Hope everyone had a safe and fun Super Bowl weekend! As you can see, my prediction of the red team winning came true. All kidding aside, I’m excited to share this week’s update because even with all those storms, we’re continuing to work together to serve our community and find ways to come together as a team.
But first, I begin with a heads up on the upcoming election.
Early voting underway, what you can and can’t do
As you are all aware, political campaigns are underway throughout the region, state and country.
I want to remind everyone of the city’s regulations regarding employees’ participation in political activities.
Employees have the right to participate in political activities on their own time but not during or in the course of their work.
Employees may not use city resources (i.e. email, office supplies, copiers, employee time, vehicles, etc.) for or in support or opposition of political activities, including supporting a candidate or advocating for a ballot measure.
Certain regulations have been adopted to assure that the city’s resources are applied appropriately and to ensure that employees do not feel compelled to participate in political activities.
Preserving our history
Responding to the storms has been a citywide effort and I want to give a shout out to Juan Ojeda and Rene Zepeda from Parks maintenance who ensured Leo Carrillo Historical Ranch would emerge walkable, safe and beautifully manicured. One of the ranch’s volunteers wrote to the city to say how impressed she is with Juan and Rene’s work to keep the site in top shape amid wet, windy conditions.
Thank you to Juan, Rene and our entire Parks team for helping keep our recreational areas beautiful for the community.
Green paint increases safety and comfort
We’ve received a lot of kudos for our restriping work across the city, but this feedback from a parent in our community hits home.
“My children rode bikes for years and I always worried about them,” she writes. “The new green markings help people pay better attention to bikers. I also appreciate the narrower lanes helping cars slow down. I do think it works!”
Encouraging feedback like this makes all our Safer Streets efforts that much more meaningful. Combined with our data showing a reduction in injury collisions during our traffic safety emergency, I’m proud of how we continue to prioritize traffic safety for everyone on our roads.
Thank you to all staff involved in planning, designing, communicating and carrying out these important projects throughout our city. I hope this video that highlights some of our roadways before and after restriping makes you just as proud of our efforts as I am!
Celebrating Black History Month
At last Tuesday’s meeting, City Council declared February Black History Month.
Black History Month recognizes and pays tribute to the accomplishments that Black people have made to our community and acknowledge past and present struggles for freedom, equality and equity of the Black community.
In recognition of Black History Month, all city staff are invited to a webinar to delve into the legacies of iconic leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., Marsha P. Johnson and Alicia Garca.
And shout out to the Asian Pacific Islander group and all those who supported by celebrating the Lunar New Year event.
I want to thank everyone in all departments who have been working on DEI. I love seeing Team Carlsbad together like this!
Let’s go Gulls
As a final reminder, don’t miss out on joining Team Carlsbad for a fun-filled night at the Gulls game on Feb. 17. Simply use this link to buy tickets, which will be available through 5 p.m. Feb. 15. Looking forward to seeing you there!
Scott