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This week marks the beginning of Earth Month, so all month I’ll be highlighting the ways we are helping to care for our beautiful beaches, lagoons, natural open spaces and the environment. Today I’ll talk about how we can reduce one of the largest contributors of greenhouse gas, and the source may surprise you. Plus, this other news of the week:

• Compost and mulch giveaway at Earth Month Celebration
• New sponsorship program for TGIF concerts
• Curbing distracted driving this spring
• Water pipeline project starts in south Carlsbad
• Carlsbad 5000 street closures this weekend
• More art springing up in the Village
• A word on the recent officer involved shooting
• What’s on the agenda for the next City Council meeting
• An Egg-stra special shout out

The method behind the mulch

Preventing food from being wasted is ideal (and I’ll share tips for this next week), but if you end up with something that's gone bad or you have food scraps leftover, the city’s organic waste recycling program will turn food and yard clippings into compost and mulch, giving them new life.

• The city uses the compost and mulch clippings to landscape parks.
• The materials also help capture and store carbon in the soil to prevent it from entering the atmosphere.
• Residents can pick up free compost and mulch anytime at the Palomar Transfer Station (just east of El Camino Real off Faraday).

We’ll be giving away compost and mulch this Saturday at Pine Park, as part of our annual Earth Month celebration (more on both below). 

In addition to the benefits of using compost and mulch, diverting food scraps from landfills has another important benefit. That’s because food rotting in landfills produces significant greenhouse gas emissions.

How you can help

Our community is getting the hang of organic waste recycling with more than 46,000 tons collected since we started the program. Here’s how it works:

• Collect your food scraps in a kitchen caddy, then transfer them to your green cart on trash day. Carlsbad residents can pick up a free caddy (and compost and mulch) from Republic Services.

Kitchen caddy pickup

Monday through Saturday

8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Palomar Transfer Station

5960 El Camino Real

You can also call Republic Services at 760-332-6464 or email them to request a caddy.

• Put all food and yard scraps in your green compost cart. This includes coffee filters, tea bags and food-soiled papers like napkins, paper towels and greasy pizza boxes, as well as yard waste like grass clippings, leaves, branches and plants. Here’s a video that highlights what goes where.

• What does NOT go in your compost cart? Never put diapers, hygiene products, glass, plastic, oil and grease, pet waste or rocks in your compost cart. Pet waste is one of the bigger problems, so please spread the word to friends and neighbors.

Earth Month Celebration and Compost & Mulch Giveaway

This Saturday, we’re hosting an Earth Month Celebration at Pine Park, where you can learn more tips and tricks for reducing food waste and living more sustainably. We’ll have “how-to” information on:

• Vegetable pickling
• Smart food storage tips
• Making reusable food wraps out of beeswax
• Growing your own veggies

Earth Month Celebration

Saturday, April 6 

9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

Pine Avenue Community Park 

3209 Harding St. 



As part of the event, we’re also hosting a Compost & Mulch Giveaway using some of the material created through the organics recycling program.

Compost & Mulch Giveaway

Saturday, April 6 

9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

Carlsbad Senior Center parking lot

799 Pine Ave.

• You can drive through the Carlsbad Senior Center parking lot to pick up compost and mulch for your spring gardening projects.
• Prefilled bags will be available (first come, first served), or you can bring your own containers to be filled by Republic Services staff.
• Republic Services representatives will assist in loading and lifting containers.
• There is a limit of five 5-gallon buckets for a total of 25 gallons of material for either compost, mulch or a blend of the two.

Want more information about the environment?

Last week we launched a new Sustainable Carlsbad e-newsletter, which offers more tips and ideas for living sustainably, plus links to more in depth information, studies, laws and data. Read the first issue and sign up to receive future newsletters

New sponsorship program for TGIF concerts

The city launched a pilot program this week to allow local businesses an opportunity to be a part of our most popular community event, the TGIF Concerts in the Parks summer series.

Why offer sponsorships?

In recent years, prices for vendors and supplies have increased significantly. When we asked for community feedback after the 2023 season, some common themes emerged. To offset higher costs, most people said they preferred the city seeking corporate sponsorships over other options, like reducing the number of concerts or charging admission.

After reviewing this community input, the City Council decided to return to a nine-concert lineup in 2024 and explore a sponsorship program.

Sponsorship opportunities

Sponsors will be recognized throughout the summer season through:

• Event signage
• Mentions on the city’s website and social media channels
• Shoutouts onstage by the event announcer

We’ve outlined two sponsorship levels and can work with organizations to come up with custom packages.

You can read the announcement for more details about how the pilot program will work.

Curbing distracted driving this spring

To kick off Distracted Driving Awareness Month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released some important data last week:

• In 2022, more than 3,300 people were killed in crashes involving distracted drivers.
• An additional 289,000 people were injured in these crashes.
• It’s estimated that 373,000 drivers were talking on their phones while driving at any given moment in 2021.

If you have a young driver at home, it’s important to talk to them about focusing when they’re driving. Young people make up one of the largest proportions of drivers who were distracted at the time of fatal crashes.

If you’re having a hard time resisting the urge to check your phone when you’re driving, here are a few tips from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

• Before you get in the car, turn on your phone’s “Do not disturb” feature.
• If you’re riding with other people in the car, hand your phone to your passenger. They can reply to any time-sensitive texts for you.
• Put your phone in the backseat or even your trunk before you get behind the wheel. Out of sight, out of mind.

Our traffic safety emergency may have ended, but our Safer Streets Together message remains a top priority. View more traffic safety tips.

City construction map

While we’re on the subject of distracted driving, please be mindful of construction crews out working along roadways. Our map of major city construction projects is updated weekly to help you plan your route and avoid potential traffic delays. Remember, the map only shows city projects, not work being done by private companies or utilities.

Water pipeline construction project starting in south Carlsbad

The Olivenhain Municipal Water District is an example of another public agency doing work in Carlsbad. They asked us to let you know that construction is starting this month on a project to add 5,600 feet of new recycled water pipeline in Carlsbad and Encinitas. 

When the project is complete, more customers will be able to use recycled water for irrigation in Olivenhain Municipal Water District’s service area, which includes some neighborhoods in south Carlsbad. In all, the district expects to save more than 12.5 million gallons of drinking water every year due to its recycled water program.

• The first phase of the project will be along Calle Barcelona in Carlsbad, from Rancho Santa Fe Road to Calle Acervo.
• Work will take place Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. 
• Near Mission Estancia Elementary School, work will be limited to 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to noon Friday to reduce the effect on student drop offs and pickups.
• Water service for Olivenhain Municipal Water District customers shouldn’t be affected. (Three water districts serve Carlsbad. If you’re not sure which district provides your water, check the water district map.)
• This phase of the project should be complete sometime this summer.

Find project updates at olivenhain.com/projects.  

Several downtown streets to close for Carlsbad 5000

If you plan to visit downtown Carlsbad or the beach this weekend, a heads up that several streets will be closed Saturday and Sunday for the Carlsbad 5000 race and events.

Known as the World’s Fastest 5K, the Carlsbad 5000 has been a popular running event in the city since 1986. This weekend’s races are expected to draw thousands of spectators and participants from all over the U.S. and many foreign countries.

You can find a full list of road closures on our website. To avoid delays, please take alternate routes. 

Inside the art springing up in the Village

Speaking of downtown, if you’ve been in the Village lately, you’ve probably seen more spring-themed window art popping up on storefronts.

The pieces are part of Spring Kaleidoscope, a temporary art installation made possible through a partnership between the city and Carlsbad Village Association.

Last month, I shared behind-the-scenes videos featuring a couple of artists as they did their work. Today, I’m sharing three additional videos of artists discussing their inspiration and how they’re doing their part to maintain Carlsbad’s unique community character, a key part of the City Council’s 5-Year Strategic Plan.

A word on the recent officer involved shooting

You might have heard that last Friday a Carlsbad police officer was attacked near I-5 and Carlsbad Village Drive. As he took cover, he fired his service weapon. The suspect, who was not hit, ran and was captured a few blocks away.

This marks the third attack on one of our police officers in the past seven months. I’m glad to report that the officer has been released from the hospital, although it will take time to fully recover.

Even though Carlsbad remains one of the safest communities in the nation, we are not immune from the threats and trends affecting much larger cities. When our officers come to work, they put their lives on the line.

I want to acknowledge the important job they do and thank our officers for the sacrifices that they and their families make to help keep our community safe.

(Here is a news release about Friday’s incident. Whenever an officer is involved in a shooting, we turn the investigation over to another agency, the San Diego Police Department, as part of a regional agreement.)

What’s on the agenda for the next City Council meeting

The next City Council meeting will take place Tuesday, April 9, starting at 5 p.m. in the City Council Chamber. Topics will include:

• A workers’ compensation settlement for a city utility worker
• Buying two housing units originally sold by developers as affordable housing so they can be resold to eligible lower-income buyers as part of the city’s efforts to increase the amount of affordable housing in Carlsbad
• Continuing local storm-related emergencies to remove debris from the Buena Vista Creek channel and repair a slope between El Camino Real and Trieste Drive. Such emergencies must be renewed at each regular City Council meeting until the emergency is declared over
• Introducing an ordinance required by state law that approves the funding, acquisition and use of the Police Department equipment the state defines as military
• A proposal by LEGOLAND to replace its driving school ride with a new space-themed attraction that includes an indoor roller coaster
• Modifications to the city’s zoning regulations requested by the California Coastal Commission
• Actions taken to address community concerns about the Windsor Pointe affordable housing project in the Barrio, which provides housing and support services to homeless veterans and their families as well as people suffering from serious mental illness

View the agenda and staff reports.

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 afterward
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

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

An EGGstra special shout out

Rainy weather couldn't dampen the mood at this year's EGGStravaganza, as the city transformed the event into a Hop 'n' Go drive-through last Saturday. 

Our city team activated a rain plan that allowed more than 500 families to collect eggs and say hello to our bunny, all from the comfort of their cars. 

It may not have been a traditional egg hunt, but I know it will be memorable for those families all the same.

A huge shoutout to all our city employees who go above and beyond to help create lasting memories, rain or shine.

Scott Chadwick

City Manager