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News from the City of Carlsbad | Oct. 2, 2025

Veterans Memorial Park will be Carlsbad’s largest park once built, and on Tuesday, the City Council will review the final public art design concept for the park. In today’s update, I’ll share more about the design and how community input helped shape it. 

And I’ll end with a short story of how one of our team members is sharing his passion for music with the community (here’s a video sneak peek).

Here’s all that’s in store:

• Veterans Memorial Park public art design heads to City Council
• Report on enforcement efforts to address living in vehicles
• Exploring opportunities for renewable energy
• Celebrate Arts & Humanities Month at Cannon Art Gallery 
• Community events and activities
• Carlsbad High School homecoming parade road closures
• City construction map
• What’s on the agenda for your next City Council meeting
• Sharing the joy of music

Veterans Memorial Park public art design heads to City Council 

The final design concept for public art planned for the upper plateau at Veterans 
Memorial Park will be presented to the Carlsbad City Council for consideration on Tuesday, Oct. 7. 

The artist, Gordon Huether & Partners, created the proposed artwork, called “The Ring.” Planned for the park’s upper plateau, the art piece is intended to offer a quiet space for reflection to honor military service and sacrifice. Its circular form symbolizes the enduring nature of duty, unity and remembrance. And its location at the highest point in the park will provide scenic views of the lagoon, golf course and coastline. A separate Veterans Memorial Plaza with a flagpole, benches and glass panels honoring service members will be located near the park’s lower parking lot.  

Veterans Memorial Park will be Carlsbad’s largest park once complete, with trails, picnic areas, playgrounds, the city’s first bike park and other amenities. More than half of the site will remain protected habitat. 

In the coming months, city staff will return to the City Council with the detailed construction plans for the overall park. At that meeting, the City Council will consider approving the plans and authorizing the project to go out for construction bids. I’ll let you know when that is scheduled.

Public art project timeline and public input 

• Summer 2023: The City of Carlsbad gathered input on themes and values to inform a national call for artists. 
• Fall 2023: The city issued the national call for artists, resulting in 35 qualified artist submissions. 
• Spring 2024: A Public Art Advisory Subcommittee selected Gordon Huether & Partners, Inc. through a competitive review process. 
• Spring 2025: The city sought community and veterans’ feedback on three preliminary design concepts. 
• August 2025: The artist presented the refined design concept to the Arts Commission, which recommended City Council approval. 

City Council meeting 

Tuesday, Oct. 7, 5 p.m. 

City Council Chamber 

1200 Carlsbad Village Drive 

The full agenda and staff report will be available on the city’s website. 

Report on enforcement efforts to address living in vehicles 

Our Police and Housing & Homeless Services departments are working together on a balanced approach to connect people experiencing homelessness secure housing while enforcing city laws to maintain quality of life and community safety.

At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Police shared early results of proactive enforcement efforts since the City Council updated a city law in March 2025 to prohibit camping in vehicles in public spaces such as parks, beaches and city-owned property and parking lots. Under this ordinance: 

• The city continues its approach of first offering shelter and services prior to citing a person. 
• If services are refused, the city’s officers then can issue warnings. 
• If unlawful behavior continues, citations are an available tool for officers to use. 

Before enforcement began, our Homeless Outreach Team – consisting of six officers and one Sergeant working daily in the community – contacted individuals living in vehicles to inform them of the new laws and try to bridge them to available resources.

Since then, Homeless Outreach Team officers, rangers and community service officers have carried out late night and early morning enforcement citywide to address oversized vehicles, unlawful camping and other parking related violations.

Here are the results since June 2025:

• 32 warnings
• 40 citations
• 13 vehicles towed

Police also shared an update on parking enforcement efforts related to oversized vehicle parking (like RVs) and illegal parking violations. Parking enforcement is a team effort in Carlsbad, with police officers, community service officers and our Senior Volunteer Patrol all playing a role. Since January 2025, more than 7,000 citations and warnings were issued, focusing on oversized vehicles and other violations that affect safety, accessibility and quality of life.  

In December, staff will provide an annual progress report on overall efforts to reduce homelessness and its effects on the community, including a new grant funded-outreach program in the Village, Barrio and beach areas to connect people living in vehicles to housing and services.

To report time-sensitive violations or concerns, such as overnight parking, you can call the non-emergency hotline at 442-339-2197. For recurring parking violations that do not require immediate attention, you can also report concerns three ways:

• Email our Homeless Outreach Team at policehot@carlsbadca.gov
• Call our abandoned vehicle hotline at 442-339-2820
• Complete a traffic complaint form online

Exploring opportunities for renewable energy 

This week, the City Council, in its capacity as the Carlsbad Municipal Water District Board, decided not to move forward with a feasibility study for a solar farm project at the Maerkle Reservoir site. Instead, they directed staff to return at a future meeting to discuss other potential solar opportunities in the city.  

The Maerkle Reservoir site, owned by Carlsbad Municipal Water District and located near the city’s eastern border, was identified in the City Council’s 5-Year Strategic Plan as a potential location of a solar farm, which would generate and store solar energy.   

During initial evaluations of the site, staff identified several potential issues, including:  

• Location in a very high fire hazard zone 
• Limited site access for fire or other public safety crews 
• Proximity to homes and environmentally sensitive open space 

While a feasibility study would explore these issues in more detail, those types of studies are expensive and take time.  

Rather than continue to explore the Maerkle Reservoir site, the City Council directed staff to return at a future meeting to discuss other potential sites for smaller scale solar projects.  

• The city’s updated Climate Action Plan identifies several measures to further promote sustainability, including transitioning to renewable electricity, reducing reliance on natural gas and improving energy efficiency. However, a Maerkle Reservoir solar project was not factored into the Climate Action Plan’s greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. 

Exploring different potential sites allows us to continue working toward the city’s sustainability goals without compromising on public safety.  

You can sign up to get meeting agendas and notifications by email. 

Celebrate Arts & Humanities Month at Cannon Gallery

October is Arts and Humanities Month, which makes for the perfect time to stop by “Printed & Stitched,” our latest exhibit at the William D. Cannon Art Gallery.

Featuring 58 original artworks created by regional artists, the exhibit explores the intersection between printmaking and textiles. Watch this video for a sneak peek before you visit.  

“Printed & Stitched”

Cannon Art Gallery

1775 Dove Lane

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

Friday: noon to 7 p.m.

Sunday: 1 to 5 p.m.

Closed Mondays

Learn more

Community events

Here are some City of Carlsbad events and activities coming up soon. 

• Cinema Club Friday, "Kusama Infinity" – Friday, Oct. 3, 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., Dove Library
• Public Safety Open House – Saturday, Oct. 4, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Safety Training Center
• Super Hero Obstacle Race – Sunday, Oct. 5, 8 to 10 a.m., Alga Norte Community Park
• The ABCs & Part D of Medicare (Adults 50+) – Tuesday, Oct. 7, 10:30 a.m. to noon, Carlsbad Senior Center
• Reel Wednesday, “Fantastic Mr. Fox" – Wednesday, Oct. 8, 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.

Carlsbad High School homecoming parade road closures

Homecoming weekend for Carlsbad High School kicks off tomorrow with its annual parade in the Village. If you’re planning to be in the area, please be aware of the parade route and the roads that will be closed from 1 to 3:30 p.m. on Friday:

• Pine Avenue between Madison and Harding Street
• Harding Street, between Pine and Palm Avenue
• Palm Avenue, between Harding and Madison Street
• Madison Street, between Palm Avenue and Pine Avenue

On Friday evening after the parade, the Carlsbad High football team will take on Torrey Pines High. Go Lancers!

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.

What's on the agenda for your next City Council meeting

The next City Council meeting is on Tuesday, Oct. 7, at 5 p.m. in the City Council Chamber. Anticipated topics on the agenda include:

• The 2026 schedule for regular City Council meetings 
• A state grant that will help pay for the costs of installing electrical vehicle charging stations at the city’s fleet maintenance building as part of the city’s transition to electric vehicles 
• Amendment to the agreement for the software used for the digital archives of the city’s official records  
• Adopting an ordinance to amend the code that governs the water district to bring it up to date with current practices  
• Authorizing bids to replace the synthetic turf on the playing fields in Poinsettia Community Park  
• The public art installation proposed for the new Veterans Memorial Park  
• The City Council’s yearly review of its Code of Ethics & Public Service Values  

The agenda and staff reports will be available on the city’s website by Friday, Oct. 3.

3 easy ways to participate

1. Sign up to get agendas and staff reports emailed to you directly
2. Provide feedback via email to clerk@carlsbadca.gov by 2 p.m. the day of the meeting 
3. Sign up to speak at the meeting

… and 3 ways to watch

1. Follow the meeting live on the city's website 
2. Watch the meeting live on the city’s cable channel: Spectrum channel 24 or AT&T U-verse channel 99
3. Watch a recording of the meeting afterward (online or on our channel)

Board and commission meetings are also a great way to learn more about city projects and, in many cases, share feedback before those items go to the City Council. On that note, the city’s Traffic Safety & Mobility Commission is meeting Monday, Oct. 6, at 4 p.m. in the City Council Chamber.

• Monday’s meeting includes a proposal to add new all-way stop signs on State Street at Laguna Drive in the northern part of the Village to enhance traffic safety.
• You can attend the meeting in person or provide comments to traffic@carlsbadca.gov.

Board and commission meetings are also livestreamed on the city’s website and available to watch afterward. You can see the full meeting schedule on our city calendar.

Sharing the joy of music

Before I sign off, I want to a share a video of one of our staff members speaking about how music brings him joy and happiness. Antonio, one of our library technicians, shared that passion this week by hosting a workshop on how to play the ukulele over at the Library Learning Center, 3368 Eureka Place. 

If you'd like to give the ukulele a try, the center now has eight of these instruments available for check out.

Enjoy your weekend!

Geoff Patnoe

City Manager