This week, in addition to sharing the latest on our still-improving COVID-19 numbers, I’ll update you on the following news happening this week in Carlsbad:
- Decision on new housing sites will come after impacts are analyzed
- Carlsbad on track with habitat goals
- By phone or by app, we’re here to serve
- New I-5 carpool lanes open on I-5
- Holiday city service schedule
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Topics for upcoming public meetings
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COVID-19 update
As of yesterday, Californians are no longer required to wear a mask in most indoor locations (unless individual jurisdictions have stricter rules). COVID-19 cases are back to where they were in December, which is still considered widespread. However, high vaccination rates coupled with the less serious Omicron variant are being cited as reasons why some health precautions are no longer required.
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- 81.1% of eligible county residents are fully vaccinated
- 53.7% of eligible county residents have received a booster shot
The county is urging everyone who is eligible for a booster to get one now. With mask requirements changing, the chance of spread is higher in indoor settings. Even though the Omicron variant has resulted in a lower percentage of hospitalizations and deaths, overall the chance of being hospitalized with COVID-19 is three times as high for those who are not vaccinated compared to those fully vaccinated and boosted. Also, health experts stress that slowing the spread helps reduce the chances of additional mutations to the virus and the potential for a more serious variant emerging.
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You can see all the latest data in the county’s COVID-19 Watch report that came out yesterday.
The county also released an update on flu cases, which are up from 26 last week to 34 this week. So far there have been two influenza-related deaths in the county this season. Many of the same precautions that protect against COVID-19 spread also prevent the spread of influenza viruses, including getting vaccinated and staying away from people who are sick.
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Decision on new housing sites will come after impacts are analyzed
The Carlsbad City Council decided Tuesday to study the environmental impacts of potential new housing locations before narrowing down potential sites. This will take about a year, with a draft report expected in early 2023 for public review.
- The City Council made this decision Tuesday, as part of an overall plan to meet the community’s housing needs, which is required under state law.
- Every eight years, the state, via our regional association of governments, tells cities how many homes they must plan for to accommodate people of varying income levels.
Over 1,000 people provided input on potential sites for new housing, many concerned about how sites near them would affect traffic and the overall quality of life in their neighborhoods. Traffic is one of the things that will be studied in the environmental impact analysis. To provide the City Council and community flexibility and options in determining the best sites to accommodate Carlsbad’s housing needs, two maps will be included in the environmental analysis.
What to know
- The city doesn’t build housing; private developers do. However, state law requires that cities show enough land is available and zoned for the kind of housing required by the state.
- The state specifically requires land zoned for apartments and condos, not just single-family homes. That’s because apartments and condos tend to be more affordable.
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Carlsbad on track with habitat goals
Over the past year, the City of Carlsbad and its environmental partners protected nearly 6,200 acres of habitat preserves facing threats from erosion, flooding, illegal trespassing, wildfires, landscaping practices at adjacent properties, and non-native plants and animals that could harm sensitive species.
Why this matters
- The City of Carlsbad has set aside a significant amount of land as natural open space, which is consistently a top community priority.
- Some of this open space is part of a system of habitat preserves, which have strict rules about upkeep to ensure sensitive plant and animal species can thrive.
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By app or by phone, city is here for you
The City of Carlsbad prides itself on providing a high level of customer service. Not only are staff on hand to take calls five days a week, but residents have the option to communicate via the city’s app.
If you prefer to call, over the coming weeks you may be notified that the number has changed. Don’t worry; you will still be connected to the department you were trying to reach. If you’re calling a specific employee, you’ll be asked to enter their last name to get the new number.
We are rolling out an updated phone system that will make taking and routing calls simpler and help make sure people get to the right staff member quickly and easily.
The new numbers will be on our website. You can also just dial the number you already have then jot down the new number once you’re connected. This rerouting feature will be in place for six months to ease the transition.
The city’s 24-hour non-emergency police dispatch phone number will remain the same: 760-931-2197.
Online reporting app
CarlsbadConnects is an app where you can report things that need attention around town like potholes, traffic light outages and code enforcement issues so they can be addressed quickly.
- CarlsbadConnects works on your desktop or through an app you can download to your phone. You can submit service requests anonymously or create a free account where you can track progress and see what other people have reported.
- In 2021, 436 requests were submitted through CarlsbadConnects, reporting everything from tilting stop signs to sidewalk cracks.
- The most popular requests, about 22%, were for street repairs like fixing cracks or potholes forming. Once reported, those repairs were done in an average of 2.1 days.
- About 16% were people reporting streetlight outages. Those were typically fixed in less than 2 days.
- Only 3% were people reporting graffiti. The average turnaround for those repairs was less than a day.
I encourage you to download the app if you haven’t already (and if you downloaded our first-generation app, please delete it before installing the new one). Here is what it will look like:
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You can take a photo to report something that needs fixing and mark the location on a map. You can also make crime reports, sign up for classes and camps, see a real-time traffic map of city streets, and see the latest city headlines and events.
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New carpool lane opened
In case you missed it, a new northbound carpool lane opened this week on Interstate 5 up to Palomar Airport Road. The project, called Build NCC (this stands for north coast corridor) is a collaboration between the California Department of Transportation, the San Diego Association of Governments, and the cities of Carlsbad, Solana Beach and Encinitas.
- The project includes extending I-5 carpool lanes in both directions from Solana Beach to State Route 78, along with other coastal projects including rail double-tracking, restoring the San Elijo Lagoon and building seven miles of new bike lanes.
- On Tuesday, traffic started flowing on the new northbound carpool lane between Lomas Santa Fe Drive in Solana Beach and Palomar Airport Road.
- The southbound carpool lane through the same area is expected to open in about three weeks.
- Crews are now working on extending carpool lanes from Palomar Airport Road to State Route 78. That construction is projected to end in 2023.
If you are ever wondering about construction activities on this part of I-5, you can sign up for weekly construction updates put out by SANDAG.
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Presidents Day city service schedule
City offices in Carlsbad will be closed on Monday, Feb. 21, in observance of the Presidents Day holiday. A full holiday schedule for city services is listed below:
- City offices: Closed
- Emergency services: Regular service
- Trash pickup: Regular service, no delay
- City pools: Alga Norte, 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. (regular hours); Monroe Street, 3 to 7 p.m. (temporarily reduced hours.)
- Libraries and Cultural Art locations: Closed
- Community centers: Closed
- Senior Center: Regular hours; no meal service
- Leo Carrillo Ranch: Regular hours, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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Transit: For the holiday transit schedule, please visit www.gonctd.com or call 5-1-1
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Get involved: Upcoming meetings
The next City Council is meeting is Feb. 22 at 3 p.m. This will be the last virtual meeting before returning to in-person meetings in March. Here are the topics scheduled to be discussed:
- A contract to update the city’s IT support software
- A proposed Chick-Fil-A restaurant on Avenida Encinas north of Palomar Airport Road
- The county’s new One Safe Place, a one-stop resource for victims of domestic violence, stalking and other family crimes soon to open in the North County
- The annual work plan for the city’s Housing Commission
- A quarterly update on progress in the city’s goal to reduce homelessness in Carlsbad
- A contract for the firm handling regular financial auditing services for the city
- An update on the timing for a ballot measure that will ask Carlsbad voters if they approve of the city spending more than $1 million of existing general fund money to renovate the Monroe Street Pool
Here’s a link to the page where the full agenda will be posted no later than Friday.
Two other city meetings are also happening next week, including the final public hearing on City Council district boundaries.
- Feb. 17, 6 p.m. – Independent Redistricting Commission Public Hearing #4
- Feb. 23, 4 p.m. – Library Board of Trustees
Here is a link to the Independent Redistricting Commission agenda packet, which includes the maps being considered. Please consider watching the meeting and providing input to the commission. The independent commission will make the final decision, without involvement from the City Council. These new maps will be in effect for this November’s election.
That’s all for today. I hope everyone enjoys the holiday weekend, and I’ll be back next Thursday with more updates.
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Fun things to do
Quick Links
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CarlsbadConnects app is an easy way to report things that need repair or attention around town, like potholes, sidewalk cracks, traffic light outages, graffiti and code enforcement issues. Submit service requests anonymously or create a free account where you can track progress and see what other people have reported.
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