November 2018

Welcome to Carlsbad, allow us to introduce you to the Carlsbad Police officer who is riding-a-long with you every time you get in your car. That’s right, each time you drive in Carlsbad, the Carlsbad Police Department puts a digital tail on you thanks to a network of 51 (soon to be 86) license plate reading cameras located at intersections all over the City. With these cameras the Carlsbad Police department is able to track your car in real time where ever you travel in Carlsbad.

Today, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and MuckRock have released a data set that allows all of us to see how many plates are being scanned in Carlsbad, how many other agencies the Carlsbad Police Department is sharing their plates scans with, and how many times a plate they’re actually looking for has come up in the scanning.

To make it easier here are the numbers: in 2016-17 Carlsbad Police scanned (and stored) at least 8,363,866 plates and hit on 2,358 that they were actually looking for. They shared their scanned plate data with 198 other agencies. These numbers are likely only a portion of those scanned as the data is not complete in Carlsbad’s case.

 Here’s how the EFF pitches this data dump:

We have released records obtained from 200 agencies, accounting for more than 2.5 -billion license plate scans in 2016 and 2017. This data is collected regardless of whether the vehicle or its owner or driver are suspected of being involved in a crime. In fact, the information shows that 99.5% of the license plates scanned were not under suspicion at the time the vehicles’ plates were collected. . . On average, agencies are sharing data with a minimum of 160 other agencies through Vigilant Solutions’ LEARN system, though many agencies are sharing data with over 800 separate entities.

We are living in a surveillance state, but it’s still shocking to see it spelled out on easy to read charts. For all the details for Carlsbad and 199 other agencies and how they use license plate reading cameras, please click the link.

[Link: Automated Licese Plate Reader Dataset]

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Celebrate Holiday At The Rancho 2018

by The Editors on November 14, 2018

Blending holiday spirit with a bit of western history, the City of Carlsbad will celebrate the season at its Holiday at the Rancho event Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018 from 5 to 8 p.m., at Leo Carrillo Ranch Historic Park, located at 6200 Flying L.C. Lane. The event will feature a 14-foot tree lighting, train rides, games, crafts, face painting, holiday shopping, cookie decorating and more. For all the details, please follow the jump.

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Carlsbad High Students Produce Play

by The Editors on November 6, 2018

Love Is Blind, a play directed by Carlsbad High School sophomore Aiko Lozar is set to run December 6-8, 2018 at Carlsbad High School. The play, which is reportedly the first in Carlsbad history to be completely written, directed, and produced by students, combines the talents of 17 Carlsbad High School students from three different grade levels.

A hard-hitting piece about a dystopian society in which love has been eradicated for the sake of peace, the characters question the importance of controversy, love, and freedom of speech. The play follows the fictional life of Amber, a high school student who agrees that love should be synonymous to treason – until Amber falls in love with her best friend, Blake Colby. Written entirely in rhyme & prose, and blocked with interpretive choreography, the play depicts the ethical struggles behind a technologically advanced society as well as the undiscovered waters of falling in love as a teenager. The unique setting of the theater room allows for interaction between the audience and the cast in a theater-in-the-round style to yield a more intimate and meaningful connection between the modern world and the characters in the play.

Tickets for the performances are $5 and can be purchased in advance at https://loveisblindtickets.brownpapertickets.com/. For the official word on the play and those responsible for its production, please follow the jump.

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Carlsbad’s Fall Street Faire Nov. 4, 2018

by The Editors on November 1, 2018

This Sunday, November 4, 2018, the nation’s largest one-day street faire returns to the Village of Carlsbad. What better way to kick off the Holidays.

From 8 a.m.- 4 p.m., more than 100,000 people will have the pleasure of exploring the seaside city’s unique artisan offerings, reveling in scrumptious international eats, and live entertainment from over 900 vendors, including Timber Wave, Sunset Bay Candy Company, Kona Ice Central North County SD, Coppersmith Studios, Thai & Thai BBQ, Stay Cheesy, and Tri-City Medical Center.

This family-friendly function will entertain parents and youngsters alike with games, super slides, and rock climbing walls, for kids.  The Kiwanis Club of Carlsbad will continue its more than 25-year tradition of hosting a pancake breakfast at the Carlsbad railroad depot. The meal, which includes pancakes, sausage, coffee and juice, will be served between 7 a.m. and noon. Furry friends are also welcome at this eight-hour extravaganza. See you there!

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