Today is the first day of fall, and in Carlsbad that can mean more warm weather and an increased potential for Santa Ana winds. This week, I’ve got some fire prevention tips and other seasonal updates to share:

• A plan for safer streets together
• Wildfire prevention and response
• Public safety open house Oct. 8
• ArtWalk Carlsbad is back (and it’s free)
• Trail Cleanup for National Public Lands Day
• SuperHero Obstacle Race
• Get involved: Upcoming meetings

A plan for safer streets together

Next Tuesday, city staff will present to the City Council an update on our response to the local emergency on traffic safety, plus a list of additional actions for the City Council’s consideration. The actions being presented follow the “three Es” approach to traffic safety:

We are continuing to follow up on the immediate actions the City Council approved Aug. 30.

The city’s crews have: 

• Deployed 12 message boards urging traffic safety at heavily traveled sites around the city  
• Installed 17 speed feedback signs letting motorists know when they are speeding, with eight more on order   
• Painted 18 green bicycle lane treatments to highlight the lanes on the roadway, with 44 more locations to come  

The Police Department has issued a total of 253 warnings and 558 traffic citations, including: 

• 136 citations and 51 warnings to e-bike users  
• 22 citations and 32 warnings to bicyclists 
• 397 citations and 170 warnings to motorists  
• Three citations to pedestrians  

Police have made: 

• 25 DUI arrests, five involving collisions  

We have also been working hard to get the message out about traffic safety. So far, we have:

• Reached 517,397 social media users with traffic safety messages, with 28,040 users engaging with the city in response  
• Generated 137 news reports
• Posted 20 traffic safety educational banners around the city  
• Responded to 133 inquiries from the public about traffic safety and the emergency  

These are all short-term actions we could accomplish quickly. The options presented next Tuesday will include a variety of measures in all three of the Es (Education, Engineering, Enforcement), some short-term in nature, some that could be done in around a year and some that may take many years. The City Council will have an opportunity to discuss the options, ask questions and give direction to staff on next steps.

I will have more to share after next Tuesday. In the meantime, please continue to model safe behaviors on our streets and sidewalks and, if you have kids, help them understand the rules of the road. We have a lot of good information on our Safer Streets Together webpage.

Carlsbad firefighters help battle wildfires

Sadly, fall is often a peak time for wildfires. I want to thank the Carlsbad Fire Department for their hard work to protect our community. One of the many ways the Fire Department helps keep us safe is by participating in programs that deploy critical resources when and where they’re needed, which means helping other agencies when wildfires break out in their regions.

• Since fire season began in May, Carlsbad firefighters have helped battle wildfires in other parts of San Diego County, Riverside County and Northern California.
• The firefighters are deployed as part of California’s Fire Service and Rescue Emergency Mutual Aid System. Through this system, firefighters from different agencies work together to combat fires and support other emergencies that exceed the capabilities of a single jurisdiction.
• Firefighting positions are backfilled at home, so there’s no change in coverage for the Carlsbad community.
• Since May 3, a total of 36 Carlsbad Fire personnel have helped to combat eight wildfires statewide, including the Fairview Fire near Hemet that broke out Sept. 5.
• Firefighters are typically deployed in teams of three to six people and commit to being away from home for about 14 days, plus travel time, often working in extremely challenging conditions.
• Carlsbad benefits from mutual aid, knowing when or if we have a major incident, we can count on other agencies to reciprocate, like they did during the 2014 Poinsettia Fire.

Learn more.

Help prevent wildfires

Here are a few simple precautions we can all take to help prevent fires.

• Take steps to protect your home, including trimming and clearing any dry brush
• Monitor the weather report for red flag warnings and dry, windy conditions
• During these weather conditions, DO NOT do outdoor electrical work or engage in any activity that could cause a spark including:
• Using power lawn mowers, edging equipment, chain saws and leaf blowers
• Setting a piece of hot gardening equipment in the brush
• Using outdoor grinding or cutting tools/saws
• Pulling a car over on an unpaved shoulder (unless an emergency) or parking a car near where dry landscaping could ignite
• Using chains or trailer hitches that could touch the road and cause a spark

More information

Carlsbad Fire Department

Wildfire prevention webpage

Join us at the city’s Public Safety Open House

If you need a little more inspiration to brush up on your emergency preparedness and overall safety, I am proud to announce that we will be holding our annual Public Safety Open House in a couple of weeks, 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. Here is what you can expect:

• Meet our first responders and learn about their work
• Get a demo for 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)
• Finally, in light of our current emergency proclamation, we will have staff on hand sharing traffic safety tips and answering your questions.

Learn more on the city’s website.

Make your own custom art at ArtWalk Carlsbad

ArtWalk Carlsbad is returning this weekend after a two-year hiatus and, for the first time ever, it will be free this year. If you’re planning to go, stop by the City of Carlsbad’s Pop-Up Art event, where you can create a piece of colorful art that’s uniquely Carlsbad.

Saturday, Sept. 24, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 25, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Armada Drive, overlooking the Flower Fields off Palomar Airport Road

Here’s what you need to know:

• ArtWalk Carlsbad is an outdoor fine art show that features original works by more than 150 artists, live music, a KidsWalk and interactive art activities.
• The City of Carlsbad will host a Pop-Up Art activity at the event inspired by the Flower Fields. Stop by to create your own pop-art images of flowers using bold shapes, patterns, and colors. 
• Organized by the nonprofit ArtReach San Diego, the activity is free and open to people of all ages. All materials are provided.

• Parking is free along nearby Fleet Street and in private parking lots around the event site.
• Armada Drive will be closed between north and south Fleet Street from 9 a.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Monday, and traffic will be detoured along Fleet Street.



An important reminder: With so many people walking, biking or driving to and from ArtWalk, please remember to slow down, share the road and stay extra alert. Have fun and be safe.

Learn more.

SuperHero Obstacle Race

One final event to share – our 9th annual SuperHero Obstacle Race will take place on Oct. 2 at Alga Norte Community Park. If you’ve never watched or participated in this fun family event, I hope you’ll make this your year. Children and their parents (or grandparents, siblings or friends) run together through a superhero themed 2K obstacle course while dressed in their favorite costumes. 

Here’s a video so you can see what I mean:

SuperHero Obstacle Race

Sunday, Oct. 2, 8 -10 a.m.

Alga Norte Community Park

You can register online by 5 p.m. Oct. 1 or in person until 10 a.m. Oct. 2.

Learn more.

Get involved: Upcoming meetings

The next City Council meeting will be held Sept. 27 at 5 p.m. in the City Council chamber. Here are topics that are set to be discussed:

• Approval of the 2023 City Council meeting schedule
• An update on the city’s retention and management of city documents and other records
• Updating employee conflict of interest code
• Proposed changes to the city’s municipal code to allow for more significant penalties in code enforcement cases when property owners refuse to comply
• Adopting an ordinance to ban parking on Surfside Lane and Island Way
• Adopting changes to the city’s zoning ordinance and another city law to make them more usable and comply with state law
• Receive an update on the city’s traffic safety emergency and consider potential additional short-, mid- and long-term actions
• Approving plans and putting a project out to bid that includes changing the road striping on southbound Carlsbad Boulevard, between Manzano Drive and Island Way, making more room for walking and bicycling and reducing car lanes from two to one
• Awarding the contract for another Carlsbad Boulevard project: a variety of roadway improvements intended to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists
• An update from the Encina Wastewater Authority on a regional effort to reuse treated wastewater instead of discharging it into the ocean
• Carrying unspent funds for specific projects from the fiscal year 2021-22 budget to the budget for the current fiscal year
• Appointing six members to a committee that reviews requests to fund preservation projects using money from the fees developers pay when they develop agricultural land in the coastal zone

A link to the full agenda and staff reports will be available on the city’s website tomorrow (Friday).

In addition, these city meetings are planned next week:

• Sept. 27, 9 a.m. – Legislative Subcommittee
• Sept. 28, 4 p.m. – Library Board of Trustees

Sharing all the events we have coming up reminds me how great it is to be able to connect as a community. Our weather is back to normal, and the days are soon going to be very short. Let’s all commit to making some additional time to enjoy our beautiful city with friends, family and other loved ones this fall.

Scott Chadwick

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