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Homecoming weekend for Carlsbad High School kicks off tomorrow with its annual parade in the Village, followed by a game with La Costa Canyon High School. Best of luck to all our outstanding Carlsbad football players tomorrow night, and if you’re headed to the game, please remember to drive safely and be on the lookout for bicyclists and people crossing the street. Other news this week includes:

• How we can keep reducing greenhouse gas emissions
• Carlsbad Behind the Scenes: Catching up with code enforcement officials
• New medical cannabis delivery law
• 5 ways to mark Arts and Humanities Month in Carlsbad
• San Diego Startup Week returns to Carlsbad
• Celebrating Red Ribbon Week in Carlsbad
• What’s on the docket for your next City Council meeting

How can we keep reducing greenhouse gas emissions

Our beautiful natural environment is one of the things our residents love most about Carlsbad. That’s why it’s no surprise that protecting the environment is one of the main goals of the City Council’s 5-Year Strategic Plan.

This week, city staff released a list of actions being considered to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions, part of a comprehensive update to the city’s Climate Action Plan. Carlsbad is proud to be one of the first cities in the region to develop a Climate Action Plan with measurable goals, back in 2015. 

Climate action plans are comprehensive roadmaps that outline the specific activities that a government agency will undertake to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Why the update?

The state has updated its greenhouse gas emission reduction targets to:

• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions to at least 40% below the 1990 levels by 2030, and
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions to at least 85% below 1990 levels by 2045.

Through the city’s current Climate Action Plan, we have already exceeded an earlier state target to reduce emissions to 1990 levels by 2020.

We also now have more current information about the amount of GHG emissions generated by different sources in Carlsbad. This is called our “GHG inventory.”

What generates GHGs?

Pollution from gas powered cars is the biggest source of GHGs in Carlsbad (and generally). The chart below shows how different sources compare here in our city:

• If you’d like to provide feedback about the proposed actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, please get us your comments by Nov. 17. You can learn more about it when city staff presents all this to the City Council at its Nov. 7 meeting.
• The full Climate Action Plan update is on track to be ready for public review in mid 2024.

You can stay current on our environmental sustainability efforts by signing up for email updates.

Carlsbad behind the scenes: Catching up with code enforcement

The City Council declared last week Code Enforcement Officers Appreciation Week, part of a national recognition of the important role code enforcement plays in keeping communities safe and protecting quality of life.

What is code enforcement?

Cities follow state and federal laws, but we also have local laws, which, in our case, are contained in the Carlsbad Municipal Code.

Just like police officers enforce traffic laws and criminal laws, code enforcement officers enforce our municipal code laws.

Some examples of issues typically addressed by our code enforcement officers are:

• Junk on private property
• Unpermitted construction
• Unsafe and unsanitary conditions in buildings
• Overgrown weeds and other landscaping that could be a fire hazard

I’d like to thank our dedicated code enforcement team for working every day to keep our community safe and protecting our neighborhood quality of life.

You can easily report a code enforcement issue that needs attention through our Carlsbad Connects app or email codeenforcement@carlsbadca.gov.

New medical cannabis delivery state law

Speaking of city code, on Tuesday the City Council gave initial approval to update our municipal code to comply with a new state law requiring cities to allow medicinal cannabis delivery services with established zoning, security and safety requirements for these non-storefront businesses.

In 2022, the state legislature passed Senate Bill 1186, known as the Medicinal Cannabis Patients’ Right of Access Act, which prohibits cities from adopting or enforcing any regulations that directly or indirectly prohibit the retail sale by delivery of medicinal cannabis, starting in 2024.

Tuesday’s action will bring our code into compliance with the new 2022 law, but will not change our ban on all other commercial cannabis related activities, including storefront cannabis businesses operating in Carlsbad. The updates to the municipal code will take effect Jan. 1, 2024.

In case you’re wondering why different cities have different rules for cannabis businesses, it’s because of three state laws passed in 2016 and 2017 that created regulations and licensing requirements for marijuana growing, sales and use in California.

This opened the door for cities to allow retail sales of recreational and medical cannabis.



The state laws also allow cities to pass their own laws to prohibit or limit such businesses, which Carlsbad has done.

5 ways to celebrate Arts and Humanities Month in Carlsbad

If you’re looking to add some arts and culture into your life, here are five fun things to do in Carlsbad in honor of Arts and Humanities Month:

Make it a movie night at Cinema Club

The city’s Cinema Club screens all kinds of movies, including indie favorites, international films and big-screen theatrical releases.

Wednesdays, 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Fridays, 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Schulman Auditorium

Dove Library

1775 Dove Lane

View the schedule

Enjoy the new exhibition at the Cannon Art Gallery

Stop by the Cannon Art Gallery to experience our latest exhibition, Dual Visions, highlighting colorful, abstract pieces by artists Sijia Chen and Kelsey Overstreet.

Dual Visions

Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 12 to 5 p.m.

Wednesday, 12 to 7 p.m.

Cannon Art Gallery

1775 Dove Lane

Learn more

Take a stroll through the city’s Sculpture Garden

Now’s a great time to visit the Carlsbad Sculpture Garden to see the latest exhibition, Fusion: Geometric Garden, which celebrates the beauty of angular lines and shapes and the power of connection.

Fusion: Geometric Garden

Tuesdays to Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Carlsbad Sculpture Garden

2955 Elmwood St.

Learn more

Explore art books, video classes and events at the Carlsbad library

The Carlsbad City Library is highlighting a cool selection of arts and humanities books this month and is also hosting a Meet the Author event Friday with Jean Kwok, who will discuss her latest book, “The Leftover Women.” 

Meet the Author – Jean Kwok

Friday, Oct. 20

2:30 p.m.

Schulman Auditorium

1775 Dove Lane

Your city library card also gives you access to resources like video classes on painting, sewing, knitting, cake decorating and more. 

Learn more

Create your own art

The city’s Parks & Recreation Department offers arts and craft classes for people of all ages, including painting and even a class on how to practice ancient Japanese ink art. Find a class.

Supporting the arts, history and cultural resources is one of core values in the Carlsbad Community Vision and something we are proud to promote.

San Diego Startup Week returns to Carlsbad

San Diego County is a magnet for entrepreneurs to launch their companies, tap into local talent and follow their dreams, and that’s especially true here in Carlsbad.

That’s why we’re so proud that for the second straight year, Carlsbad will be the launch location for San Diego Startup Week.

Carlsbad has become a hub for innovation and startups, along with businesses at all stages of growth. The hundreds of companies located in Carlsbad help drive innovation, create local jobs and generate revenue that flows into our community. In 2021 alone, local companies drew $1 billion in venture funding to Carlsbad.

This video has some highlights from last year’s launch:

This year’s event will bring together startup leaders, tech talent and investors from across greater San Diego. The city’s Economic Development team will be on hand to connect with our local business community and help make sure they have tools and resources to grow and expand.

This weekly update usually focuses on services for residents, but economic vitality is another one of the key goals in the City Council’s 5-Year Strategic Plan. We have a team of people focused on attracting and retaining businesses in Carlsbad, and you can learn more about the business side of the city on this Life in Action website, maintained by our Economic Development team.

If you have a Carlsbad business looking for more information or resources, email business@carlsbadca.gov.

Red Ribbon Week in Carlsbad

As our children grow up, we want to do all we can to educate them about the dangers of tobacco, vapes, alcohol and other drugs.

That’s why the City of Carlsbad is proud to support Red Ribbon Week, which starts Monday. You might notice students and families in your neighborhood creating chalk art or decorating their homes to help raise awareness about staying tobacco, drug and alcohol free.

And if you have school age kids, you can get discounts at several Carlsbad businesses by showing a red ribbon week wristband.

As part of Red Ribbon Week, the City of Carlsbad is teaming with Carlsbad Unified School District to present a special Parent University about fentanyl. The event is free, and all Carlsbad residents are invited to participate.

This important presentation will include information on fentanyl use in Carlsbad, how to recognize an overdose and how to use Narcan. We will also have Narcan kits available.

Drug awareness with our teens

Thursday, Oct. 26

6 to 7:30 p.m.

Pine Avenue Community Center

3209 Harding St.

RSVP to: PoliceGuideProgram@carlsbadca.gov

Another session open to parents next week focuses on cybersecurity for teens:

Cybersafety workshop

Tuesday, Oct. 24

6 to 7 p.m.

Pine Avenue Community Center

3209 Harding St.

RSVP to reshelman@carlsbadusd.net

Remembering the importance of water

Today is Imagine a Day Without Water, a national campaign designed to remind us that water is an invaluable resource we should never take for granted. That’s something we practice year-round in Carlsbad as a recognized leader in water conservation, desalination and recycled water. Learn more about our commitment to protecting our water supply. 

Get involved: Upcoming meetings

The next City Council meeting will take place Tuesday, Oct. 24, starting at 5 p.m. in the City Council Chamber. A link to the full agenda and staff reports is available on the city’s website. Topics to be discussed include:

• Accepting a $200,000 state grant that will support the Police Department’s efforts to prevent traffic-related deaths and injuries through enforcement campaigns, DUI checkpoints and patrols
• Authorizing the City Manager to submit and execute proposals and agreements with the county's Older Californians Nutrition Program, which reimburses the city for some of the costs of the meals and transportation provided through the Carlsbad Senior Center
• Adopting a change to the Carlsbad Municipal Code to comply with a new state law requiring cities to allow medicinal cannabis delivery businesses and establish the city’s zoning, security and safety requirements for these non-storefront businesses
• A report on the city’s efforts to improve traffic safety, including the reduction in injury collisions during the 12 months of the traffic emergency, road projects currently underway and other work that will continue now that the emergency proclamation has ended
• The annual update on Carlsbad’s Sister City Program
• A City Council policy on elected officials’ use of the city’s official logo, seal and letterhead
• An update on the city’s financial health and a report providing information requested by the City Council about a potential increase in the tax paid by visitors when they stay in Carlsbad hotels and short-term vacation rentals

The City Council encourages your participation. You can get agendas and staff reports emailed to you directly, and if you want to provide input, you can email council@carlsbadca.gov before the meeting or come in person and fill out a request to speak.

If you want to watch from home, we have three options:

1.   Watch the meeting live on the website

2.   Watch a recording of the meeting afterwards

3.   Watch live or a replay throughout the week on the city’s cable TV channel, Spectrum channel 24 and AT&T U-verse channel 99

As we get deeper into fall, remember to always maintain that defensible space and keep that emergency kit handy in the event of a wildfire. I’ll be back next week with fire weather updates from our friends at the National Weather Service’s San Diego office along with other news from your city.

Scott Chadwick