Author Archives: Jaime Shaw

Public Engagement Commission Recruitment Open

Apply by February 22, 2024

Are you interested in helping the City of Goleta find ways to engage the community in local government? If so, we encourage you to apply for the City’s Public Engagement Commission (PEC). The City is looking to fill two vacancies. Apply by February 22 to be considered.

The PEC advises the City Council and staff on issues related to public engagement in City government and governance. The Commission has provided recommendations to the City Council on moving to evening-only meetings, directly electing the Mayor, and district elections.

The seven-member commission meets four times per year or as needed. Members are appointed to 4-year terms and compensated at the rate of $75 per meeting. Eligible applicants must live in the City of Goleta.

Don’t wait, apply today at www.CityofGoleta.org/BoardsCommissions. Applications must be received by Thursday, February 22, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. For additional information, please email cityclerkgroup@cityofgoleta.org.

Beautify Goleta All Month Long

Be a part of the City’s first ever Beautify Goleta Self-Guided Cleanup Month. For the entire month of February, you are encouraged to pick up litter during a time most convenient to you at a location of your choosing (except private property unless permitted by owner). Once you are done, you will report what you collected to the City using an online form. You will then be entered into a prize drawing based on the categories below: 

  1. Grand Prize Drawing with all participants (3 Winners) 
  2. Prize for picking up the most trash by weight (1 Winner) 
  3. Prize for the most number of cleanups throughout the month (1 Winner) 

All winners will be announced on Monday, March 4th by 5:00 p.m.

Before your cleanup, please review our Self-Guided Cleanup Cheat Sheet, our Cleanup Safety Guidance, and our list of Helpful Contacts. 

After your cleanup, the City encourages participants to report results using an online form, which can also be found at www.cityofgoleta.org/BeautifyGoleta.

Need Equipment? The City has trash grabbers, gloves, trash bags, and buckets that can be checked out for free. Email us at EnvironmentalServices@cityofgoleta.org to schedule a pickup time or if you have any questions/feedback.

Mark your calendar for the next Community-Wide Beautify Goleta Cleanup on Saturday, March 16, 2024, spotlighting Old Town Goleta. We are looking for Team Captains to lead cleanup locations for all events in 2024. For more information go to www.CityofGoleta.org/BeautifyGoleta or sign up here today!

Our Water Our World: Planting a Healthy Garden

Learn about planting a healthy garden while protecting the health of people, pets, and our environment with these tips from the City of Goleta Environmental Services Division. Planting a variety of flowering plants that bloom throughout the spring and summer gives you a beautiful garden and can also reduce the number of garden pests. Many commonly available plants— including drought-tolerant plants—attract beneficial insects that feed on pests you don’t want around!

Attract Beneficial Insects, and Keep Them Around

Beneficial insects are the ultimate non-toxic pest control. And they do all of the work for you! Soldier beetles, syrphid flies, and ladybugs and their larvae attack aphids. Lacewings will go after just about any insect pest.

Use pesticides only as a last resort. If you must use a pesticide, choose the least toxic product designed to kill the specific target pest. Bees and other beneficial insects are often more sensitive to pesticides than the pests you want to kill. What’s worse, after pesticide use has eliminated the beneficial insects, the pests are free to multiply… and you’ll need to spray again.

Choosing the Right Plant

Plant for success! Many of the plants that attract beneficial insects are California natives that should do well here. It’s important to learn about your garden—what type of soil you have and how much sunlight you get throughout the day and during different seasons—and choose plants that fit in.

  • Read the label! Most nurseries provide detailed information about plants’ blooming habits and water and sunlight requirements. For plants that are pest-prone, such as hollyhocks and fuchsias, look for varieties described as pest- and disease-resistant.
  • Before you buy a plant, check the roots. Gently pull or knock the plant out of its pot to make sure it’s not root-bound. Don’t buy a plant with roots that are kinked, growing out of the bottom of the container, or surrounding the root ball. Also, don’t buy a plant if its root crown (the area where the roots meet the stem or trunk) is soft or rotten.
  • Talk to your local garden club, and check out these resources to help you choose the right plants:

Caring for Your Plants

Knowing your plant’s needs for water, pruning, and fertilizer will help you keep your garden healthy. Even drought-tolerant plants need regular water to become established. During their first two growing seasons, water new plants deeply twice a week so that their roots will grow down into the soil. You may have to water young plants more often during hot weather.

  • Don’t pile soil around the plant any higher than the root crown. Don’t plant in a depression that will allow water to wash soil down around the stem or trunk and cover the root crown. A continually moist root crown can cause rot.
  • Cover bare soil with mulch. Mulch conserves soil moisture so plants don’t dry out as quickly. A four-inch layer of mulch will prevent most annual weeds from growing, and any weeds that do sprout can be pulled out more easily.
  • Use a mulch of leaves, bark, or composted manure and/or garden waste to provide organic matter to the soil and a slow, steady flow of nutrients to plants. Make sure not to cover the crown of the plant.
  • If you need to fertilize, use organic, slow-release fertilizers.
  • Learn how and when to prune your plants, and don’t prune more than recommended. Severe pruning can damage the plant and encourage pests and diseases.

Find more information on planting a healthy garden in our OWOW brochures in English and Spanish. 

The City of Goleta along with the Cities of Buellton, Carpinteria, Solvang, Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, and the County of Santa Barbara have partnered with the OWOW organization to promote the use of less-toxic products to reduce pesticide pollution in our communities. By reducing pesticide use and the use of less-toxic products around the home, you can help reduce pesticides and other pollutants such as herbicides and fertilizers from being picked up while watering or when it rains and transported to the nearest storm drain inlet and into our waterways. The OWOW website is a great resource for finding less-toxic products to use around your home or garden.

Save-the-Date: Community State of the City

April 10 from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. Returning to the Goleta Community Center 

We are thrilled to announce that the City’s 7th Annual Goleta Community State of the City will be returning to its original home at the Goleta Community Center (5679 Hollister Avenue). Please mark your calendars for Wednesday, April 10, from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. (arrive at 4:00 p.m. for a musical guest in the gazebo). We hope you will join us for this must-attend free community event. Simultaneous Spanish interpretation will be available and light refreshments are provided. This is your chance to hear about the City’s accomplishments over the past year and to find out what the future holds.

Mayor Paula Perotte said, “We are so excited to be returning to the Goleta Community Center (GCC) for our upcoming Community State of the City. This will be a great night for us all to get together to share what we have achieved this past year and what lies ahead. We thank the Elks Lodge for hosting this event the past two years while the GCC was undergoing seismic updates.”

We have a full evening planned:

  • 4:00 p.m. – New! Dos Pueblos High School Jazz Band performs in the gazebo outside of the Goleta Community Center.
  • 5:00 p.m. – Doors open for attendees to mingle with the City Council, City staff, stakeholders and fellow Goletans. You can also check out our City information tables, take photos and enjoy light refreshments.
  • 6:00 p.m. – The main program begins and includes the Mayor’s State of the City Address, a Financial Update from the City Manager, and the popular Q&A session with City Directors.

Please tell your family and friends and join us for this important City event.

Butterflies, BioBlitz and Behind the Scenes at Ellwood Mesa

Butterflies

Have you been to the Goleta Butterfly Grove at Ellwood Mesa to see the monarch butterflies this season? We know many of you have because we’ve seen you on the trails and we’ve enjoyed your photos on social media. We’ve seen more butterflies and visitors at Ellwood this season than we have in many years.

Monarchs arrive at the California coast around mid-October, searching for overwintering habitat. In November, they start to settle into groves of trees for wind protection and other conditions they need to make it through the winter. By mid-December, they move out of areas with less than adequate habitat and gather into large clusters in the best groves. The population at Ellwood Main Butterfly Grove generally peaks around mid-December before the first significant winter storms hit the region. After New Year’s Day the population fluctuates but generally starts to decline due to mortality and dispersal. By mid-March the monarchs will have departed for their spring migration to breeding habitats across the western United States.


Learn more at our Monarch Butterfly Grove Visitor Information.

BioBlitz – Saturday, March 9, 9:30-11:30 am – New Date!

The City of Goleta Parks and Open Space Division and UC Santa Barbara’s Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration invite you to participate in a one-day inventory of biodiversity at the Butterfly Grove. The goal of this fun, hands-on experience is to identify and record as many plants, animals, fungi, and other species as possible in a single day. Citizen scientists contribute valuable data to ongoing biodiversity research and play a role in the conservation of important habitat for plants and wildlife. This BioBlitz will be used as an informal baseline survey of biodiversity at the Goleta Butterfly Grove before the City enters the next phase of enhancement and restoration. 

This event highlights the City’s commitment to encourage nature appreciation, community pride, and participation in the City’s parks and open spaces. For more information and to sign up, go to Butterfly Grove BioBlitz details and signup.

Behind the Scenes at Ellwood Mesa

The Goleta Butterfly Grove at Ellwood Mesa is one of the premier habitats for the monarch butterfly and the City is positioned to be a leader in western monarch butterfly conservation. The long-awaited implementation of the Monarch Butterfly Habitat Management Plan –– including addressing urgent concerns of fire risk, replanting thousands of trees and native plants, and providing safe access for visitors – is just around the corner. The City has been working hard on several fronts so they will be ready to start as soon as the necessary permits are issued. Several key milestones were achieved this year and on-the-ground work is expected to begin this spring (fire risk vegetation management) and summer (habitat enhancement and access improvements).

In the meantime, the City continues to work behind the scenes on the following:

  • Planning, Documentation, and Design – City staff and consultants continue to respond to Coastal Commission requests for detailed maps, planting plans, engineering specifications, species protection plans, and more.
  • Growing Plants for Restoration – The City has entered agreements with UC Santa Barbara’s Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration (CCBER) to begin native seed collection and propagation and CalPoly San Luis Obispo’s Plant Conservatory to grow the eucalyptus trees that will be planted to restore the microclimate that monarch butterflies need.
  • Community Engagement – The City strives to increase the public’s knowledge and interest in what is happening at Ellwood. 2023 events included a monarch butterfly forum at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, a Firewise USA meeting for Ellwood residents, presentations to organizations with shared interests, site visits with City staff and monarch specialists, and onsite signage. The City has reactivated the Butterfly Grove docent program and provides regular project updates and information at CityofGoleta.org/Ellwood.
  • Ellwood Friends – with the support of the City and LegacyWorks Group, a group of Ellwood neighbors are forming a community organization to support the stewardship, conservation and celebration of Ellwood Mesa. They will work alongside City and non-profit partners to care for Ellwood Mesa. See EllwoodFriends.org.

Do you have questions about what is happening at Ellwood? We’d like to hear from you. Please contact the Parks and Open Space Division at ellwoodmesa@cityofgoleta.org.

Funding for the implementation of the Monarch Butterfly Habitat Management Plan is provided by the California State Coastal Conservancy. The Coastal Conservancy is a California state agency, established in 1976, to protect and improve natural lands and waterways, to help people get to and enjoy the outdoors, and to sustain local economies along California’s coast. It acts with others to protect and restore, and increase public access to, California’s coast, ocean, coastal watersheds, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Its vision is of a beautiful, restored, and accessible coast for current and future generations of Californians.

Funding for fire prevention activities in and near Ellwood Mesa (Ellwood Mesa Neighborhoods Hazard Fuel Reduction) is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide program that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing GHG emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment– particularly in disadvantaged communities. The Cap-and-Trade program also creates a financial incentive for industries to invest in clean technologies and develop innovative ways to reduce pollution. California Climate Investments projects include affordable housing, renewable energy, public transportation, zero-emission vehicles, environmental restoration, more sustainable agriculture, recycling, and much more. At least 35 percent of these investments are located within and benefiting residents of disadvantaged communities, low-income communities, and low-income households across California. For more information, visit the California Climate Investments website at: www.caclimateinvestments.ca.gov.

Coffee, Community & Birthday Cake THIS Saturday

February 3rd from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. at Brandon School

It’s not often that you feel good about eating cake for breakfast, but we have the perfect excuse. We are celebrating the City’s 22nd birthday at our upcoming Coffee and Community (Café y Comunidad) event on Saturday, February 3 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at Brandon School (195 Brandon Drive).  We will be serving up birthday cake from Anna’s Bakery and kids who attend can make birthday cards for the City to be displayed at the Goleta Valley Library. This bilingual event will have live Spanish interpretation. 

Mayor Paula Perotte, City Councilmember Kyle Richards, and City staff from various departments look forward to meeting you, your family, and friends.

Mayor Paula Perotte said, “Bring your friends and neighbors and any questions, concerns, or ideas you have. This is the perfect opportunity to get caught up, get to know each better, hear important updates, and get your questions answered.”

Councilmember Kyle Richards said, “I’m eager to connect with the residents of District 3 to hear their concerns and discuss what the City has been working on in this area. We are always looking for ways to better address the needs of our community, and this is a great way to meet and hear from our constituents directly.”

The event will be held in the school’s Multi-Purpose Room (MPR). The playground will be open as well but unsupervised.

There will be plenty of time for mingling and a chance to talk one on one with the Mayor, Councilmember Richards and the staff who are attending to address topics of importance to the neighborhood.

This will be the fourth Coffee & Community / Café y Comunidad event held by the City across the four Goleta districts.

We will have free Live • Work • Play giveaways as well. Join us for all or part of the morning, we are hoping for a great turnout!

See you Saturday!

Winter Reading Program Happening Now!

Ends Friday, February 23rd

Community members of all ages are invited to participate in the library’s 12th annual Winter Reading Program going on now! The 2024 theme is “Warm Up with a Good Book!” and encourages our local patrons to read their way through the winter months with the library’s collection of print and digital titles.

How it Works:

As in years past, participants will complete one entry slip for every book they read during the program and enter them into prize drawing boxes at their local branch for a chance to win exciting prizes in our weekly drawings. Plus, all the tickets submitted during the program will be entered into a grand prize drawing for everyone who participated! Entry boxes for each age group will be available at the Goleta Valley Library, Bookvan, Solvang Library, and Buellton Library.

Participants can read in whatever format they like best, including print books, graphic novels, eBooks, and audiobooks. We are adding new books to our collection each week, so there has never been a better time to visit your library and discover your next great read!

The Goleta and Santa Ynez Valley Libraries would like to thank the generous sponsors of the 2024 Winter Reading Program.

City Holds First Grants Workshop

The City’s first joint Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and City Grant Workshop is in the books. The workshop was held on January 9, 2024, marking a significant milestone in the City’s commitment to fostering community growth and well-being for its residents. The workshop was held shortly after the application period opened. Designed to empower local non-profit organizations with essential knowledge about available grants and funding opportunities, the workshop proved to be a resounding success with approximately 40 people in attendance.

The CDBG program, administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), aims to support local community development activities that enhance the quality of life for low- to moderate-income individuals. The City of Goleta recognizes the importance of leveraging these federal resources to address the unique needs of its residents and organizations.

The workshop provided a platform for participants to learn about the details of the CDBG and City Grant programs. This encompassed a range of topics, including application processes, eligibility criteria, and grant timelines.

One of the notable achievements of the workshop was the increased awareness among local nonprofits, community groups, and residents about funding opportunities available to them. The City of Goleta’s commitment to transparency and accessibility was evident as attendees gained valuable insights into navigating the grant application process and understanding how these funds could be utilized to make a positive impact on the community.

The deadline for grant applications was January 26. Applications will be reviewed by the City’s Human Services, Homelessness Issues, and Economic Development Standing Committees, as well as the Parks and Recreation Commission. These groups will evaluate the applications and make funding recommendations to the City Council. The Council then awards the grants at a meeting in the spring, likely in May of 2024.

As the City of Goleta celebrates the success of its first joint CDBG and City Grant Workshop, it looks forward to the positive impact that the funded efforts will have on the community. By empowering local stakeholders and promoting community-driven solutions, Goleta is setting the stage for sustained progress and prosperity for years to come.

Interested in Waste Management? Apply for the Solid Waste Local Task Force 

The Santa Barbara County Solid Waste Local Task Force (LTF) is seeking TWO volunteer Community Representatives to help support solid waste programming across the County. Applications are being accepted from interested individuals until March 1, 2024. All applications can be submitted online at www.LessIsMore.org/LTF-communityrep.  

The LTF was created in 1990 and consists of fourteen (14) voting members and eight (8) non-voting members. These members typically have knowledge of the solid waste industry including source reduction, recycling, composting, and environmentally safe landfilling practices. You can learn more about the Santa Barbara County Solid Waste Local Task Force at www.LessIsMore.org/LTF. 

The members are the cities of Buellton, Carpinteria, Goleta, Guadalupe, Lompoc, Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, and Solvang, as well as the Goleta Sanitary District, Vandenberg Space Force Base, a rotating industry representative from one of the local solid waste haulers operating in Santa Barbara County, and two community representatives. The Santa Barbara County Resource Recovery and Waste Management Division leads the group. 

The Task Force was formed to address the many growing and multi-faceted issues surrounding solid waste management in Santa Barbara County. If you have any questions about the local task force or the community representative position, please don’t hesitate to reach out to EnvironmentalServices@cityofgoleta.org.

Project Connect Construction Contract Awarded

The City’s largest ever capital improvement project is moving forward. The Goleta City Council approved a $62,746,460 contract with Security Paving Company, Inc. for Project Connect, at its December 19, 2023, meeting.

Project Connect is the City of Goleta’s comprehensive program to enhance pedestrian access and safety, improve road conditions and build critical linkage through Goleta while increasing stormwater flow capacity in San Jose Creek under Hollister Bridge. Project Connect will require numerous right-of-way acquisitions and permits, as well as close coordination with many local agencies including Caltrans, City of Santa Barbara, and the County of Santa Barbara.

As part of Project Connect, Security Paving will complete major roadway improvements within the City of Goleta:

  • Hollister Avenue Bridge & Roundabout Project will construct two roundabouts at the Hollister Avenue/State Route 217 ramp intersection to improve traffic flow. Additionally, a new bridge will be built over San Jose Creek to achieve 100-year storm flow capacity.
  • Ekwill Street & Fowler Road Extension Projects will improve east-west circulation north and south of Hollister Avenue, providing direct connections to portions of Old Town Goleta and the Santa Barbara Airport.

Construction is anticipated to begin in spring 2024.

Project milestones, traffic impacts, and other important Project Connect information will be made available on the City’s website: www.CityofGoleta.org/ProjectConnect.

For additional information or questions, please email Connect@CityofGoleta.org or call 805-690-5116.