View as Webpage

News from the City of Carlsbad | Oct. 9, 2025

Veterans Memorial Park is getting closer to becoming a reality, and with it, a new piece of public art the City Council approved Tuesday. I’ll also share how our Police Department’s solid detective work led to an arrest in a major retail theft case involving an estimated $100,000 in stolen merchandise.



Here’s the full lineup:

• Veterans Memorial Park public art design approved
• Reducing crimes of opportunity
• Police bust large-scale retail theft
• Practicing earthquake safety
• Make your own art at our Open Studios
• City voting locations for California special election
• City construction map
• Community events and activities, including Halloween
• City service schedule for Indigenous Peoples Day holiday
• Upcoming meetings
• Celebrating our city’s water professionals

Veterans Memorial Park public art design approved

This week, the City Council approved the final public art design concept for Veterans Memorial Park. The piece, known as “The Ring,” was designed by artist Gordon Huether Studios and will be located on the park’s upper plateau overlooking the ocean, lagoon and golf course.

Shaped by community input, the art piece will offer a quiet space for reflection to honor military service and sacrifice. Its circular design symbolizes the enduring nature of duty, unity and remembrance. The city’s park project team will design seating and landscaping around the area of the artwork. These features haven’t been designed yet, but will complement the park’s overall look and feel.  

A separate Veterans Memorial Plaza with a flagpole, a small platform, perimeter benches, U.S. Military inscriptions and descriptive panels honoring service members will be located at the park’s lower level on the northwest side. 

In response to community feedback, the artist added six long rectangular rods along the inside of "The Ring," which will pay subtle homage to each branch of the U.S. military. These elements are also designed to discourage misuse, such as skating on the sculpture.

You can watch the recording of the meeting to learn more about the public art piece and the community input that helped shape it. A big thank you to everyone who took time to share their thoughts along the way.

Next steps

• City staff will prepare a contract for fabrication of the artwork and bring it to the City Council for review and approval at a future meeting.
• Installation of the artwork will be coordinated with construction of Veterans Memorial Park, which is anticipated to begin in early 2026 and take about two years to complete.

Veterans Memorial Park will be the city’s largest park once built, and will feature a Veterans Memorial Plaza, trails, play areas, picnic spaces, a bike park and other amenities, with more than half the land preserved as undisturbed habitat.

In the coming weeks, city staff will bring detailed construction plans to the City Council for approval and authorization to seek construction bids. I’ll share that meeting date soon.

Reducing crimes of opportunity

October is Crime Prevention Month, a perfect time to brush up on simple steps you can take to help keep our community safe and prevent property crimes before they happen.

Carlsbad’s overall crime rate remains lower than the regional average, but property crimes, including vehicle burglaries, are still a concern:

• 46% of vehicle burglaries were from unlocked cars in 2024, down from 55% the year before. While the number is improving, it still means thieves took advantage of an opportunity to commit a crime nearly half the time.
• Thieves most often go after purses, wallets, gym bags, sunglasses and electronics such as laptops or cell phones.
• Open or unlocked garages also continue to be a common target.
• Bicycles and e-bikes are increasingly targeted, especially when left unsecured in front of homes, in open garages, or outside businesses – even if for a few minutes.

The good news is that many of these situations can be prevented with a few simple habits:

• Always lock your vehicle, even at home or when you’ll only be gone for a short time.
• Take valuables out of your vehicle – even hiding them can attract attention and lead to a broken window.
• Close garage doors when you’re not nearby and lock the exterior garage door just as you would any other entry.
• Use a sturdy lock for bikes and e-bikes and remove the battery when possible.
• Think about adding extra deterrents like motion lights, cameras or an alarm system at home.

The city is proud to have a highly trained, well equipped Police Department. They are here to protect you. So, please be the eyes and ears of your neighborhood and call police if you notice something suspicious. The non-emergency number is 442-339-2197. If you think a crime is in progress, call 9-1-1.

If you want to know more about crime in your neighborhood, here is a tool available that lets you enter your address and see recent crimes on a map.

And here is a link to the latest regional report so you can see how Carlsbad compares. 

Police help bust large-scale retail theft

Staying on the subject of crime prevention, I want to commend our Police Department for making an arrest in a large-scale retail theft case in which a suspect stole an estimated $100,000 in merchandise from the Under Armour store in Carlsbad.

Detectives worked closely with Under Armour’s loss prevention team to review surveillance footage and analyze evidence connected to multiple incidents. Through this effort, detectives identified a 65-year-old woman and San Diego resident. Further investigation revealed she was involved in more than 40 separate theft incidents from the same Under Armour location. Police made the arrest on Oct. 1, and the woman was booked on 10 felony counts of grand theft.

Police are now working to identify additional victims and determine whether the suspect is connected to other thefts in the region.

Thanks again to our Police Department for your outstanding work. 

Practice earthquake safety with annual ShakeOut

While we’re on the topic of safety, Thursday, Oct. 16, is the annual Great ShakeOut, the world’s largest earthquake safety drill. Life in California means always being ready for an earthquake, so please refresh your memory about how to be prepared, and make sure your family is ready too. In most situations, if you feel shaking or get an earthquake alert, immediately:

DROP where you are, onto your hands and knees. This position protects you from being knocked down and reduces your chances of being hit by falling or flying objects.

COVER your head and neck with one arm and hand.

• If a sturdy table or desk is nearby, crawl underneath for shelter.
• If no shelter is nearby, crawl next to an interior wall.
• Stay on your knees; bend over to protect vital organs.

HOLD ON until the shaking stops.

• Under shelter: hold on to it with one hand; be ready to move with your shelter if it shifts
• No shelter: hold on to your head and neck with both arms and hands.

The ShakeOut is also an opportunity to review and update emergency preparedness plans and supplies, and to secure your home in order to prevent damage and injuries.

California residents can also download the free MyShake app to receive earthquake warnings.

Download Genasys Protect for evacuation alerts and AlertSanDiego for emergency alerts.

Make your own art at our Open Studios

Explore art and exercise your own creativity on Saturday, Oct. 18, at our next Open Studios event inspired by “Printed & Stitched,” our newest exhibit at the William D. Cannon Art Gallery.

You’ll create your own small artwork using watercolor and simple embroidery to blend color, texture and pattern in fun and unexpected ways. All supplies are provided and staff will be there to help — no experience needed. All ages and skill levels are welcome.

Open Studios: Printed & Stitched

Saturday, Oct. 18

11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (drop-in)

Ann Kulchin Courtyard

1775 Dove Lane

If you can’t make it to Open Studios, I hope you’ll stop by to see “Printed & Stitched” before it closes on Dec. 14.



Gallery hours

Tuesday through Thursday and Saturday: noon to 5 p.m.

Friday: noon to 7 p.m.

Sunday: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

City voting locations for California special election

The City of Carlsbad is hosting ballot drop-off locations and voting centers for the Nov. 4 special election. (A voting center is similar to what used to be called polling places, except you can go to any location.)

The Registrar of Voters will have a total of three voting centers in Carlsbad:

Calavera Hills Community Center

2997 Glasgow Drive

Alga Norte Community Park

6565 Alicante Road

Stagecoach Community Center

3420 Camino de los Coches

Hours for all voting centers

Nov. 1 to Nov. 3, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Nov. 4, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Election Day)

Ballot drop-off

Carlsbad city libraries are among dozens of ballot drop-off locations throughout the region set up by the Registrar of Voters. See the registrar’s website for a complete list and hours.

If you lost your voter information booklet, you can find it online by entering your address on the Registrar of Voters website.  

City construction map can help you avoid delays

Remember to check the city’s weekly construction map to help avoid or minimize traffic delays and detours that often come with larger projects. The map only shows city projects and doesn’t include construction work by local utilities, private companies or other agencies.

I also want to thank you for being patient, slowing down and moving over if you can in construction zones. When you see crews working in our community, know they are completing projects that keep our streets and infrastructure running smoothly. A little kindness goes a long way in keeping everyone safe.

Upcoming events and activities, including Halloween

Halloween is almost here, and the City of Carlsbad is hosting a variety of events for families, tweens, teens, adults and active adults 50+.

• Pumpkin Plunge – Saturday, Oct. 18, 5 to 8 p.m., Alga Norte Aquatic Center
• Fixit Clinic: Halloween edition – Saturday, Oct. 25, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Georgina Cole Library
• Halloween Bash & Bingo – Thursday, Oct. 30, 1:30 to 5 p.m., Carlsbad Senior Center
• Haunted Halloween Bash – Friday, Oct. 31, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., Pine Avenue Community Center

You can see the full Halloween event roundup on our website.

As always, we've got more City of Carlsbad events and activities coming up soon at our libraries, community centers and the Carlsbad Senior Center, including:

• Cinema Club Friday, "Coco Avant Chanel" – Friday, Oct. 10, 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., Dove Library
• Fun with Rock Painting (Adults 50+) – Friday, Oct. 10, 1 to 3 p.m., Carlsbad Senior Center
• Saturdays in the Courtyard: Mark Hummel – Saturday, Oct. 11, 5 to 6 p.m., Dove Library
• Reel Wednesday, “Dream Scenario" – Wednesday, Oct. 15, 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 Fall Community Services Guide.

City service hours for Indigenous Peoples Day holiday

City offices will be closed on Monday, Oct. 13 in observance of Indigenous Peoples Day. A full holiday schedule for city services is listed below:

Trash pickup: No delay

City offices: Closed

Emergency services: Regular service

City libraries: Closed

Cannon Art Gallery: Closed

City sculpture garden: Closed

Alga Norte Aquatic Center: Closed

Community centers: Closed

Leo Carrillo Ranch Historic Park: Closed

Senior Center: Closed

No street sweeping on city holidays

Transit: For the holiday transit schedule, please visit gonctd.com or call 5-1-1

For more information, please call the city at 442-339-2820.

Upcoming city meetings

There’s no City Council meeting next week, but several city boards and commissions are scheduled to meet, including the city’s Legislative Subcommittee, Planning Commission and Investment Review Board. You can see the full meeting schedule on our city calendar.

Board and commission meetings are also livestreamed on the city’s website and available to watch afterward.  

Celebrating our city’s water professionals

It's Water Professionals Appreciation Week in California, so I want to conclude by thanking the more than 60 utility workers on our team who help deliver safe and reliable water and keep our sewer systems running smoothly. They are available 24/7, including holidays and weekends, to respond quickly to sewer and water issues.

Thank you for all you do for our community!

Enjoy your weekend,

Geoff Patnoe

City Manager