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News from the City of Carlsbad | May 14, 2026

This week, I’ll give you a first look at next fiscal year’s proposed budget. I’m also sharing opportunities for you to weigh in on public art coming to the Barrio and a plan to improve traffic safety near Kelly Elementary.



Here’s the full lineup:

• Preliminary budget now available for review
• New fees ensure developers pay fair share of sewer upgrades 
• Help shape public art in the Barrio
• Still time to give input on Kelly Elementary Safe Routes to School
• Learn how to save on your electric bill
• Classic cars, cool treats and lots of smiles
• Community events and activities 
• No coastal rail service this weekend
• Weekend work on Batiquitos Lagoon double tracking
• What’s on the agenda for your next City Council meeting

Preliminary budget now available for public review

The City of Carlsbad’s proposed fiscal year 2026-27 budget focuses on maintaining high levels of service for our community, delivering and completing major capital improvement projects, and investing in public safety and core infrastructure – all while maintaining a AAA credit rating, healthy reserves and a balanced budget.

Despite continued economic uncertainty driven by low consumer confidence, geopolitical tensions and lingering inflation, this marks the second consecutive year the city’s proposed General Fund budget increase is lower than the statewide inflation rate of 3.7%.

The preliminary budget for fiscal year 2026-27 is now available for review and will be presented to the City Council at its May 19 meeting. A community budget workshop will follow on May 21 to provide community members with an opportunity to learn more and ask questions.

Community budget workshop

Thursday, May 21 

5:30 to 7:30 p.m. 

City of Carlsbad Faraday Center 

1635 Faraday Ave. 

What’s in the budget?

The proposed $249.1 million spending plan covers most day-to-day city services and includes a 2.8% increase over last year’s General Fund budget. This increase remains below the statewide inflation rate of 3.7%.

The proposed spending plan not only maintains the city’s strong General Fund reserve policy of 40% but will exceed that number by $45 million, bringing the city’s General Fund reserve for the upcoming fiscal year to 58%.

The proposed fiscal year 2026-27 spending plan allows the city to continue investing in projects and services that support the City Council’s 5-Year Strategic Plan goals.

Key investments proposed include:

Quality of life & public safety

• Fully funds costs associated with the new community-oriented policing and problem-solving team (COPPS team) approved by the City Council on March 24, 2026.
• Continues the multiyear effort begun last year to enhance fire emergency response by reclassifying an additional six EMTs to paramedic firefighters.
• Completion of beach stairs replacement and sidewalk widening along Carlsbad Boulevard between Pine and Tamarack Avenue.
• El Camino Real road widening between Arenal Road and La Costa Avenue.
• Launching a multiyear effort to replace and upgrade traffic detection equipment at various intersections to improve traffic flow.
• Maintain 7 day-a-week library services and hours that began mid 2025 with the return of Sunday hours.
• Funding for additional all-way stop sign analysis to respond more quickly to resident requests.
• An emergency backup generator for the city’s Safety Training Center.

Sustainability

• New energy-efficient pedestrian lighting in the Village.
• Invests $5 million into the city’s Stormwater program for flood and pollution prevention and infrastructure maintenance.
• Continuing the replacement of the city’s fleet vehicles with the purchase of four electric and 14 hybrid vehicles in the next fiscal year, bringing the total number of city vehicles that are EV or hybrid to 177.
• Addition of electrical vehicle charging stations at the State Street parking lot.
• Replacement of non-functional, non-recreational natural grass at several city properties with drought tolerant landscaping to reduce water use and maintenance costs.

Community character & connection

• Funding to support ongoing maintenance with an additional pool maintenance employee along with additional part-time lifeguards for the newly renovated Monroe Street Pool, which is anticipated to reopen later this year.
• Construction of Veterans Memorial Park, which is expected to begin this summer. The 93.7-acre site will honor veterans for their service and celebrate the site’s natural beauty and views. It will feature family-oriented amenities, and minimize environmental impacts by maintaining over half of the land as protected habitat.
• Construction of eight new pickleball courts – four courts each at Stagecoach Community Park and Calavera Hills Community Park.
• Construction of a one-mile segment of Coastal Rail Trail and pedestrian improvements along Avenida Encinas between Palomar Airport Road and the Poinsettia Coaster Station.
• Analysis of converting parallel parking spaces to diagonal parking along several streets in the Barrio to increase on-street parking.

Organizational excellence

• Continuing to fund city operational infrastructure and technology systems to modernize and ease service delivery to residents and employees.
• Adding building inspections to the city’s online permit portal so customers can easily view building inspection history and schedule building inspections online.

The city is continuing to make strong progress on finishing capital improvement projects, with several completed on time and under budget in fiscal year 2025-26, resulting in approximately $4.8 million returned back to the city’s Capital Improvement Program fund. The proposed budget also updates the project list to remove projects that are no longer necessary or feasible, helping ensure resources remain focused on the community’s highest priorities while maximizing long-term financial efficiency.

The city operates on a fiscal year that goes from July 1 to June 30. The final city budget will be presented for City Council approval during a public hearing on June 16.

New fee ensures developers pay fair share of sewer upgrades

Speaking of the city budget, this week the City Council approved a new sewer fee for new housing construction and redevelopment in the northwest corner of the city including the Village and Barrio that will help us ensure developers pay for their own development-driven sewer upgrades in the area. 

As called for in our city’s Growth Management Program, and a long-standing expectation, it’s important that developers pay for the planning and construction of the public infrastructure needed to serve new development. This new Sewer Benefit Area N will ensure that happens.

Recent changes in state housing laws have significantly limited cities’ ability to regulate the scale and intensity of new housing development. For example, parcels originally planned for a certain number of homes might be proposed for many more units under state density bonus and related laws even if we have heartburn about what is being proposed.

While the city’s ability to apply local development standards has been constrained by the state, we continue to have the responsibility to maintain safe and reliable infrastructure. While the money collected won’t immediately go toward sewer upgrades, it will help us keep up with new needs caused by new development.

Residents that have no plans of adding housing will not be impacted by the fee, which only applies to new development or redevelopment in the area. Sewer Benefit Area N includes the Village, Barrio, North Beach and northern portions of Olde Carlsbad. The sewer systems in this area are some of the oldest in the city.

This fee on new development will help us ensure that the existing sewer infrastructure can accommodate the increased flow resulting from additional housing required by the state and meet the expectation that new development must pay its fair share.

Help shape public art in the Barrio

A new public art piece is planned for the future traffic circle at Pine Avenue and Harding Street, and the city is inviting the community to help shape the design. The traffic circle is one part of the city’s larger Barrio traffic calming project, which aims to improve neighborhood safety and mobility.

This Saturday, the artist team led by Mario Torero will gather input at Jefferson Elementary School’s Multicultural Festival. Community members can stop by to learn more about the project, meet the artists and share ideas that could help inspire the final artwork.

Jefferson Elementary School Multicultural Festival

Saturday, May 16

10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Jefferson Elementary School

3743 Jefferson St.

The city began gathering community input at the earliest stages of the project to help ensure the artwork reflects the Barrio’s neighborhood identity and cultural and historic heritage. Through those early conversations and the artist selection process, several themes emerged, including:

• Barrio pride: Pride in the Barrio’s history, heritage, diversity and strong sense of community
• People helping people: Strong family ties, neighbors looking out for one another and a sense of connectedness
• Authentic, unique beauty: The Barrio’s peaceful character, historic homes and pride of ownership
• Hope and promise, rooted in history: Local landmarks, shared history and opportunities for future generations

The city is also planning another in-person input opportunity in the Barrio and will soon share details about an online feedback option. Stay tuned for more information and sign up for project email updates through the project webpage to learn about future opportunities to participate.

Still time to give input on Kelly Elementary Safe Routes to School

If you live near Kelly Elementary or have students attending the school, we're looking for your input to identify potential short-term and long-term street improvements as part of a Safe Routes to School plan.

You can provide input through an online survey through May 18, or by emailing traffic@carlsbadca.gov.

The city has already completed some recent street improvements along Kelly Drive, including new all-way stops, a new queue lane for the school parking lot and restriping the street median.

Late last year, the City Council directed staff to develop a Safe Routes to School plan to identify future street improvements near Kelly Elementary School. It's another way the city is working with the community to enhance traffic safety, based on the 3 E's of traffic safety: education, enforcement and engineering.

Next steps

Developing a Safe Routes to School plan takes about one year. In addition to working with the community to gather input, the city is analyzing current conditions to identify potential improvements.

Once the improvements have been identified, staff will present the final plan, along with all input received, to the City Council for review and consideration.

Learn how to save on your electric bill 

With summer approaching, the Clean Energy Alliance asked us to let you know it will be hosting a May 21 webinar where residents can learn more about their electric bill and how to cut costs.

The alliance is the default power provider in Carlsbad and several other North County communities. SDG&E still delivers the power and maintains the grid, but the program allows communities like Carlsbad to choose cleaner energy while supporting local climate goals.

Register for the 5:30 p.m. webinar in English or the 6:30 p.m. webinar in Spanish, then grab your electric bill so you can follow along. You’ll also learn about signing up for discounts and bill-assistance programs. 

Classic cars, cool treats and lots of smiles 

With sunny skies and rows of classic cars on display, last Saturday’s Hot Rods & Cool Treats brought more than 800 people of all ages to Pine Avenue Community Park for a day of fun and nostalgia.

Community members and car enthusiasts enjoyed carnival games, live music and sweet treats. Guests also voted for their favorite hot rods, from vintage classics to restored muscle cars.

This annual event is a fantastic way to bring the community together for an afternoon of friendly competition and timeless automotive style. Judging by the photos, there were plenty of smiles at every turn. 

Community events and activities

Here are some more activities and events happening soon at our city libraries, community centers and the Carlsbad Senior Center:



• Creative Crafting: Tissue Paper Painting – Friday, May 15, 1 to 2 p.m., Carlsbad Senior Center
• Cinema Club Friday: "A Suitable Girl" – Friday, May 15, 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., Dove Library
• Community Connection: Wildfire Preparedness – Saturday, May 16, 10 a.m. to noon, Leo Carrillo Ranch Historic Park
• Reel Wednesday: "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" – Wednesday, May 20, 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., Dove Library 

No coastal rail service this weekend

The North County Transit District asked us to remind you there will be no rail service this Saturday and Sunday, May 16 and 17, between the Oceanside Transit Center and Santa Fe Depot in San Diego due to routine maintenance and rail infrastructure work.

This kind of closure – called an Absolute Work Window – happens several times each year. Learn more on the NCTD service alerts webpage. Scroll to the bottom for the full list of 2026 dates.

Weekend work on Batiquitos Lagoon double tracking

During the weekend rail closure, Caltrans and SANDAG Build NCC crews will use the opportunity to continue work on a project to replace the rail bridge at the Batiquitos Lagoon. Work will include excavation activities, utility relocation and retaining wall installation.

Crews will be working from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday. 

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

The next City Council meeting will be on Tuesday, May 19, starting at 5 p.m. in the City Council Chamber. Topics include:

• The contract for a project to upgrade sewer access holes in the Ponto area 
• Continuing the declaration of a local emergency to make repairs to a damaged sewage pipeline along the railroad tracks just north of Poinsettia Lane
• Proposed changes to the city’s public meeting practices to conform with a new state law intended to increase and modernize public engagement in local government
• The preliminary fiscal year 2026-27 city budget 

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 to clerk@carlsbadca.gov by 2 p.m. the day of 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) 

The Parks & Recreation Commission is also scheduled to meet next week. Just like City Council meetings, board and commission meetings are livestreamed on the city’s website and available to watch afterward. See the full meeting schedule on our city calendar.

Have a great weekend!

Geoff Patnoe

City Manager