HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-01-13; City Council; 16; Adoption of Ordinance No. CS-503 to Establish All-Way Stop Control at the Intersection of State Street and Laguna DriveCA Review CKM
Meeting Date: Jan. 13, 2026
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Geoff Patnoe, City Manager
Staff Contact: Morgen Fry, Assistant City Clerk
morgen.fry@carlsbadca.gov, 442-339-2819
Subject: Adoption of Ordinance No. CS-503 to Establish All-Way Stop Control at
the Intersection of State Street and Laguna Drive
District: 1
Recommended Action
Adopt Ordinance No. CS-503 amending Section 10.28.190 of the Carlsbad Municipal Code to
establish all-way stop control at the intersection of State Street and Laguna Drive.
Executive Summary
The recommended action adopts Ordinance No. CS-503, amending Section 10.28.190 of the
Carlsbad Municipal Code, to establish all-way stop control at the intersection of State Street
and Laguna Drive.
Staff evaluated the intersection of State Street and Laguna Drive for having stop signs in all
directions in response to requests from the community and as part of the city’s ongoing efforts
to improve traffic safety.
The evaluation was conducted in accordance with the California Manual on Uniform Traffic
Control Devices, which serves as the standard and guidance document for traffic control
devices installed in the state of California, including traffic signs, road surface markings and
traffic signals.
Based on this analysis and upon the recommendation of the Traffic Safety & Mobility
Commission, staff recommended installing all-way stop control at the intersection of State
Street and Laguna Drive.
Staff are asking the City Council to adopt Ordinance No. CS-503 to amend the Carlsbad
Municipal Code to establish all-way stop control at this intersection.
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Explanation & Analysis
Ordinance No. CS-503 was introduced and first read at the City Council meeting held on Dec. 9,
2025. On a motion by Mayor Pro Tem Bhat-Patel, seconded by Council Member Acosta, the City
Council voted 5-0 to introduce Ordinance No. CS-503. This second reading allows the City
Council to adopt the ordinance.
Fiscal Analysis
Installation of new stop signs with “All-Way” supplemental signs, associated striping and the
removal of the rapid flashing beacons will cost approximately $10,000. Sufficient funds are
available in the Traffic Engineering Operating Budget to cover the proposed work.
Next Steps
The City Clerk’s Office will have the ordinance, or a summary of the ordinance, published in a
newspaper of general circulation within 15 days following adoption of the ordinance. The
ordinance will be effective 30 days after its adoption.
Environmental Evaluation
The proposed action to establish all-way stop signs and associated roadway striping is
categorically exempt from environmental review under California Environmental Quality Act
Guidelines Section 15301(c) because it involves the maintenance, repair or minor alteration of
existing facilities with negligible or no expansion of the existing or former use. This exemption
covers changes in traffic and parking regulations, including installation and replacement of signs
in connection therewith, where such changes do not establish a higher speed limit along a
significant portion of the street and will not result in more than a negligible increase in use of
the street. No exceptions to the categorical exemption as set forth in CEQA Guidelines Section
15300.2 or Carlsbad Municipal Code Section 19.04.070(C) apply.
The proposed action is also exempt from the requirements of a minor coastal development
permit and coastal development permit because the proposed action is to establish all-way
stop signs. Activities of public utilities as specified in the repair, maintenance, and utility hookup
exclusion adopted by the Coastal Commission, including but not limited to miscellaneous traffic
safety projects, are exempt in accordance with Carlsbad Municipal Code Section
21.201.060.B.11. A permit issued by the city for a development which is categorically excluded
or exempt from the coastal development permit requirements is exempt from the notice and
hearing requirements of Carlsbad Municipal Code Chapter 21.201.
The proposed action to adopt an ordinance amending Section 10.28.190 of the Carlsbad
Municipal Code to establish all-way stop control at the intersection of State Street and Laguna
Drive is also exempt from environmental review under CEQA Guidelines Sections 15061(b)(3)
and 15378(b)(5) because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the
proposed action may have a significant effect on the environment.
Exhibit
1. Ordinance No. CS-503
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Exhibit 1
ORDINANCE NO. CS-503
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARLSBAD,
CALIFORNIA, AMENDING SECTION 10.28.190 OF THE CARLSBAD MUNICIPAL
CODE TO ESTABLISH ALL-WAY STOP CONTROL AT THE INTERSECTION OF
STATE STREET AND LAGUNA DRIVE
WHEREAS, pursuant to Article XI, Section 5 of the California Constitution, and Government Code
Section 37100, the City Council may pass ordinances not in conflict with the Constitution and the laws
of the State of California or the United States; and
WHEREAS, the City of Carlsbad, California is a charter city, duly organized under the California
Constitution, the Charter of the City of Carlsbad, and the laws of the State of California; and
WHEREAS, Vehicle Code Section 21100 delegates the authority to local authorities to regulate
traffic by means of official traffic control devices meeting the requirements of Vehicle Code Section
21400; and
WHEREAS, the City Council desires to protect the public safety and welfare of persons and
property within the City of Carlsbad; and
WHEREAS, the city contracted with Michael Baker International, a civil engineering firm, to
conduct a multi-way stop analysis at 28 locations within the city limits, including State Street and
Laguna Drive, and Michael Baker International determined that the intersection of State Street and
Laguna Drive satisfied criteria for a multi-way stop based on the guidelines provided by the California
Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices; and
WHEREAS, staff reviewed the analysis by Michael Baker International and determined that the
proposed intersection design meets the requirements of the California Manual on Uniform Traffic
Control Devices, would improve safety, and therefore warrants the establishment of all-way stop
control at the intersection of State Street and Laguna Drive; and
WHEREAS, on October 6, 2025, the Traffic Safety & Mobility Commission supported staff’s
recommendation to install all-way stop control at the intersection of State Street and Laguna Drive;
and;
WHEREAS, there are sufficient funds in the operating budget to implement the all-way stop
control at the intersection of State Street and Laguna Drive.
NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Carlsbad, California, ordains as follows:
1. The above recitations are true and correct.
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2. That the proposed action to establish all-way stop signs and associated roadway striping
is categorically exempt from environmental review under California Environmental
Quality Act Guidelines Section 15301(c) because it involves the maintenance, repair or
minor alteration of existing facilities with negligible or no expansion of the existing or
former use. This exemption covers changes in traffic and parking regulations, including
installation and replacement of signs in connection therewith, where such changes do
not establish a higher speed limit along a significant portion of the street and will not
result in more than a negligible increase in use of the street. No exceptions to the
categorical exemption as set forth in CEQA Guidelines Section 15300.2 or Carlsbad
Municipal Code Section 19.04.070(C) apply.
3. That the proposed action is exempt from the requirements of a minor coastal
development permit and coastal development permit because the proposed action is
to establish all-way stop signs. Activities of public utilities as specified in the repair,
maintenance, and utility hookup exclusion adopted by the Coastal Commission,
including but not limited to miscellaneous traffic safety projects, are exempt in
accordance with Carlsbad Municipal Code Section 21.201.060.B.11. A permit issued by
the city for a development which is categorically excluded or exempt from the coastal
development permit requirements is exempt from the notice and hearing requirements
of Carlsbad Municipal Code Chapter 21.201.
4. That the proposed action to adopt an ordinance amending Title 10, Chapter 10.28,
Section 190 of the Carlsbad Municipal Code to establish all-way stop control at the
intersection of State Street and Laguna Drive is also exempt from environmental review
under CEQA Guidelines Sections 15061(b)(3) and 15378(b)(5) because it can be seen
with certainty that there is no possibility that the proposed action may have a significant
effect on the environment.
5. Title 10, Chapter 28, Section 190 of the Carlsbad Municipal Code is amended to read as
follows:
10.28.190 Laguna Drive.
Drivers shall stop where the following described streets intersect Laguna Drive:
Buena Vista Circle
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Davis Avenue
Madison Street
Roosevelt Street
State Street
6.This ordinance shall be effective thirty days after its adoption.
7.The City Clerk shall certify the adoption of this ordinance and cause the full text of the
ordinance, or a summary of the ordinance prepared by the City Attorney to be published
at least once in a newspaper of general circulation in the City of Carlsbad within fifteen
days after its adoption.
INTRODUCED AND FIRST READ at a Regular Meeting of the Carlsbad City Council on the 9th
day of December, 2025, and thereafter
PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED at a Regular Meeting of the City Council of the City
of Carlsbad on the 13th day of January, 2026, by the following vote, to wit:
AYES: Blackburn, Bhat-Patel, Acosta, Burkholder, Shin.
NAYS: None.
ABSTAIN: None.
ABSENT: None.
APPROVED AS TO FORM AND LEGALITY:
_________________________________
CINDIE K. McMAHON, City Attorney
_______________________________________
KEITH BLACKBURN, Mayor
_______________________________________
SHERRY FREISINGER, City Clerk
(SEAL)
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