Hello! This week I am sharing the latest on local COVID-19 cases, vaccine updates and health recommendations, as well as the following:
- Latest crime stats show Carlsbad remains among the safest cities in our region
- We are launching a project that will give the city (and community) more control over the design of apartments and condos in the Village and Barrio
- Oil spill response update
- What the latest drought declaration means for Carlsbad
- How to turn in unused prescription medication
- How the Coaster is expanding its schedule to better meet our needs
- Learn how to draw a district map at workshops this weekend
- Imagine a day without water
- Fun photos from last Saturday’s Pumpkin Plunge
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COVID-19 update
Active COVID-19 cases in Carlsbad are continuing their gradual decline, although still much higher than six months ago and a year ago. Let’s keep up all the public health measures we’ve been practicing to get our case numbers as low as possible as we head into the holiday season.
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We are continuing to err on the side of caution and will hold public meetings virtually through the end of November and require face coverings in city facilities, regardless of vaccination status. This will be re-evaluated every month.
San Diego County’s weekly COVID-19 Watch report shows cases decreasing, although deaths are up this week. Typically, deaths increase in the weeks following an increase in cases because of the time it takes for COVID-19 symptoms to progress.
Flu watch
The county is closely monitoring flu activity as well as COVID-19, producing a weekly Influenza Watch surveillance report. Additional influenza data and resources and a link to subscribe to the Influenza Watch are available on the Epidemiology Unit website. Health experts are urging the public to get their flu shot to help avoid putting a strain on the health care system this winter.
Booster updates
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to take the final step today to approve a Moderna booster shot for those 65 and older or who are at an increased risk.
Everyone who got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine would be eligible for a booster shot after two months, also pending final approval tomorrow by the CDC.
Currently, Pfizer is the only vaccine approved for booster shots, and only for those 65 and older or in a high-risk group.
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration has also approved a mix and match approach to boosters, meaning if the additional boosters are approved by the CDC, you can get a different booster than your original vaccine.
It’s about here that I should remind everyone to check with their own health care providers for recommendations on boosters and all other health matters!
Vaccines for kids 5-11
The FDA is expected to approve the Pfizer vaccine for kids ages 5 through 11 the first week of November. In anticipation of that, the federal government announced Wednesday that it already has enough in hand to inoculate every child in this age range in the United States. The announcement said the specially packaged vaccines would be available at more than 25,000 pediatricians’ and doctors’ offices, hospitals, pharmacies, community health centers, and school- and community-based clinics.
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Carlsbad remains among the safest cities
Carlsbad remains one of the safest cities in the region, based on the latest crime statistics presented to the City Council Tuesday. The San Diego Association of Governments’ mid-year crime index report also shows that 2020 sticks out from other recent years, likely due to people staying home more during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- For example, residential burglaries and car thefts plummeted in 2020 during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. When stay-at-home restrictions lifted, those numbers bounced back to pre-pandemic levels.
- SANDAG officials said the COVID-19 pandemic made 2020 an anomaly, so it makes more sense to compare 2021 crime rates to previous years as a baseline. Through that lens, violent crime is down in Carlsbad and property crimes are up only slightly.
- The report delivered to the City Council on Tuesday also highlighted strategies the Carlsbad Police Department uses to combat and prevent crime in the city, like utilizing data to ensure the right resources are being directed to the right areas.
One important takeaway from Tuesday’s discussion is the importance of calling 9-1-1, or the police 24-hour non-emergency line at 760-931-2197, to report suspicious activity or any other safety concerns. Sometimes people are hesitant to call the police because they aren’t sure their concern is significant enough. All information is helpful, and the Carlsbad Police Department wants to hear from you.
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Community will help strengthen design standards in Village and Barrio
The City Council approved a professional services agreement Tuesday for the preparation of a project to strengthen local control over the design of future multifamily housing and mixed-use development in the city’s Village and Barrio areas. These actions are one way the city can help preserve the unique character of these areas while complying with new state laws designed to streamline approval of multifamily housing to help ease California’s housing crisis.
Under the agreement and charter approved by the City Council on Tuesday, Carlsbad will:
- Form a committee to include two Village residents, two Barrio residents, a downtown business owner, a member of the city’s Planning Commission, a member of the Historic Preservation Commission, and two people with experience developing multifamily housing and/or mixed-use projects in Carlsbad
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Work with residents and the new Design Review Committee to make sure existing design standards that are subjective and open to interpretation are written in objective language that helps preserve the community’s character and complies with the new state laws
- Create a streamlined permitting process for multifamily and mixed-use projects
- Create five different architectural design styles for developers to choose from
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Oil spill response update
This week the group of public agencies managing the response to the oil spill off the coast of Orange County removed protective booms from the Agua Hedionda and Batiquitos lagoons, following no sign of free-floating oil in the water off the Southern California coast since Oct. 5.
Tar ball clean up continues on Carlsbad beaches, and we will keep in close contact with the response team in case anything changes. At this time, all beaches are open, and there is no public health threat. You can get more information on the response effort in two places:
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What the statewide drought emergency means for Carlsbad
On Tuesday, San Diego County was among the eight counties added to the statewide drought emergency, which previously had been limited to counties north of here. Here are four things to know:
- The statewide drought emergency comes with a call for everyone to voluntarily reduce water use by 15%. (The San Diego County Water Authority will consider asking our region for a voluntary 10% reduction.)
- The State Water Resources Control Board could decide to impose emergency regulations that mandate or prohibit certain activities related to water saving, but has not done so yet.
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San Diego, and by extension, Carlsbad, is in much better shape than other parts of the state because of a decades long effort to conserve water and invest in drought proof water supplies, like the desalination plant located in Carlsbad. In fact, our regional approach to safeguarding against the drought was featured in last Sunday’s New York Times.
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The Carlsbad Municipal Water District has continued implementing level 1 drought contingency activities, which are mostly voluntary, between and after the last droughts. Carlsbad residents have done a great job conserving water which has reduced the amount of water per capita used by almost 48% since 2008. For more actions to take and programs to help you conserve visit the city’s website.
The San Diego County Water Authority, which supplies water to agencies in our region, including the Carlsbad Municipal Water District, said Wednesday that even though our region has the water it needs for now, it will encourage increased conservation in support of the statewide proclamation. Its board is scheduled to discuss the matter next week. I will keep you posted as this situation develops.
By the way, today happens to be national Imagine a Day Without Water, designed to increase awareness of the important role water plays in everything we do. It’s easy to take that for granted, so please continue to do all you can to use water wisely.
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Reminder: Redistricting map workshops happening Saturday
Join us Saturday for a virtual workshop where you can learn how to create new City Council district maps to reflect population changes from the latest census.
Saturday, Oct. 23
Both workshops will cover the same information. They will be livestreamed on the city’s website.
You can learn more about the city’s redistricting process and sign up to receive updates at www.carlsbadca.gov/districts or by texting “districts” to 797979.
The next step in the process will be to share maps created by community members and our professional demographer. Once these are ready, please review and give feedback to the independent commission in charge of choosing the new map.
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County redistricting
We’re not the only government agency redrawing district boundaries. The County of San Diego is also in the process, also using an independent redistricting commission. They are already starting to look at maps, which you can find on this page. The City of Carlsbad is currently in District 5. To get involved in the county process, their website is a good place to start.
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Get rid of prescription medication safely
This Saturday, Oct. 23, is National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, created by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to give people a safe way to dispose of unneeded or expired prescription drugs, including opioids, with no questions asked.
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There are three nearby locations, in Oceanside, Vista and San Marcos. You can look up locations details on this website.
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In Carlsbad, as a service to our residents, we have a year-round prescription drug drop box at the City of Carlsbad Police & Fire Headquarters, 2560 Orion Way, to help people dispose of prescription drugs safely.
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Coaster to increase daily trips
If you commute to San Diego, or just like taking the train to special events or for fun trips along the coast, good news: The North County Transit District is expanding its daily Coaster service starting Oct. 25.
- The change means Coaster trips between Oceanside and San Diego will increase from 22 to 30 per day Monday through Thursday; from 26 to 32 trips on Fridays; and from 8 to 20 daily trips on Saturdays and Sundays.
- Transit officials said many customers had requested later service along the rail line and some of the added trips will meet that need.
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The new schedule can be found on NCTD’s website.
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Get involved: Upcoming meetings
The next City Council meeting is Nov. 2. The agenda will be posted on the city's website when it is ready, but no later than the Friday before. In the meantime, the following boards, commissions and committees are meeting next week:
- Oct. 26, 1 p.m. – Carlsbad City-Schools Committee
- Oct. 27, 4 p.m. – Library Board of Trustees
- Oct. 28, 4 p.m. – Independent Redistricting Commission
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Getting into the Halloween spirit
Last Saturday we held our annual Pumpkin Plunge event at Alga Norte Aquatic Center. Our events have always been popular, but following all the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year we are enjoying them even more.
In case you’re not familiar with this event, think of the pool as a floating pumpkin patch where kids could lasso a pumpkin of their own to take home. Families also enjoyed Halloween themed bounce houses and games, an outdoor movie and time swimming and relaxing in the heated pool. We love seeing so many Carlsbad families having fun and enjoying spending time with friends.
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Fun things to do
Quick Links
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