Since time immemorial, Carlsbad residents have walked the Village H meadow and trail.

Removed from the busy road and meandering under a silent canopy of swaying trees, it is here that our bonds of friendship, family, and, community have formed, flourished, and been strengthened. It has made where we live more than a housing tract or development; this land has made us neighbors, friends, and family.

Not just a beloved community gathering place, Village H is ranked second on the 2007 Citizens Open Space Committee list of ideal properties to be acquired and preserved with Proposition C money.

What is Proposition C money?

Proposition C is a city-sponsored ballot initiative passed by citizens in 2002. The initiative emphasized that Carlsbad residents, every year in city surveys, identify preserving open space as their top priority in improving Carlsbad’s quality of life. With the passage of Prop C, $35 million dollars was set aside to, among other things, preserve trails and open space within the city.

What has happened since the passage of Proposition C in 2002?

Absolutely nothing. Since the passage of Prop C in 2002, the city has not spent one thin dime of the $35 million allocated for projects in Prop C on the acquisition of open space. Frustrated and angry, citizens demanded the issue be addressed in 2005. As a result, the city formed the Citizens Open Space Committee: a group of resident volunteers who donated their time and efforts for one full year, establishing criteria and identifying open space parcels ideal for preservation with Prop C funds.

In the committee’s final report in 2007, Village H ranked tied for second, behind only one other property, as exhibiting the traits and matching the criteria that best exemplified a property ideal for acquisition and preservation with Prop C funds.

And what has been the result of the Open Space Committee’s work?

Not one darn thing. Since the Open Space Committee finished its work in 2007, not one penny has been spent to preserve one square inch of open space in Carlsbad.

But has Carlsbad had the opportunity to purchase land on the Open Space Committee's list?

Yes! Recognizing its importance to our community, and its preeminence on the Open Space Committee’s list, Village H was offered to the city in 2009 — for the price of a song.

The city council — behind closed doors and without notifying anyone in the Village H community — declined the offer, abandoning Village H, the year long efforts of the Open Space Committee, and all the citizens that passed Proposition C.

Consequently, an out-of-state developer, a Nevada corporation, purchased our beautiful trail and grasslands. That corporation is now drawing up plans to develop it and has put Village H on the market for over ten times what they paid — and what Carlsbad could have bought it for in 2009.

For over seven years, since the passing of Prop C, supporters of Save Village H have taken the City Council at its word. We have acted in good faith, participated in council meetings, responded to city surveys, and volunteered on the Open Space Committee. As a result, our most precious natural resource, the land that has brought us together over many generations, is in dire jeopardy.

We are tired of being strung along by the city’s quick-footed tap dance. We are tired of having our trust breached by city officials who feign interest in our concerns, and then sell us out at the first opportunity.

It’s time the spirit of Prop C is honored. It’s time our tax dollars be used in the manner we’ve directed. It’s time to Save Village H.

Click here to read the full history of the effort to preserve Village H.