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As we finish up the first week of October, I see many neighborhoods have already gotten into the Halloween spirit here in Carlsbad. Today, I’ll be sharing some seasonal updates below, including upcoming events and other news of the week.
- Focus on pedestrian safety
- Working with residents on updated growth management strategies
- Key dates and other info about the 11/8 election
- Cybersecurity month tips for staying safe online
- Public Safety Open House reminder
- Cybersecurity month tips for staying safe online
- Upcoming Arts & Humanities Month activities
- Thanking our water professionals and custodial workers
- City offices closed on Monday
- Temporary rail closures
- Upcoming meetings
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Focus on pedestrian safety
One of the themes of our traffic safety efforts is that of shared responsibility. Bikes and e-bikes have gotten a lot of attention of late, but it takes all users of our roadway working together to keep people safe.
October is National Pedestrian Safety Month, so I thought I’d share some data and tips specific to walking safety.
Drivers
- Put the phone down and watch out for pedestrians. Sending or reading a short text takes your eyes off the road for almost five seconds. At 55 mph, that’s like driving the length of a football field with your eyes closed.
- Driving a few miles over the speed limit might not feel like a big deal, but in a collision with a pedestrian, it can be the difference between life and death.
- Do not block crosswalks when you stop at intersections.
- Take extra care while driving around schools, playgrounds and neighborhoods.
Pedestrians
- Follow the rules of the road and obey signs and signals.
- Walk on sidewalks whenever they are available. If there is no sidewalk, walk facing traffic and as far from traffic as possible.
- Cross streets at crosswalks or intersections. Nationally, most pedestrian fatalities occur at mid-block locations.
- Look for cars in all directions, including those turning left or right. If a crosswalk or intersection is not available, locate a well-lit area where you have the best view of traffic. Wait for a gap in traffic that allows enough time to cross safely and continue watching for traffic as you cross.
- Watch for cars entering or exiting driveways or backing up in parking lots.
Speaking of pedestrians, Carlsbad High School’s Lancer Day parade is Friday. So, if you’re in the Village and Barrio areas in the early afternoon, please be extra cautious due to the extra foot traffic.
Watch this week’s e-bike safety meeting
We were proud to partner with the Carlsbad Unified School District, the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition and Scripps Health on a special workshop on e-bike safety this week. You can watch a recording on the city’s website. We also asked someone from Scripps Health to give us a demo on properly fitting a bike helmet.
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We are reaching out to all schools and school districts serving Carlsbad to propose similar educational partnerships, as well as partnerships with businesses and mobility organizations to help spread the word about traffic safety.
Learn more.
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Residents helping to develop new growth management plan
The Carlsbad Tomorrow Growth Management Citizens Committee is about to start the next phase of its work to help the city develop a new plan for how to manage growth.
- Since March, the resident-led committee has been learning about and discussing 11 existing “performance standards.” Performance standards refer to the level of service that needs to be maintained to ensure Carlsbad’s excellent quality of life.
- Developers either pay fees toward or build the infrastructure and amenities needed to maintain these standards based on the new residents who will live in their housing.
- The current standards have been in place since the 80s.
- The committee is helping to update the standards to reflect the community’s current needs and priorities.
Now that the group has discussed the existing standards, they will begin discussing and developing recommendations for future standards on Oct. 12. I encourage you to follow this process and provide input to the committee. You can watch the meetings online live or see a recording after the fact. Their work is scheduled to be completed in early 2023 and will then be presented to the City Council for its consideration.
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Key dates for Nov. 8 election
Election Day is Nov. 8, and early voting begins next week. Here is a link to the County Registrar of Voters website that explains recent changes in voting. For example, all registered voters will now get a mail ballot, and if you want to vote in person, you can go to any “voting center” location.
Key dates
Oct. 7
If your voter registration is up to date, you should receive your election pamphlet by this Friday.
Oct. 8
Ballots will start going out in the mail on Saturday. If you don’t receive a pamphlet or a ballot, check your voter registration status on the County Registrar of Voters website.
Oct. 24
Deadline to register to vote. You can update your voter information or register online if needed.
Oct. 11 – Nov. 8*
You can drop off your signed and sealed mail ballot at all three city library locations during regular hours:
10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Thursday
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday-Saturday
*Note on Election Day, Nov. 8, you can drop off your ballot at libraries from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Nov. 5 – 7, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
There are nine voting centers in Carlsbad, although you can go to a center in any location in the county. See the full list.
Nov. 8, 7 a.m. – 8 p.m.
All voting center locations will be open longer hours on Election Day.
What’s on the ballot
In 2022, the following city offices are up for election:
- Mayor
- City Council Member, District 1
- City Council Member, District 3
- City Treasurer
- City Clerk
The City of Carlsbad has four City Council members who are elected to staggered four-year terms. Each represents a geographic district of the city. The Mayor, City Clerk and City Treasurer are elected by voters citywide.
New district boundaries
This will be the first election since City Council district boundaries were adjusted earlier this year by an independent redistricting commission. The updates were required under state law to ensure each district has about the same number of people based on the latest census. See the map to find your district.
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Measure J
Carlsbad voters will also vote on Measure J, deciding whether or not to authorize the City of Carlsbad to spend more than $1 million of existing city funds to renovate and expand the Monroe Street Pool, next to Carlsbad High School in northern Carlsbad.
- Carlsbad has an ordinance (or city law) that requires voter approval before spending more than $1 million of money from its general fund on certain types of projects, generally ones that involve acquiring or making significant improvements to property.
- General Fund money refers to the money the city gets primarily from property taxes, sales tax and the hotel tax. Money in this fund is used for most day-to-day city services.
More information, including candidate statements and a list of who is running, is available on the city’s website.
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Cyber threats are real
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month and protecting yourself online has never been more important. Victims lost $6.9 billion to internet crimes in 2021, according to the FBI. Reviewing your online safety practices is an important step to protect yourself, your family and your finances from internet threats.
- Don’t fall for the latest phishing scam – Be wary of suspicious emails and texts that appear to be from someone you know, telling you to click on links or download attachments. It’s always worth the extra time to call the person or your bank or credit card company at a verified number to confirm the request is legitimate.
- Shake up your passwords – Having different passwords for various accounts can help prevent cyber criminals from gaining access.
- Keep devices protected - Update your devices, apps and software as soon as updates are available. Turning on automatic updates makes the process easier.
If you have a small business in Carlsbad, please take advantage of our free Cybersecurity-Awareness Program, which offers training and other resources.
View more tips from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
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Join us this Saturday at the Public Safety Open House
We’re looking forward to seeing you this Saturday at our annual Public Safety Open House, which is back after a two-year COVID hiatus.
Public Safety Open House
Oct. 8, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
City of Carlsbad Safety Training Center
5750 Orion St.
This event is popular with all ages, with fun activities for kids and adults alike. Here is what you can expect:
- Meet our first responders and learn about their work
- Get a demo on how to use a fire extinguisher
- See firefighters work in a real fire (don’t worry, the fire is real, but the setting is a prop designed for training)
- Learn “sidewalk” CPR
- See our police K-9 officers in action (this is always a crowd favorite)
- Get traffic safety tips and answers to questions about the traffic safety emergency
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Celebrating arts and humanities all month
October is Arts and Humanities Month (yes, October is a busy month!), and in Carlsbad we’re excited to offer a full schedule of free events that celebrate the power of the arts to enrich the lives of our community.
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Live concerts at the Schulman Auditorium through our Showtime at the Schulman and Front Row Saturday series
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Film screenings through our Cinema Club featuring acclaimed international films each Friday as well as popular comedies, dramas and family films on Wednesdays. See the full schedule.
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Visual art displays including our latest exhibition at the Cannon Gallery, “The Chair,” highlighting one-of-kind chairs crafted by 16 artists.
This week’s highlights include:
Pop Up Art: The Chair
Saturday, Oct. 8, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Dove Library, Children’s Garden
1775 Dove Lane
Visit the Cannon Art Gallery exhibit, The Chair, then head over to the Children’s Garden to redesign an everyday object in a new, fantastical way. Art supplies provided.
Front Row Saturday
Anthony Cullins: The Fallbrook Kid
Saturday, Oct. 8, 7:30 p.m.
Schulman Auditorium
1775 Dove Lane
Anthony Cullins started his journey playing air guitar while running around his Fallbrook home at the age of 4. Now 21, this acclaimed local musician plays with the soulfulness of a blues, R&B, rock and country performer twice his age.
Learn more on the city’s Cultural Arts webpage.
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Water Professionals Appreciation Week
To celebrate California Water Professionals Appreciation Week, which started Oct. 1, we’re highlighting the city’s water and wastewater professionals who work every day to provide outstanding service.
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Water professionals in our Utilities Department and Carlsbad Municipal Water District provide essential services that residents need to live a safe, sustainable lifestyle and to keep their homes and our community clean.
Their work also helps the City of Carlsbad provide tools, tips and resources to help residents save money and use water efficiently. Please join me in extending our heartfelt thanks to these hard-working members of Team Carlsbad.
Learn more.
Recognizing our custodial staff
Speaking of our valued city workers, Sunday was National Custodial Workers Recognition Day, so I want to take a minute to thank our amazing custodial staff who work tirelessly behind the scenes to clean our city buildings. Some start working as early as 2:30 a.m. each day to keep our facilities in great shape for community members and other city staff. And, by the looks of these photos, they manage to have some fun while doing it!
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Thank you to all our custodial workers for being an important part of Team Carlsbad. | |
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City offices closed Monday
City offices will be closed Monday, Oct. 10, for a federal holiday. Trash service won’t be delayed, and our city pools will be open with modified hours.
- City offices: Closed
- Emergency services: Regular service
- Trash pickup: Regular service, no delays
- City pools: 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Libraries and city cultural arts facilities: Closed
- Community centers: Closed
- Senior Center: Closed
- Leo Carrillo Ranch: Regular hours, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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Transit: For the holiday transit schedule, please visit www.gonctd.com or call 5-1-1.
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Temporary rail service closures
Please be aware there will be no Coaster or Amtrak rail service between Oceanside and San Diego this weekend, Oct. 8-9. This is a scheduled shutdown, one of several planned throughout the year to give crews safe access to do work that’s needed along the rail line. You can find a full list of planned weekend closures on this schedule from the North County Transit District.
If you’re looking to take the train north of Oceanside to Orange County or Los Angeles, Metrolink and Amtrak have paused rail service while emergency work is completed to stabilize the rail line.
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Metrolink has paused service between Oceanside and San Juan Capistrano, with no alternate connection available.
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Amtrak has paused service between Oceanside and Irvine and has set up bus bridges to help people get between those two stations where rail service is operating normally.
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Get involved: Upcoming meetings
The next City Council meeting will take place Tuesday, Oct. 11, starting at 5 p.m. in the City Council chamber. Topics scheduled to be discussed include:
- Rescinding two City Council policies that are obsolete or conflict with other laws
- The agreement with the Carlsbad Unified School District to provide school resource officers from the Carlsbad Police Department on the district’s campuses
- Agreements allowing the County of San Diego to place mail ballot drop boxes at city libraries
- Creating an annual process for the City Council to consider adjusting the salaries paid to the elected City Clerk and City Treasurer
- Adopting an ordinance updating the city’s Conflict of Interest Code
- Adopting another ordinance allowing for more significant penalties in code enforcement cases when property owners refuse to comply
- Holding a public hearing on a state bond to pay for the construction of affordable housing in the Marja Acres Senior Apartments and considering an increase in the city’s loan to the developer
- An update on the negotiations to relocate San Diego Gas & Electric’s North Coast Service Center from its current site near Carlsbad Boulevard and Cannon Road
- A report on possible programs to help entry-level homebuyers purchase homes in Carlsbad
- Approving the city’s 5-Year Strategic Plan, with policy goals that reflect the community’s top priorities, based on the Carlsbad Community Vision
- An update on the City of Encinitas’s public bikeshare program
- A report from San Diego County on the impact of regional efforts to reduce the amount of carbon released across the region to combat climate change
A link to the full agenda and staff reports will be available on the city’s website no later than Friday. You can watch the meeting live on the city’s website or cable TV channel.
In addition to the City Council meeting and the Growth Management Citizens Advisory Committee meeting I mentioned earlier, there’s one additional citywide meeting planned next week:
We are also hosting a community meeting for those who live along Tamarack Avenue between Skyline and Adams and people who travel along this street. The city will be presenting options that can be implemented quickly to slow down traffic. A larger project is planned to change the design of the street, but that will take a few years. You can get more details about this meeting, which will take place Wednesday, Oct. 12, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., at Valley Middle School.
Finally, I would like to call your attention to a third meeting that has been scheduled related to the analysis of environmental impacts related to our housing plan:
Before I sign off, I want to thank everyone who has reached out to us during the traffic safety emergency to share your ideas. Please continue to stay involved in this issue and remember to take extra care on the road whether you’re walking, biking or driving.
Have a great weekend.
Scott Chadwick
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