Public commenters urge pause on purple-pipe expansion and question airport advocacy counsel

Mike Barillo, a resident who spoke during the meeting's public-comment period, urged the City Council to pause further expansion of Carlsbad's recycled-water distribution (often called "purple pipe") until independent, large-scale epidemiological studies measure respiratory and other health outcomes in exposed neighborhoods. Barillo said students at Hope Elementary were exposed in 2021 after a construction cross connection and that he filed a petition for a writ of mandamus in June 2025 related to the issue.

"Real world data needs to come first, not last," Barillo said, arguing that current state standards (identified in the presentation as Title 22) rely heavily on models and laboratory measures rather than population-level cohort studies. He told the council he has been sprayed by irrigation heads and described instances where spray reached sidewalks and residences.

Jean Walker, a second public commenter, raised concerns about an organization mentioned as "C4FA" and the outside counsel she said has represented that group in airport-related litigation. Walker said records show the group was created shortly before suing a jurisdiction and suggested an individual aligned with that group was appointed to the Palomar Airport Commission. She urged the council to be cautious about taking legal advice from parties connected to such organizations.

Both remarks were presented during the public-comment period; no formal action followed. Mayor Blackburn curtailed Walker's time after the three-minute limit expired.

What happens next: Public comment does not trigger formal action under the Brown Act. The council did not take immediate action on either topic during the meeting; items at later meetings or staff follow-up could address them if council directs staff to do so.