View as Webpage

News from the City of Carlsbad | May 29, 2025

With graduation season here and summer just around the corner, this week’s update includes tips for celebrating safely, plus ways to enjoy our beautiful trails as we enter Great Outdoors Month in June.

Here’s everything you’ll find in today’s edition:

• Making graduation season safe for everyone
• Celebrate Great Outdoors Month with a guided hike
• City explores ways to preserve historic properties
• Help shape the region’s transportation future
• Construction map helps avoid delays
• Community events and activities
• Upcoming city meetings

Making graduation season safe for everyone 

With the school year wrapping up soon, students and families across Carlsbad are getting ready for graduations and year-end celebrations.

It’s an exciting season filled with milestones and new adventures. It’s also a time when we see more underage drinking, so the Carlsbad Police Department is encouraging everyone to stay alert and make safety a priority.



Here are some tips from our Police Department for a safe graduation season:

• Talk openly with your teens about the dangers of underage drinking.
• Set clear rules about alcohol with your teens and make sure they know the consequences.
• Know where your teens are going and who they’ll be with. Ensure they’re attending supervised events.
• If you’re hosting a party, make sure it’s alcohol-free or that alcohol is only served to those over 21. Adults who don’t follow these rules can face serious fines under the City of Carlsbad’s Social Host Ordinance.
• Encourage your teens to call you if they need a safe ride home.
• Use extra caution when driving around schools hosting ceremonies, keeping an eye out for people crossing the street and slowing down for extra traffic.

Visit our Safer Streets Together webpage for more traffic safety tips. Congratulations to all Carlsbad graduates and their families!

Celebrate Great Outdoors Month at trail volunteer event

June is Great Outdoors Month, a perfect time to explore some of Carlsbad’s 67 miles of city trails and enjoy the natural beauty around us. Next Saturday also happens to be National Trails Day, and we’ll be hosting a guided group hike and cleanup along the Kelly Trail.

The morning will kick off with a guided nature walk focused on identifying native and invasive plants, followed by trail maintenance activities like vegetation removal. We’re partnering with the Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation for this event, and their Director of Trails & Conservation, Larissa Fullmer, will join us to share her expertise.

Trail volunteer event

Saturday, June 7

8:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Kelly Trail trailhead

Park Drive and Kelly Drive

• Public parking is available along the street on Kelly Drive, northeast of the trailhead along Park Drive and at the opposite end of the trail along Via Hinton.
• City staff will provide safety training, tools and water.
• Please wear closed-toe shoes, gloves and other protective clothing.
• Volunteers can sign up in advance or check in on-site the morning of the event.

Trail volunteer events like this help keep our trails well-maintained, while connecting residents with nature and each other. This video gives you a behind-the-scenes look at how these volunteer events bring community members together.

You can learn more and register on our trail volunteer webpage.

City explores ways to preserve historic properties

The City of Carlsbad is exploring new incentives to help preserve historic properties, following direction from the City Council at last week’s meeting.

Specifically, the City Council tasked staff with proposing changes to the municipal code (a collection of city laws) that would encourage owners of historic homes and buildings to preserve their historic character.

Changes could include:

• Expanding commercial uses in historically designated structures, such as a bed and breakfast, coffee shop or local craft store
• Reducing development standards when necessary to preserve historic resources and maintain structural integrity
• Creating uniform definitions and criteria so improvements to historic structures are consistent with existing federal and state standards

The City Council also directed staff to explore a program that could lead to tax benefits for property owners who agree to permanently protect the historic features of their building through a legal easement agreement.

Staff will begin developing the code changes, which will come back to the City Council for approval in spring 2026. These changes would further the city’s goal of protecting and preserving community character as part of the City Council’s Five-Year Strategic Plan.

In a separate vote, the City Council approved a plaque program for historic structures and heritage trees in Carlsbad.

Learn more about eligibility and how the program will work on our website. 

Help shape the region’s transportation future

The San Diego Association of Governments asked us to spread the word that its Draft 2025 Regional Plan is now available for public comment. The plan outlines all the transportation projects SANDAG is proposing over the next 25 years throughout San Diego County, including in Carlsbad.

Representatives from SANDAG will be at the city’s Traffic Safety & Mobility Commission meeting on Monday, June 2, to talk about the draft plan. You can stop by to learn more and provide public comment, or watch the meeting live on the city’s website.

Traffic Safety & Mobility Commission

Monday, June 2, 4 p.m.

City Council Chamber

1200 Carlsbad Village Drive

You can also provide feedback to SANDAG online through July 18. Your input can help guide future investments in Carlsbad streets, transit, biking and walking facilities as part of the regionwide plan.

SANDAG is required by law to update the Regional Plan every four years to keep up with the region’s changing needs, including population growth, environmental goals and how people get around.

You can learn more about the plan on SANDAG’s website.

Construction map helps avoid delays

While we’re talking about projects that affect roadways, don’t forget to check the city’s construction map to see where work is happening that might impact your commute. The map is updated weekly to help you avoid or minimize traffic delays and detours that often come with construction.

Remember, the map only shows city projects. It doesn’t include construction projects by local utilities, private companies or other agencies.  

Community events and activities

Here are some City of Carlsbad events and activities coming up soon at our libraries, community centers and the Carlsbad Senior Center.

• Cinema Club, “The Good, the Bad and the Weird" – Friday, May 30, 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., Dove Library
• Summer Reading Adventure Kickoff – Sunday, June 1, 1 to 5 p.m., Dove and Cole Libraries
• Reel Wednesday, “Conclave" – Wednesday, June 4, 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., Dove Library

Find more activities and information in our city calendar, the Senior Center’s Seaside Insider newsletter and our Summer Community Services Guide.

Upcoming city meetings

The next City Council meeting is Tuesday, June 10, starting at 5 p.m. in the City Council Chamber. However, some of our boards and commissions are meeting next week, including the Traffic Safety & Mobility Commission and the Arts Commission. 

The public is always welcome to attend. Board and commission meetings are also livestreamed on the city’s website and available to watch afterward. You can see the meeting schedule on our city calendar.

Again, if you’re celebrating a graduation, congratulations! And to our entire community, have a safe and happy weekend.

Geoff Patnoe

City Manager