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News from the City of Carlsbad | Nov. 20, 2025

With Thanksgiving a week away, today’s update includes some tips and resources to help you enjoy the holiday safely and sustainably. I’ll also update you on a proposal for the City Council to establish a minimum age for e-bike riders in Carlsbad.

Before I get to that, I’m sharing a delightful video of a group of enthusiastic kindergarteners and teachers celebrating the opening of the city’s new StoryWalk at Buena Vista Reservoir Park.

Here’s the full lineup:

• City Council to consider e-bike minimum age
• Final design approved for Barrio traffic calming
• Staying safe on the road this holiday season
• Where you can pick up sandbags
• Holiday shopping safety tips
• Reducing holiday food waste
• Stories come to life at Buena Vista Reservoir Park
• Community events and activities
• Upcoming city meetings

City Council to discuss e-bike minimum age

On Tuesday, Dec. 2, the City Council will consider new e-bike safety measures, including adopting a minimum age of 12 for riding e-bikes in line with Assembly Bill 2234. 

City Council meeting

Tuesday, Dec. 2, 5 p.m.

City Council Chamber

1200 Carlsbad Village Drive

Assembly Bill 2234 allows cities in San Diego County, as well as the county itself, to establish a minimum age of 12 for riding e-bikes as part of a pilot program. After Assembly Bill 2234 was passed, the Carlsbad City Council requested that the Traffic Safety & Mobility Commission hold a meeting to gather community input on the potential minimum age.

The commission held a special meeting on Sept. 16, gathering more than 550 comments from community members. Most comments expressed support for a minimum age of at least 12 years old and many requested the city consider additional rules and restrictions.

Traffic Safety & Mobility Commission recommendations

The commission voted to recommend the City Council:

• Adopt a minimum age of 12 to operate an e-bike
• Prohibit riders under age 16 from riding with passengers
• Research the feasibility of Carlsbad joining Assembly Bill 1778, a pilot program in Marin County that allows local agencies to prohibit anyone under age 16 from riding an e-bike

Additional staff recommendations

On July 29, 2025, the City Council directed the City Manager to work with the Police Chief and City Attorney to develop recommendations to enhance enforcement tools to maintain public safety and address aggressive e-bike riding behavior, particularly among youth.

• In 2022, Carlsbad became the first city in the region to pass local e-bike safety laws to curtail reckless riding as a key part of the city’s broader traffic safety strategy. 
• Since then, the city has gathered more data and community input as e-bikes have continued to gain popularity.
• Staff have identified measures that could clarify existing Carlsbad-specific e-bikes laws as well as new rules to strengthen Carlsbad’s approach.

The City Council will consider these staff recommendations at its Dec. 2 meeting, in addition to the recommendations from the Traffic Safety & Mobility Commission.

More details will be available in the agenda and staff report, which will be posted on the city’s website by Wednesday, Nov. 26.

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Final design approved for Barrio traffic calming

More than 40 high visibility crosswalks, four all-way stop signs and a traffic circle will be installed in the Barrio under a plan to reduce speeds in the neighborhood the City Council approved this week.



The design, based on a concept the City Council approved at its Sept. 9 meeting, features:

• New all-way stop signs at four intersections: Oak Avenue and Jefferson Street; Chestnut Avenue and Madison Street; Chestnut Avenue and Roosevelt Street; and Magnolia Avenue and Madison Street
• 43 new high-visibility crosswalks
• One raised crosswalk at Madison Street at Pine Avenue that’s similar to a speed cushion with a painted crosswalk on top
• Six rectangular rapid flashing signs, which light up to alert drivers when someone is crossing
• One traffic circle at Pine Avenue and Harding Street with future artwork previously approved by the City Council during its July 29 meeting

In the final design, the raised crosswalk at Madison Street and Pine Avenue was relocated to the north side of the intersection to address potential drainage issues. 

Next steps

With the final design now approved, the city will request construction bids. Construction could begin in early 2026 and take about a year to complete.

In addition to the street improvements, crews will replace aging water and sewer lines beneath the new traffic circle to meet current standards and improve long-term system reliability. This work will need to be completed before construction can begin on the traffic circle.

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Staying safe on the road this holiday season (and this week’s rain)

With the holiday season beginning and schools on Thanksgiving break next week, you’ll notice more people walking, biking and driving around Carlsbad. If you’re driving, please give yourself extra time to get where you need to go and avoid distractions.

If you have e-bike riders at home, review the rules of the road together. Here are a few quick reminders you can share to help keep them safe:

• Riders under age 18 must wear a helmet. A few simple steps can help you make sure your child’s helmet fits properly.
• Front and rear lights are required when riding a bike at night.
• Bikes are required to follow all traffic signs and signals and should ride in the same direction as traffic.


And of course, please celebrate responsibly. The Carlsbad Police Department will be out with increased DUI enforcement to keep everyone safe.

More rainy weather on the way – here’s where you can pick up sandbags

Thanks to our entire community for keeping each other safe during last week’s storm, the first of the season. The National Weather Service is forecasting another round of rain starting today and into the weekend.

You can find tips on our website for staying safe before and during the storm and how to report flooding or other hazards. City crews are prepared and will be ready to respond as needed.
 
A limited supply of sandbags are currently available for Carlsbad residents at the city locations listed below. Each household may pick up 10 sandbags.

Streets Maintenance Division (filled sandbags available)

405 Oak Ave.

Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Residents are able to drive into yard and staff will assist with loading
 
Additional locations (filled sandbags, self-serve)

Fire Station 3

3465 Trailblazer Way

Fire Station 4

6885 Batiquitos Drive



Fire Station 6

7201 Rancho Santa Fe Road

Fire stations will not have staff available to help with sandbags, but sandbags are available for pick up at all hours.

Remember, sandbag supply is limited and a little patience will go a long way. Thanks for your help keeping Carlsbad safe.

Holiday shopping safety tips

As the busy holiday shopping season ramps up, the Carlsbad Police Department is reminding the community to stay alert and help keep the season safe and enjoyable for everyone. With busier shopping centers, more online purchases and more home deliveries, our Police Department is increasing patrols and sharing these tips to help residents avoid theft and fraud.

If you’re shopping in person:

• Park in well-lit areas and avoid leaving valuables in plain sight
• Always lock your car and take your keys
• Stay alert and be aware of your surroundings

If you’re shopping online:

• Use trusted, secure websites (“https://” and a padlock symbol in the address bar)
• Be cautious of deals that seem too good to be true
• Avoid clicking on links in unsolicited emails or pop-up ads
• Use a credit card rather than a debit card for added protection

Preventing holiday package theft:

• Schedule deliveries when you or someone you trust will be home 
• Track packages and sign up for delivery notifications 
• Bring packages inside as soon as they arrive 
• Install security cameras or doorbell cameras as a deterrent 

Report any suspicious activity to Carlsbad Police 24/7 by calling 442-339-2197. In an emergency, dial 911. 

Reducing holiday food waste

As you’re getting ready for Thanksgiving, keep in mind that food waste increases by more than 25% during the holiday season. Not only is that hard on your wallet, but when food breaks down in landfills, it creates greenhouse gases that can harm our environment.

Here are some easy ways to reduce food waste during the holidays:

• Plan ahead. Make a grocery list and reconfirm your guest list before shopping. Coordinate dishes with family and guests.
• Save scraps. Freeze scraps like vegetable peelings and meat trimmings for savory broths, hearty soups or future recipes.
• Share and reuse leftovers. Send party leftovers home with guests or freeze leftovers for future use.
• Compost. Any remaining food scraps that you can’t use should be placed in your green compost cart. That does not include fats, oils and grease, which need to be disposed of separately. We’ll cover what to do with fats, oils and grease in next week’s update, just in time for Thanksgiving meal prep.

Stories come to life at Buena Vista Reservoir Park

Alongside a group of enthusiastic kindergarten students and teachers, the City of Carlsbad celebrated the opening of its first permanent StoryWalk with an inaugural reading at Buena Vista Reservoir Park last week.

• StoryWalks bring the library outdoors, displaying pages from a book in permanent stands along a walking path.
• The concept combines the joy of reading with the benefits of outdoor exploration, encouraging families to read together while enjoying nature.
• While the StoryWalk stands are permanent, a new bilingual book will be featured every few months to give kids and families a new experience with each visit.
• The first book is “Paletero Man” by Lucky Diaz, a beautifully illustrated story about a young boy on the hunt for a popsicle on a warm day.

You can see how much the kindergarteners enjoyed the StoryWalk in this video. 

StoryWalk

Open daily, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Buena Vista Reservoir Park

1605 Buena Vista Way

The StoryWalk was made possible thanks to generous funding from the Friends of the Carlsbad Library. It’s just one of the many children’s services the Carlsbad City Library offers.

Community events and activities

If you’re looking for fun things to do this weekend, here are some community events and activities happening at our city libraries, community centers and the Carlsbad Senior Center:

• Cinema Club Friday, "Sour Grapes: Investigating a Counterfeit Wine Scandal" – Friday, Nov. 21, 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., Dove Library
• Creative Crafting: Picture Frames (Adults 50+) – Friday, Nov. 21, 1 to 3 p.m., Carlsbad Senior Center
• Pyet DeSpain Author Event – Saturday, Nov. 22, 10 to 11:30 a.m. – tickets distributed starting at 9 a.m., Dove Library
• Saturday Chess Meetup – Saturday, Nov. 22, 2 to 4 p.m., Carlsbad Library Learning Center

Upcoming city meetings

There are no city meetings next week, but the City Council and several boards and commissions will be meeting in the first week of December. You can see the full meeting schedule on our city calendar.

I’ll be sending next week’s update a day early, on Wednesday, Nov. 26, so you can get caught up on all the news before the Thanksgiving holiday.


Have a great weekend.

Geoff Patnoe

City Manager