Proposal to display commemorative flags, including Pride flag, fails in Carlsbad

A motion to allow the display of commemorative flags including the rainbow Pride flag at Carlsbad City Hall failed on a 3-2 vote Tuesday night, with Mayor Keith Blackburn and Councilmember Melanie Burkholder opposed.

“I see that this will be fraught with issues and problems,” Blackburn said, raising the possibility that a “fringe group” will ask to unfurl its banner above the city’s buildings. The proposed policy needed four votes from the five-member Carlsbad City Council to pass.

The idea stemmed from the council’s previous discussions of the Pride flag and LGBTQ issues in recent years. The display of any specific commemorative flag would have required a separate agenda item requested by a council member and approved by a two-thirds majority at a future meeting.

Burkholder said she opposed the policy because there are many other months recognizing groups or issues, from Black history to honey manufacturers, that could want their flag displayed. Also, although the proposal was for only one flag at City Hall, she said there’s a potential for people to want commemorative flags at all 22 of the city’s buildings, all of which could become time-consuming and expensive.

“For me, this just seems outside of government’s role,” Burkholder said.

Councilmember Carolyn Luna said the proposed flag policy was similar to the city’s proclamation policy, and the council often delivers two or more proclamations at a single meeting.

“Proclamations have been well received over the years,” Luna said. “I’m confident our staff can handle it.”

Five of six public speakers supported the commemorative flag policy.

“Any vote to the contrary is a vote of exclusion,” said Sarah Hunter, a Carlsbad High School teacher.

She recalled that in 2019, when the City Council voted 3-2 to declare June as LGBTQ+ Pride Month each year going forward, the opponents said it would lead to a flood of similar “evergreen” declarations. Yet, since then, there have been no others.

City officials estimated the purchase and installation of an additional flagpole and a 5-by-8-foot flag would cost between $10,000 and $12,000. Residents said the commemorative flag could be displayed below the U.S. and state flags, so there’s no need for a new pole, and one woman offered to donate a Pride flag.

Director of Legislative and Constituent Services Sheila Cobian said the reason for a third flagpole is that sometimes the flags are lowered to half-staff, which would put the lowest flag too close to the ground.

Carlsbad’s neighboring cities of Encinitas and Vista both fly the Pride flag in June, also the Oceanside Unified School District. The Carlsbad Unified School District is expected to vote on the issue later this month. The city of San Diego and the San Diego Unified School district also display the flag for Pride Month.

Carlsbad’s proposed policy defined commemorative flags as those that identify with a specific historical event, cause, nation or group of people. Those of particular religions and political parties would be prohibited.

Councilmember Priya Bhat-Patel moved to approve the policy.

“This is something we have been discussing for many years,” she said. “I want everyone to feel safe and that they belong,” and she urged her colleagues to support it.

“We need to be very clear that these are people we are talking about,” she said.

Blackburn said that, even though he opposed the policy, “everybody is safe here at City Hall.”