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This week, the City Council adopted a balanced budget that maintains a high level of service while setting aside money for the future and reducing ongoing spending in a variety of areas. I’ll share more on the budget below, along with these important updates:

• An update on the drought and water conservation
• Mark your calendar for summer bike safety classes
• Celebrating Carlsbad’s young artists
• Where to find wildflowers on Carlsbad trails
• New carpool lanes open on I-5
• Upcoming meetings

City Council adopts a balanced budget

Earlier this week, the City Council adopted a balanced budget for fiscal year 2023-2024, which spans from July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024.

While this milestone is not new to Carlsbad, it represents months of crunching numbers, looking ahead, making sure we’re being responsible with taxpayer money, and aligning with feedback we received from the community to create the city’s first-ever 5-year strategic plan.

Resources are not unlimited, that’s why I’m proud that the FY 23-24 budget invests in the City Council’s highest priorities, sets money aside for future infrastructure needs and reflects a call for all departments to increase efficiency and find new ways to reduce ongoing spending.

The budget maintains the city’s high level of service, which includes several programs added in recent years to address City Council priorities. These include:

• Beach lifeguard program
• Program to reduce homelessness
• Additional fire station and two additional ambulances
• Police ranger program for city parks and trails
• More pool lifeguards
• Additional parks
• Enhanced efforts to protect the environment

Last month, during the presentation of the preliminary draft budget, the City Council asked us to make some changes for the adopted FY 23-24 budget, including:

Village property business improvement district

$20,000 has been added to study a potential Carlsbad Village property business improvement district.

Lowering railroad tracks in the Village and Barrio

Staff explored several potential funding options to advance the project to lower the railroad tracks in the Village, including a federal grant program. The next phase of the project is estimated to cost $26.1 million, and $5.22 million in local funding is required to be eligible for the grant program.

On Tuesday, the City Council approved a $5.22 million appropriation from the General Fund Reserve to meet the requirement. If the grant application is not awarded, the city’s $5.22 million would be returned to the General Fund Reserve. 

An update on the drought and water conservation guidelines

After this winter’s record-breaking rain and snow, and news about statewide water use restrictions being eased, you might be wondering about the latest water rules here in Carlsbad.

At Tuesday’s meeting, the Carlsbad City Council, acting in its capacity as the Carlsbad Municipal Water District Board of Directors, decided to lift some of the water restrictions that had been in effect since June 2022. The decision moves CMWD from a Level 2 drought alert back to a Level 1, which calls for voluntary cutbacks in water use.

What it means for CMWD customers

• The limit on outdoor watering on certain days of the week has been removed. We still encourage you to run your sprinklers before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m.
• Leaks must be repaired within five days of notification from CMWD (compared to repairing leaks within 72 hours under Level 2).

This action doesn’t mean it’s time to stop conserving. Saving water will always be important in our dry climate.

The San Diego region has invested heavily in creating new water supplies, so we are not depending on any single source, like we were in the 1990s. Creating water supplies we can control locally is a big part of the strategy and Carlsbad has long been a leader in water conservation, desalination and recycled water.

We are still asking residents to take steps to save water and help make sure we’re ready to meet the needs of our community in the decades ahead. By voluntarily conserving water, Carlsbad residents have helped reduce our water use per capita by almost 48% since 2008.

Here are some easy ways to conserve:

• Only wash down paved surfaces when it’s necessary for safety or health reasons
• Make sure your sprinklers are watering landscaping, not pavement
• Wash full loads of laundry + dishes
• Turn off irrigation for 48 hours after rain

The City of Carlsbad is served by three water districts, including Olivenhain Municipal Water District in southern Carlsbad and Vallecitos Water District in southeastern Carlsbad. It’s important to check with your water district to find their current rules. If you’re not sure whether you are served by CMWD or another district, view the water district map.

Summer bike safety classes for students

Last weekend, we teamed up with the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition to host our third city cycling class, where participants got hands-on bike safety training. Thank you to everyone who joined us, including many students who came back to a school campus even though it was their first day of summer break, to learn how we can all do our part to be safe on the road.

Last week, Carlsbad Unified School District announced a new bike permit program for the 2023-24 school year. To get the program up and running, the city will host more bike safety classes for students over the summer and throughout the school year.

This is all part of the city’s response to the local traffic safety emergency, as part of the Safer Streets Together Plan approved by the City Council in September 2022.

• The city worked with all the school districts serving Carlsbad to explore creation of a certification requirement for students to ride their bikes to campus. After these initial discussions, each district decided whether to develop their own set of rules for a potential permit program.
• Several Carlsbad Police Officers completed training to become certified instructors through the League of American Bicyclists, which means they will be able to lead bike safety classes.
• As the program at Carlsbad Unified School District moves forward, the district will set and enforce the rules, and the city will help provide safety classes for students.

Upcoming safety classes

Mark your calendar for one of these upcoming classes to get credit for the new bike permit program, or to just do your part to support safer streets.  

July 10

Sage Creek High School OR Poinsettia Elementary School

8 to 9 a.m. OR 1 to 2 p.m.

Aug. 7

Sage Creek High School OR Poinsettia Elementary School

8 to 9 a.m. OR 1 to 2 p.m.

If you don’t see a location near you, rest assured that more classes will be added to the calendar soon.

Take the Safer Streets Together pledge to make sure you get the latest information.

Celebrating Carlsbad's young artists

Twenty-one third-grade artists from Carlsbad schools were honored at Tuesday’s City Council meeting for their winning artwork, which was chosen as part of an annual art contest sponsored by the city’s Historic Preservation Committee.

The contest, Drawing on Carlsbad’s Past, invited third-grade classes to study Carlsbad history and create artistic representations of a historic Carlsbad site. It’s a fun, creative project that supports California’s statewide curriculum and helps students learn more about our community.

• The Carlsbad Historical Society supports the project by giving class tours year-round at the Shipley-Magee House.
• Students also draw inspiration from our virtual “Historic Carlsbad, a self-guided tour” on the Carlsbad City Library website.
• Seven schools participated in the contest this year and each school chose three winning art pieces.

See some of the artwork and hear from the artists themselves in this highlight reel. 

Congratulations to all students recognized for their wonderful work!

Species spotlight: Summer wildflowers you'll see on our trails

We’re continuing to celebrate Great Outdoors Month in Carlsbad, highlighting some of the amazing flora and fauna that help make our city so beautiful. This week we’re talking wildflowers – specifically three varieties commonly found in Carlsbad that typically bloom through June and into summer.

Some of these colorful blooms are popping up on the more than 6,200 acres of preserves and open space throughout our community. The best way to spot them (and protect them!) is from our city trails, especially those near water sources like lagoons or Lake Calavera. 

California bush sunflower (Encelia californica) is a native shrub found all over Carlsbad in coastal sage scrub and chaparral. This is a wonderful native plant for your yard, as it blooms profusely throughout the growing season (generally February to June). These blooms attract a variety of bees, butterflies and other insects.

California fuchsia (Epilobium canum) is a perennial plant known for its profusion of deep red, trumpet-shaped flowers. These flowers attract a variety of hummingbirds. Peak bloom can be seen in mid to late summer. You can find this species in coastal sage scrub or chaparral habitat, often near sources of water, specifically along the Lake Calavera trails on the north-facing slopes.

Chia (Salvia columbariae) is in the mint family. It has a lovely smell and delicate tube-shaped blue-ish flowers that grow out of ball-like structures. Chia is a small annual species that grows easily from seed. 

Before you hit the trails, use our GoHike Carlsbad app to find detailed information about each trail, including the level of difficulty, where to park and what you’ll see along the way.

New carpool lanes open on I-5

If you’ve driven on I-5 in the northern part of the city this week, you might have noticed that more new carpool lanes are now open. It’s part of a larger project that began in 2017 and was led by Caltrans and the San Diego Association of Governments.

• Caltrans and SANDAG still have a few finishing touches to put on the northbound lanes, which are anticipated to be open the week of June 26. The southbound lanes opened yesterday.
• A nine-mile stretch of carpool lanes opened in Solana Beach, Encinitas and parts of Carlsbad last year.
• This new section extends the carpool lanes another four miles, between Palomar Airport Road and SR 78 in Oceanside.

With construction wrapping up, here’s a refresher on who can use the new carpool lanes. Caltrans, who manages I-5 and all of our region’s freeways, shared these guidelines:

If you have questions about the new lanes or would like more information, email BuildNCC@KeepSanDiegoMoving.com. 

Get involved: Upcoming meetings

The next City Council meeting will take place Tuesday, June 20, starting at 5 p.m. in the City Council Chamber. The topics scheduled to be discussed include:

• Accepting a $105,000 donation from the Carlsbad Library & Arts Foundation to support cultural programming, the library’s collection, and programs and services at the Library Learning Center
• Renewing the city’s property and excess liability insurance coverage
• A new agreement with Interfaith Community Services to provide outreach and case management services to people experiencing homelessness
• Amending an agreement with the Community Resource Center to provide rapid re-housing services to relieve homelessness
• Lifting the city’s access rights to two driveway locations for a commercial building on Lionshead Avenue
• Approving an amendment to an agreement for telecommunication transmission facilities at Calavera Hills Community Park to allow for more equipment
• An agreement to provide engineering and construction support services for pedestrian and bicycle improvements on parts of Valley Street and Magnolia Avenue
• Declaring a developer in default for failing to make required public improvements in the city’s right-of-way, so that the city can complete them
• Approving a state-required report on the Carlsbad Municipal Water District’s supply and anticipated customer demand
• Ending the storm-related local emergency the city declared to swiftly repair a sinkhole on Haymar Drive, because the project has been completed
• Amending an agreement to continue performing custodial work and maintenance at park restrooms throughout the city
• Approving a variance that will allow a homeowner to keep a deck and retaining wall a contractor started to build without the required permits
• An update on the city’s efforts to reduce homelessness in Carlsbad and the results of the annual Point-in-Time Count
• Choosing between roundabouts and traffic lights as the preferred option for a grant-funded study on moving south Carlsbad Boulevard from Manzano Drive to Island Way away from eroding bluffs and sea level rise

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

These city meetings are also happening next week:

June 19, 5:30 p.m. – Parks and Recreation Commission

June 21, 5 p.m. – Planning Commission

Recognizing diversity

The City Council recently marked two recognitions aimed at ensuring Carlsbad is a welcoming and inclusive community – Pride Month and Juneteenth.

A proclamation was presented, and they voted to fly the Pride flag at City Hall this month and every June.

Next Monday is Juneteenth, one of the newest federal holidays, which commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union General Gordon Granger announced the end of the Civil War in Galveston, Texas, following over two centuries of slavery in colonial America. It’s a day of honor, restoration and reflection.

Before I sign off, I also want to wish a very Happy Father’s Day on Sunday to all the dads, grandpas and father figures who live in Carlsbad! Thank you for all you do!

Scott Chadwick