’t realize that everything they put on their driveways, in their gardens and on the street will eventually make its way to our beautiful lagoons and ocean.

Preventing runoff at home

Pollutants such as fertilizer, trash and chemicals can flow from driveways or yards into storm drains and end up in our watershed (and eventually our lagoons and the ocean). Here are a few steps you can take to protect our waterways, starting at your own home.

(“Watersheds" are land areas that drain water through streams, lakes and rivers to a common low point – usually the ocean.)

• Make sure sprinklers are watering your yard, not the sidewalks
• Don’t overwater your yard
• Use nontoxic or natural products for pest or weed control
• Always pick up after your pets
• Sweep instead of hosing down your driveway
• Take your car to the carwash, where water is recirculated, instead of washing it at home

Help remove litter at the Creek to Bay cleanup

This Saturday, you can help the City of Carlsbad and I Love a Clean San Diego remove 30,000 pounds of litter in a single day at the 21st Annual Creek to Bay Cleanup.

We’re still seeking volunteers to join a cleanup at 2711 Haymar Drive (east of El Camino Real, next to the Buena Vista Creek Ecological Reserve) or at other locations throughout the region. Or you can stay close to your home and collect litter on your own in your neighborhood.

Learn more on the event website.

Bike parking made easy at Village Earth Day events

The Carlsbad Village Association is hosting several Earth Day events this weekend, and the City of Carlsbad is teaming up with the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition to offer bike valet service at no cost to attendees.

What’s a bike valet? It’s the same as valet parking for your car, except it’s just for bikes. Just ride up to our valet station, and someone from the bike coalition will make sure your bike is safe and sound while you enjoy the day’s festivities. 

How it’ll work:

• Ride your bike or e-bike (don’t forget your helmet!) to Barrio Glassworks, which has opened its parking lot at 3060 Roosevelt St. for the bike valet service.
• Check in your bike and helmet with the San Diego Bike Coalition.
• There will be a bike corral for security and bike racks for bikes without kickstands.
• Enjoy Makers Market, the Creek to Bay cleanup or Eclectic Lawn music series in the Village.
• Check out your bike by 6 p.m. and take advantage of a bike inspection from Pedego Carlsbad to make sure your bike is functioning properly and safely. 

Earth Day Bike Valet

Saturday, April 22, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

3060 Roosevelt St.

Carlsbad, CA 92008

As you prepare for your bike ride, remember these traffic safety tips:

Bikes

• Wear a helmet. Helmets dramatically reduce the risk of serious head injuries.
• The same rules that apply to drivers apply to you – ride in the same direction as traffic, obey all traffic lights and signs.
• Use the bike lane if one is available unless turning or passing. 
• Stop for pedestrians.  

E-bikes

• E-bikes follow the same rules of the road as pedal-powered bikes.
• Only e-bikes with seats specifically made for passengers may have someone ride on the back.
• Brush up on Carlsbad-specific rules for e-bikes.

Prescription Drug Take-Back Day

This Saturday, April 22, is National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, a twice-a-year event created by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to give people a safe way to dispose of unneeded or expired prescription drugs, including opioids, with no questions asked.

Carlsbad residents can dispose of their unwanted or expired medication at a special event this Saturday.

Saturday, April 22

10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Safety Training Center

5750 Orion St.

Not only is this a safety precaution, it helps the environment too. That’s because sewage treatment plants aren’t designed to filter out all the compounds found in medications, meaning when the treated sewage is released into the ocean, the residuals of medication can harm marine life.

If you can’t make it Saturday, the City of Carlsbad also offers a year-round Prescription Drug Drop Box at the Police & Fire Headquarters at 2560 Orion Way.

Recognizing 12 green businesses

Continuing our Earth Month theme, the city reached a new milestone this week with our Carlsbad Green Business Program, which helps local businesses protect the environment and save money at the same time.  

This week, the Carlsbad City Council recognized 12 newly certified green businesses that have taken steps to implement green business practices. That more than doubles the number of businesses participating since the program launched.

The steps to become certified vary for each business, but can include things like replacing old lightbulbs with energy-efficient LED's, switching to non-toxic cleaning products or purchasing recycled-content office supplies.

If you own a small- or mid-sized business, I encourage you to check out the program. It’s free to get certified and every little action helps make our community more sustainable. On behalf of the city, congratulations to these newly certified green businesses:

• Au Savon de Provence
• AVO Café
• City of Carlsbad Parks and Recreation Department Pine Community Center
• Dancin Soul Boutique
• Develop Your Team
• GelatoLove – Carlsbad Village
• GelatoLove – Tasting Room & Kitchen
• Morrison Insurance Services
• Mylene Merlo
• Solatube International – Cousteau
• Solatube International – Oak Ridge
• Wiegand Realty

Police transparency goes above and beyond

At this week’s City Council meeting, the City of Carlsbad Police Department shared two presentations designed to increase transparency about police practices.

The first was an annual report on certain types of equipment used by our officers.

The second was an annual report on the perceived demographic characteristics of people stopped by our officers. Specifically, officers document the race, gender and other demographic characteristics they perceive a person to have, and then that data is compiled and compared to the demographic make-up of our population.

Both are in response to new state requirements designed to increase transparency and accountability for law enforcement. I am proud of our Police Department for not only filing thorough reports but for presenting them to the City Council and the public, using easy to understand charts, tables and graphs.

We also maintain a web page with Police Department policies, procedures and training that you can review anytime.

As Police Chief Mickey Williams said Tuesday, public trust is an essential component of effective policing. 

SR-78 closure and traffic update

Caltrans crews continue to work 24/7 on emergency repairs to State Route 78, repairing underground culverts damaged by this winter’s heavy rains. Thankfully, the weather has been cooperating the last couple of weeks, allowing for substantial progress. The eastbound lanes between El Camino Real and College Boulevard are expected to remain closed for another couple of weeks.

Because of the closure, traffic has been impacted on several city streets, particularly along Carlsbad Village Drive, between El Camino Real and College Boulevard.

What Carlsbad is doing

We understand this increase in traffic and congestion is frustrating, and we’re grateful for everyone’s patience and commitment to driving safely.

• While Caltrans crews continue their work, we’ve taken some steps to help ease the congestion as much as we can.
• Our traffic team is working closely with Caltrans and our neighboring cities, meeting at least once a week to coordinate our efforts and keep things moving.
• We’ve synced the timing of our traffic signals with the signals that Caltrans operates at the freeway on and off ramps to help traffic move a little more easily.
• We also adjusted the timing of green lights to help move some of the bypass traffic through more quickly and help alleviate congestion. For instance, to help traffic move through the intersection of Carlsbad Village Drive and College Boulevard, we more than doubled the amount of time the left turn arrow is green, from 20 seconds to 45 seconds.

We’ll still see heavy traffic during the remainder of the closure, even with these improvements, so please remember to stay alert and drive safely.

• Leave extra time to get where you need to go. Remember, speeding is one of the main causes of collisions in Carlsbad.
• Eliminate distractions and put your phone away.
• Look out for and yield to pedestrians.
• Share the road with cyclists. Give them the space they need to ride safely.

View real-time traffic and road closure information on the Caltrans website. Use the drop-down menu to select what you want to see.

Learn to DJ (or just dance) at Dove Library

If you always wanted to learn to DJ, or just want to be the hit of your next family get together, we’ve got two special events happening this Saturday at Dove Library.

The first is a free interactive workshop Saturday afternoon with Avenida Music, a Southern California band and DJ service founded by four brothers who live in the Coachella Valley. The workshop will explore the history of DJing, how it has evolved over the years and how you can spin your favorite tracks. 

DJ Workshop with Avenida Music

Saturday, April 22

Noon to 1:30 p.m.

Carlsbad City Library

1775 Dove Lane

On Saturday night, Avenida Music’s Josiah Gonzalez will spin discs at a first-time-ever dance in the library’s Ann Kulchin Courtyard. Enjoy a night under the stars with a soundtrack of familiar hit songs and dance classics.

Dance at the Dove

Saturday, April 22

6 to 9 p.m.; family hour, 6 to 7 p.m.

Carlsbad City Library

1775 Dove Lane

Meet the Author event

Our Carlsbad Reads Together and National Library Week celebration is continuing with special programming throughout the month, including a virtual meet the author event next Thursday, April 27.

At the event, author Francisco Cantú will discuss his book "The Line Becomes a River" – our adult book selection for Carlsbad Reads Together – followed by an audience Q&A.

An Evening with Francisco Cantú

Thursday, April 27

6 p.m.

FREE virtual event

Register now

Get involved: Upcoming meetings

The next City Council meeting will take place Tuesday, May 9, starting at 5 p.m. in the City Council Chamber. A link to the full agenda and staff reports will be available on the city’s website no later than Friday, May 5.

These city meetings are scheduled to take place next week.

• April 26, 1 p.m. – Carlsbad Golf Lodging Business Improvement District Advisory Board
• April 26, 1 p.m. – Carlsbad Tourism Business Improvement District Advisory Board
• April 26, 4 p.m. – Library Board of Trustees

That’s all for this week, Carlsbad! As always, thank you for reading and for all you do to make Carlsbad the special place it is. If you’re heading out to enjoy one of this weekend’s events, please remember to take care and look out for each other on the road.

Scott Chadwick