Carlsbad adopts Environmental Sustainability Commission work plan after adding open-space reporting

The Carlsbad City Council on Feb. 10 adopted the Environmental Sustainability Commission’s inaugural work plan for 2026, adding a requirement that staff provide an annual report on open-space acquisition to the commission.

Jamie Wood, the city’s Environmental Sustainability Director, described the commission’s mission and education-focused goals — natural resources and open space, beach nourishment and shoreline preservation, climate adaptation, and community outreach — and said the plan was grounded in presentations and stakeholder input. Commission Chair Cynthia Norrell said the panel is new but eager and planned to rely on staff and community input.

Public commenters pushed the council for stronger, actionable language on open space. Paige (speaking for Preserve Calavera) asked that language from a prior council motion be restored to the work plan so the commission would explicitly evaluate candidate properties for proactive acquisition and prioritize zones at risk of sea-level rise. Mary Hasson and Mike McMann urged a proactive, transparent acquisition process; Hasson said the city’s open-space share had declined from a hoped-for 40% to about 38% and urged a renewed focus on preservation.

Staff and councilmembers clarified that multiple departments maintain an open-space candidate list and that the city has criteria for evaluating potential acquisitions; Parks and Recreation Director Kyle Lancaster said a prior fund of roughly $4 million had been created and about $1.8 million remained for acquisition and connectivity projects. Community Development Director Mike Strong noted the Carlsbad Tomorrow report and related council motions had informed the work plan and that certain recommendations could be added to the plan by council action.

Councilmember Acosta moved to add a task requiring the commission to receive an annual staff report on open-space acquisition and to make recommendations as appropriate; the motion was seconded and the amended work plan passed unanimously. Officials said the amendment would allow the commission to oversee and weigh in on acquisition priorities while respecting an existing acquisition committee created by settlement agreement.

Supporters framed the change as a way to make the commission’s advisory role more actionable. Detractors, including a public commenter who identified himself as an engineer and critic of climate planning, argued the plan relied on an unsubstantiated climate-emergency declaration and called for greater scrutiny of the science.

The council directed staff to present acquisition criteria and the candidate-property list to the commission and scheduled ongoing reporting. The vote was unanimous.