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The last City Council meeting of the year was held this week, covering several topics important to the community, including one in particular that will be music to your ears. Today I will share more on that plus these updates:

• Help us curb graffiti
• Calling more attention to Palomar Airport quiet hours
• Why we audit our books every year
• Trail of the week perfect for walking and wheels
• Where road work is happening next week
• Keeping pets safe over the holidays
• Regional roles set for 2024
• City holiday schedule

More TGIF Concerts in 2024

The City of Carlsbad will host nine free summer concerts in 2024, following the City Council’s review of the 2023 season and feedback from community members. The city will also make security improvements based on best practices for major public events, following recommendations from Carlsbad’s Police Chief. 

The city began offering the TGIF Concerts in the Parks in 1986, then called TGIF Jazz in the Parks, making it the longest running city-sponsored concert series in the region. 

Following the pandemic, prices for vendors and supplies increased significantly. After receiving cost information in late 2022, the city decided to pare back the number of concerts from nine to six in 2023 and re-evaluate the path forward before the 2024 season.

You can read more about this decision on our website. A big thank you to everyone who provided feedback. You can see what everyone had to say in the public input report.

Help us curb graffiti

If you are seeing more graffiti in Carlsbad, you are not alone. Reports of graffiti in November were up 52% over this time last year. Historically, we see more graffiti in November, when it gets dark earlier and schools are on Thanksgiving break. But this November we saw an even bigger increase.

The good news is that we have crews on standby who can respond quickly to remove graffiti on public property, like streets, sidewalks and traffic signs. But we need your help. Please report graffiti you see right away. 

If you see graffiti on public property:

• Call the city’s 24-hour graffiti removal hotline at 442-339-2990
• Download our Carlsbad Connects app or use the version on the city’s website
• We normally are able to take care of it within one to two business days, but that could be longer given the recent increase

If your property is vandalized with graffiti:

• Call the Carlsbad Police non-emergency number, 442-339-2197, available 24/7.
• The Police Department will come and photograph the graffiti. It can be hard to identify suspects if there are no witnesses, but it is helpful to know about all cases. We add each one to a tracking app that could identify patterns that can help us find the perpetrators.  
• Private property owners are responsible for getting rid of the graffiti, but some homeowner’s insurance policies will cover the costs.

Deterring graffiti

Experts agree one of the best ways to prevent graffiti is to quickly remove it when it occurs. Other tips are similar to how you would deter other property crimes – like installing security lights (these could be motion activated) and having visible security cameras in place.

Graffiti is, in fact, a crime. Depending on the amount of property damage, fines range from $1,000 to $50,000 plus jail time. Judges may also order perpetrators to pay for the damage or order their parents to pay if the perpetrator is under 18.

The city appreciates your help in keeping our community graffiti free.

Gaining cooperation with Palomar Airport “quiet hours”

Last week, the City Council voted to authorize the Mayor to contact pilots directly if they do not honor Palomar-McClellan Airport’s voluntary quiet hours.

What’s this all about?

Even though the airport is in the City of Carlsbad, it is owned and operated by the County of San Diego. And, although the county operates the airport, it does not have the authority to restrict takeoff and landing times. That’s up to the Federal Aviation Administration, which also regulates the size of planes landing at the airport and how many planes use the airport. This is why the quiet hours are voluntary.

What are the hours?

In an effort to minimize aircraft noise impacts on the community, the county established a Voluntary Noise Abatement Program that includes, among other things, voluntary nighttime quiet hours for arrivals and departures:

• 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. for jets
• Midnight to 6 a.m. for propeller aircraft

How are pilots notified?

If a pilot does not honor to the voluntary quiet hours, the county sends a letter explaining the program and asking them to comply in the future.

Starting next year, the City of Carlsbad will obtain information from the county on all pilots who do not honor the quiet hours and send a follow-up letter from Mayor Keith Blackburn. The letter will remind pilots how overnight noise affects nearby residents and urge them to follow the voluntary quiet hours. We hope this added encouragement and appeal to honor the peace and quiet of nearby residents will help impress upon pilots the importance of established quiet hours.

What can I do?

The airport has a noise office dedicated to tracking noise complaints and educating pilots about how to minimize noise. They put out a monthly report listing data on airport activity, including how many planes disregarded the quiet hours. You can contact this office anytime if you have questions or concerns about airport noise.

You can also report any violation you might observe. Here’s how:

1.     With the airport’s WebTrack portal, you can find the flight and click to instantly report the issue (a tutorial at the top left of the screen guides you through the process). 

2.     Call the noise office at 760-966-3288

3.     Send a letter to:

Community Relations/Noise Office

McClellan-Palomar Airport

2192 Palomar Airport Road

Carlsbad, CA 92011

Go through an audit every year? Yes, please!

Our city budget details where the money comes from to fund city services and the spending plan for that money in the year ahead. And while the budget gets a lot of attention, there is actually another annual financial document that is equally important – our annual financial report.

We were recently notified by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada that our fiscal year 2021-22 annual financial report was awarded the Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the 30^th year in a row.

• We are particularly proud of this award because it recognizes not only sound financial management practices, but emphasizes the importance of transparency and accessibility.
• In other words, they want agencies to present information that is direct, complete and easy to understand. We want that too!
• Preparing the report includes an independent audit, the results of which are also included in the report. 

Trail of the week perfect for walking and wheels

One of the best things about our 67-mile citywide trail system is the diversity of experiences the different trails provide. This week’s feature is a hidden gem that runs along the railroad tracks between Tamarack Avenue and Oak Avenue in the Village and Barrio area.

• It’s officially part of the regional Coastal Rail Trail, a planned continuous bike route that will run approximately 42 miles between Oceanside and Santa Fe Depot in Downtown San Diego.
• The Coastal Rail Trail was initially planned in the mid-1990s and is being constructed in segments by SANDAG and the various cities it travels through.
• The initial plan was that the entire trail would follow the railroad tracks, but over the years, costs and environmental concerns shifted some parts of the route away from the tracks and onto side streets. 

In addition to providing access to natural open spaces, the city’s trail network is intended to connect neighborhoods with each other and with services. This way, people can easily walk or ride a bike instead of driving to nearby locations if they want to.

• This trail can be used as a shortcut between Tamarack and the Village, away from noisy cars, stop signs and traffic signals, although you will see an occasional train pass by.
• The path is totally flat, wide and paved, making it a great place to take the kids.
• Don’t worry, there is a tall fence between the trail and the railroad tracks. 

Parking and access

Street parking is available along Tamarack, Chestnut and Oak, which is where trailheads are located.

Where the road work is happening

Speaking of the Coastal Rail Trail, one of the projects you’ll see on our citywide construction map is another segment of the Coastal Rail Trail along Avenida Encinas. 

The project includes:

• Adding buffers to bike lanes, adding crosswalks plus narrowing vehicle lanes to reduce speeding.
• The current segment from Carlsbad Boulevard to the Poinsettia Coaster Station should be done next summer.

Here’s more information about major projects underway and the map of projects in the field next week. Remember, the map only shows city construction projects, so private projects or work by local utilities won’t be noted there.

Keeping pets safe over the holidays

Holidays can create hidden dangers around the house for furry family members. The City of Carlsbad partners with the San Diego Humane Society to provide animal services, and they’ve asked us to share some common holiday dangers and how to help keep your pets safe.

Here are just a few of the things to look out for:

Wrapped presents. Keep any presents containing food (particularly chocolate), dog treats or dog toys out of reach. Dogs can sniff them out and tear into them. 

Holiday foods. Foods like chocolate, bread dough, grapes, raisins and fruitcake can cause digestive problems in pets and alcohol can be toxic. Keep them out of reach.

Toxic plants. Amaryllis, Christmas cactus, Christmas rose, evergreens, holly, ivy, juniper, lilies, mistletoe and poinsettias can also be toxic to pets if eaten. Call your vet or Animal Poison Control at 888-426-4435.

Open doors. Holiday distractions and visitors make it easier for pets to slip out. Make sure your pets are wearing current ID tags with your phone number and that their microchip information is up to date.

See the full list on the Humane Society’s website.

Regional roles set for 2024

City Council decided Tuesday to keep existing assignments for the Mayor Pro Tem position, City Council committees, and the boards of regional agencies that handle issues such as public transit, water and public safety. The Mayor Pro Tem stands in for the mayor when he is unavailable.

It’s a long list, which highlights the many regional and statewide issues our City Council members are involved in to ensure the interests of our community are well represented. You’ll often hear City Council members reporting out on developments from these assignments at the end of the City Council meetings.

2024 City Council meeting schedule

This week was our last City Council meeting of the calendar year. Here’s a handy link with all of the regular City Council meetings for 2024 marked, plus city holidays.

On the topic of holidays, city offices will be open through the holidays except Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. I will share a full holiday service schedule next week.

Finally, please note, next Tuesday, our Faraday Administration Center and Carlsbad Municipal Water District buildings will be opening an hour late, at 9 a.m.

I hope you have a great rest of your week, and I’ll be back next week with the latest city news and some fun facts about the year in review. 

Scott Chadwick

City Manager