lifeinaction
DoingBusinessinCarlsbad

 

OIED work 125

 OIED commuter 125 OIED life 3 125

 

Workforce development &
small-business assistance

Carlsbad Commuter app

Carlsbad Life in Action Recruiter
 

2024 Carlsbad Business Survey is Open

The City of Carlsbad has launched its 2024 Carlsbad Business Survey. This survey is a confidential and convenient way for local business owners and leaders to share feedback about Carlsbad as a place to do business. 

You can take the survey here: carlsbadca.gov/BusinessSurvey 
It should only take about 15 minutes to complete. 

About the Survey
  • The survey will be open through January 2024.
  • The survey is intended for business owners, executive management, and senior leaders who have knowledge of the overall operations and direction of the business.
  • Responses will be anonymized and aggregated with other responses. No individual or business information will be shared or published.
  • The survey asks about different aspects of current business operations, such as workforce and hiring needs, access to clients and customers, and permitting and regulatory concerns. It also asks about future growth expectations and feedback on the business climate in Carlsbad.
  • The survey is conducted every two years to ensure the city understands current challenges and trends in the business community.
  • The City of Carlsbad appreciates your time and participation in this survey. Your feedback will help improve services and support for the local business community.
  • For any questions related to the survey, please contact our economic development team at business@carlsbadca.gov.

Thank you for taking the time to ensure the City of Carlsbad is better informed about the state of the business community!

Doing business

The economic development team is here to serve and support the city’s business community. Whether you are a small business or our largest tech employer, the city wants to make sure your business thrives in Carlsbad. The city team is here to help with getting your business license, bidding on projects and contracts or meeting with our development services team about permits and processes. You can learn more about the benefits of starting or expanding a business in Carlsbad at our Doing Business in Carlsbad story map. If you are a business looking for a new space in Carlsbad, please email economic development staff at business@carlsbadca.gov.

Useful resources 

Looking to start your own business? Our questionnaire is designed to link small businesses with local resources, providing information to tackle some of the top challenges prospective small businesses commonly face.

The Guide to Opening an Eating Establishment provides insight on where you can open an eating establishment in our city and how the process works. Useful information for food truck and sidewalk vendors can be found on our website as well. 

New state and local environmental regulations are being phased in over the next couple of years. Find information on these regulations, as well as resources for your staff and customers, on the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle page. 

Talent attraction & retention

One of the City Council’s strategic focus areas is bringing quality jobs to the city in today’s globally competitive economy. Carlsbad's Life In Action initiative is a resource for employers looking to land that perfect candidate. It provides additional tools, such as a hiring toolkit with media assets, brochures and infographics, to make the case for why the job in Carlsbad is the right one. 

The Carlsbad Job-Readiness Room is a free program that helps residents build job skills and bolster their chances of landing a new job in Carlsbad. The platform is powered by Bendable, a learning marketplace that allows people to discover new knowledge and skills through online courses, in-person events and other learning resources.

Economic Snapshots

Carlsbad Economic Snapshot FY 2022-2023 Q3

Economic Development Strategic Plan

Carlsbad Economic Development Strategic Plan

Biennial Business Report

The biennial business report provides an understanding of specific attributes of Carlsbad’s business climate, including workforce and hiring needs, access to clients and customers, and permitting and regulatory concerns, among other issues for Carlsbad’s business community.

2022 Carlsbad Business Report

Connect with us

Carlsbad has a range of options for businesses to establish, grow and thrive. If you are ready to learn more about doing business along the creative coast or have general questions about doing business in our city, contact the Innovation & Economic Development Department at business@carlsbadca.gov. 

News headlines

Carlsbad recognized for data excellence

Post Date:07/26/2023

 

The City of Carlsbad was selected as one of two new U.S. cities and one of seven worldwide to receive the Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Certification for 2023. The What Works Cities Certification program, launched in 2017 by Bloomberg Philanthropies, is the first-of-its-kind standard of excellence for data-driven, well-managed local government.  

Carlsbad joins Charleston, South Carolina, as the first two new U.S. cities to be certified since Bloomberg raised the bar in 2022 by adding new criteria related to equity and measures of community well-being. There are 43 criteria in all, covering such areas as using data to make decisions, engage with the community, prioritize resources, measure performance and increase efficiency.  

The Bloomberg team pointed to three examples of the city’s effective use of data: 

  1. Road collision heatmaps and other data used to inform engineering, education and enforcement efforts as part of the Safer Streets Together Plan to achieve a 19% decrease in all injury collisions. 
  2. A real-time fire operations intelligence center that is being used to strategically reduce response times and improve public safety 
  3. City budget and finance processes, which require data and alignment with the City Council’s 5-Year Strategic Plan, ensure funds are efficiently and effectively allocated to address the most important priorities of the community. 

    Now that the City of Carlsbad has become certified, it has access to a network of data experts who will provide pro-bono services that will allow the city to continue to improve and grow its data practices and identify new and more effective ways to evaluate city services, programs and policies to improve community outcomes. 

    The city chose the What Works Cities certification to benchmark its operational excellence efforts and provide a cost-effective roadmap for further improvement. The city is actively pursuing a higher certification level by improving its operations and data-driven services. Access to the What Works Cities community provides valuable access to experts who can help the city continue to improve for residents, visitors, and businesses.  

Over 275 cities have attempted to achieve certification. To date, 62 cities have been awarded What Works Cities Certification honoring their achievements in data-informed decision-making. More than half of the cities certified have reported improving their use of data to make budget decisions, award city contracts, shift procurement dollars and deliver city services more efficiently, effectively, and equitably. 

To learn more about What Works Cities, go to whatworkscities.org. 

More information
David Graham, Chief Innovation Officer, david.graham@carlsbadca.gov, 442-339-5992 

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