North County Report: Saying Goodbye to a Beloved Strip Mall 

Carlsbad is saying goodbye to its favorite oxymoron: a beloved strip mall.  

Carlsbad locals and lovers of the historic Carlsbad Village Plaza gathered at the plaza over the weekend to reminisce and say goodbye. The shopping center has been a staple in the community for more than 60 years. 

If you haven’t heard, the entire Carlsbad Village Plaza is being redeveloped into market-rate housing, affordable housing and retail space.  

The shopping center had about a dozen small businesses that are now closed to make way for the new development. It became a hub for locals and a resource that many counted on every day, especially seniors. Within walkable distance for many residents, it offered a laundromat, hardware store, pharmacy, a nonprofit thrift store, a French pastry café, a dive bar frequented by local firefighters, a Smart and Final grocery store and more. 

Several of the businesses had been there for more than a decade and the Smart and Final was the only more affordable grocery store for miles. 

For years, residents fought to preserve the space, signing petitions and speaking out at city meetings. 

But Carlsbad city leaders said their hands were tied. State housing laws require cities and counties to approve affordable housing projects that meet state standards. So, the City Council begrudgingly approved the project in 2024. 

The Carlsbad Village Plaza property was purchased by Tooley Interests, LLC in 2021 in a deal worth $23.5 million. The company plans to replace the village with a five-story, mixed-use development with 218 apartments and ground-floor retail. Twenty-seven of the apartments will be set aside for very low-income residents.  

Last Saturday, the “Old Timers,” as they call themselves, gathered for one last celebration of their beloved plaza. They shared food and heard music from local bands that had performed at the shopping center. 

“It’s the end of an Era said. 

Throughout North County and the region, the need for new housing and the state’s push to approve housing projects often conflicts with residents’ desire to hold onto community landmarks. And as more new projects enter their development phase, this tension is becoming more visible. 

“Carlsbad is turning into a different town all together,” one social media user commented under a post about the gathering. “All the charm is slipping away. Gentrification and culture change in action.”  

Escondido’s ICE Problem 

A rally and press conference are planned tonight in front of Escondido City Hall opposing a contract between the Escondido Police Department and the Department of Homeland Security allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, agents to use a city-owned firing range for training. 

Last month, news quickly spread about the Escondido Police Department quietly approving a $22,500 contract with the Department of Homeland Security on Jan. 15. The agreement runs through January 2027 and includes options to extend it through 2029, bringing the total value to as much as $67,500.  

It allows the police department to lease the shooting range, located along Valley Center Road, for ICE officers to conduct training.  

Residents have criticized the contract itself and the fact that it never went before the Escondido City Council and the public before approval. And now, dozens of regional elected officials are weighing in on the issue. 

Earlier this week, 33 elected officials across San Diego County, including Assemblymember David Alvarez, County Supervisors Paloma Aguirre, Monica Montgomery Steppe and Terra Lawson-Remer, as well as several councilmembers  and school board members from around the region sent a letter to city leaders urging them to find a way to cancel the contract. 

“We greatly respect your leadership and autonomy to govern on local issues impacting your city, however this action has harmful consequences that go beyond Escondido city limits that will negatively impact many of the constituents we were elected to represent,” the letter said in part. 

The letter noted that Escondido has seen the largest number of ICE arrests in North County since the Trump Administration’s push for mass deportations began. You can read about ICE arrest data here. 

“We cannot control what activities ICE agents may engage in as they utilize and commute to Escondido’s firing range,” the letter continues. “This makes all of your constituents less safe and erodes the public trust that you as elected officials have a responsibility to uphold.” 

The group Sowing Seeds of Dignity released the letter and is also organizing the rally and news conference outside Escondido City Hall before tonight’s council meeting. The City Council has scheduled a presentation and discussion about the contract at the meeting. 

Voice of San Diego Workshop: A Parent’s Guide to San Diego Schools 

Parents weighing their children’s school options can attend a free workshop on Voice of San Diego’s A Parent’s Guide to San Diego Schools in North County. The session will cover how to compare local schools, understand performance data and look at after-school care options across the region. 

The workshop is at 4:30 p.m. Monday, March 2 at the Children’s Museum of Discovery. Families can RSVP by registering here. 

In Other News 

• Oceanside leaders are moving the city’s safe parking program for homeless people living in their vehicles from the North County LGBTQ Resource Center’s parking lot to a larger lot at the city’s Senior Center on Country Club Lane. The program started with room for 25 to 30 vehicles, but the new lot will have more space for more vehicles, better security and more access to services. (Union-Tribune) 

• The Del Mar City Council last week took the first step toward potentially creating a 100 percent affordable housing project on a city-owned lot next to City Hall. (Coast News) 

• 48th Congressional District candidate Ammar Campa-Najjar has recently come under fire over a campaign memo that his opponent, San Diego Councilmember Marni von Wilpert, called anti-LGBTQ due to its implication that LGBTQ candidates in the region struggle to receive support outside of Palm Springs. (Coast News) 

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