Author Archives: Jaime Shaw

Train Depot Design Goes to Council August 5

The City Council will hear an update on the Goleta Train Depot project and pick a design theme for the building at their August 5 Special City Council Meeting. The Goleta Train Depot will be a full-service multi-modal train station next to the existing Amtrak platform on South La Patera Lane. By creating a full-service station, the City hopes to increase train ridership, improve connections to bus transit, accommodate transit service to/from the Santa Barbara Airport and UCSB, and add new bicycle and pedestrian facilities. This project will also allow accommodation for future additional train storage, supporting increased commuter rail needs.

The City’s consultant came up with three design themes for the building (“Traditional,” “Sunrise,” and “Schooner”) and the City conducted extensive outreach to find out what the community wanted. Outreach included a survey which more than 1,100 people completed and a community meeting via Zoom with City staff and consultants to learn more about the project and ask questions.  Learn more about the Goleta Train Depot project at https://tinyurl.com/GoletaTrainDepot. Read the full staff report here: https://tinyurl.com/y48a45rm. Watch the meeting live on Channel 19, or live or at anytime on our website at www.CityofGoleta.org/GoletaMeetings .

Lake Los Carneros Wooden Footbridge Closed Due to Public Safety Hazard

The wooden footbridge at the northern end of Lake Los Carneros is closed due a public safety hazard caused by extensive wood rot.  The City of Goleta Public Works Department inspected the bridge and discovered several support posts are in need of replacement. The existing structure is estimated to be 30 years old and is exposed annually to seasonal flooding during the winter months.  The footbridge will need significant reconstruction or replacement to reopen.  Public access across the bridge is closed until further notice.  City staff is working on a recommended plan for assessing the extent of needed repairs, engineered design, and permitting the necessary infrastructure improvements.  A cost estimate and funding for the project is not yet developed, but will be detailed as part of the improvement process.

We know this is an inconvenience to the many Lake Los Carneros visitors who enjoy using the wooden footbridge to view wildlife, connect with nature, and find a nice place to relax and reflect.  Visitors are encouraged to detour around the footbridge via Covington Way to the north or do a loop hike through the many alternative trails at the eastern and southern portions of Lake Los Carneros.  Temporary signage and barricades have been posted onsite.  Additional signage and detour maps will be installed onsite to aid in navigating the detours. 

Questions about the footbridge closure can be directed to George Thomson, Parks and Open Space Manager, at 805-961-7578 or gthomson@cityofgoleta.org.

Census Countdown is Here – Less than Two Months Left to Make Goleta Count!

If you haven’t filled out your census yet, please do so! It’s easy, important, and takes less than 10 minutes to answer the nine questions asked. As of August 2, 2020, 72.4% of Goleta households have filled out their census. That means we still need 27.6% of households to complete their census and only have until September 30 to make sure EVERYONE counts.  You can complete the census online at https://my2020census.gov/ or by calling 844-330-2020.  For those who don’t respond, Census workers will begin going door to door next week. 

We are so appreciative of everyone who participated in, and came out to watch, our Make Goleta Count Census Caravan on Saturday, July 11. We were fortunate to have many of our local leaders take time out on their weekend to drive throughout Goleta honking, waving, and spreading the word about the importance of filling out your census. Our featured participants included the Mayor and City Council members, Congressman Salud Carbajal, Assemblymember Monique Limón, Supervisors Gregg Hart and Joan Hartman, several key leaders on the Santa Barbara County Complete Count Committee, and the Santa Barbara Promotores Network!

Please watch our fun Census Caravan video here.

When filling out your census, please remember to count everyone in your household even if they are not family members. Also, don’t forget to count children even if they are babies. It’s estimated that one in 10 children under age five were missed in the last census. That is more than two million uncounted children. Also, it’s important to know that the 2020 Census is confidential and your personal information, by law, can’t be shared.

Emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic are precisely why the government needs accurate 2020 Census Data. Your response to the census shapes decisions about how billions of dollars in federal funds flow into communities each year for the next ten years. The following items are at stake for Goleta if there is an undercount in the 2020 Census:

  • Loss of revenue for TEN years
  • Federal funding for Community Development Block Grants
  • Library funding
  • Gas tax related revenue for road repairs
  • Special funding based on population
  • District election boundaries

Learn more about the 2020 Census on the City’s census webpage and on Santa Barbara County’s census website. Information in Spanish is also available on the City website and Santa Barbara County website. The City of Goleta is proud to be a part of the Complete Count Committee which is working together to make sure EVERYONE counts in Santa Barbara County.

Make Goleta Count Census 2020 Caravan cruising through Goleta

Congressman Salud Carbajal at the end of the Census Caravan


City staff member Sandra Rodriguez waving our Make Goleta Count car flags

New Website to Help Understand Your Property’s Wildfire Risk

The Santa Barbara Fire Safe Council launched a new website to help residents understand their property’s risk from wildfire. The new www.sbfiresafecouncil.org online platform provides Santa Barbara County residents with a host of resources including tools to reduce individual wildfire risks such as Community Wildfire Protection Plans and the FireWise USA and Ready! Set! Go! Programs. The site also provides access to published papers on topics such as Fire History of Santa Barbara County, Weather and Fire Environment, and Risk Management; and includes current information on wildfires burning across California.

Typically, the Fire Safe Council meets every month at the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management in Goleta. These meetings are open to the public and include presentations from local experts on topics such as fire ecology, fire behavior, vegetation management, habitat restoration, infrastructure improvement, weather services, and emergency planning. The presentations are recorded and made available for viewing on the new website. Due to the current limitation on public gatherings, the Fire Safe Council will be hosting their meetings online for the foreseeable future. The monthly meetings as well as the website offer opportunities for community members to become part of the solution to the challenges fire poses to our wildland urban interface areas.

According to Santa Barbara County Fire Chief, Mark Hartwig: “The Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council has been an invaluable partner with all fire agencies in the county helping to promote wildfire safety for our communities. They have done this through a very effective public education campaign now highlighted in their new website. They have engaged in numerous grant-funded projects that have helped support wildfire mitigation including the development of Community Wildfire Protection Plans for the at-risk communities in Santa Barbara County.”

Please visit www.sbfiresafecouncil.org to learn more about your local Fire Safe Council and become informed on how to prepare your property, home, and families for wildland fires.

Pictured: screenshot of website

Construction of New Sidewalks Nears Finish Line in Old Town

The City of Goleta is pleased to announce that construction on the sidewalk and parking project in Old Town Goleta is proceeding along successfully. The contractor is working on Phase 4 out of 5 phases. Utility work by Southern California Edison (SCE), Frontier Communications, Cox Communications, and Goleta Water District (GWD) will take place in August and will impact area residents. The work is needed to complete the project and the City’s construction management team, contractor, and utilities are working to minimize the impacts to the residents during construction. SCE and GWD will be providing notifications to the residents with the work details prior to starting their work.

The sidewalks on Magnolia Avenue, Orange Avenue, Armitos Avenue, South Fairview Avenue, Aguila Avenue, Gato Avenue, and sections of Mandarin Avenue have been constructed and the base roadway paving work is complete. Phase 4 is underway, including sidewalk and retaining curbs on the east side of Pine Avenue.

Final paving on the streets will occur at the end of the entire project for continuity of the paving surface. More details will be provided as we approach this work, anticipated to take approximately four days.

Senior Project Engineer, James Winslow, PE said, “The contractor and construction management team continue to perform admirably with construction, traffic control, and resident interactions, all while under the strain of the mandatory COVID-19 orders. The improvements in Old Town are much needed, and we are excited to be entering the final phases and wrapping up the overall paving in the coming months.”The contractor has started Phase 4 work on the northern section of Nectarine Avenue, the southern section of Orange Avenue, and Pine Avenue. Work on Phase 4 is anticipated to be completed in August. Additional project information, including a map of the proposed project phases, can be found on our City website at https://tinyurl.com/GoletaOTSW.

Thank you for your continued patience and support as we construct the sidewalk, drainage, and roadway improvements in Old Town. For questions, please contact sidewalks@cityofgoleta.org or call the Construction Management Inspector, Daniel Anderson, at 805.869.3727.

Background

The Old Town Sidewalk Improvement project includes constructing sidewalk on at least one side of each street north of Hollister Avenue between South Fairview Avenue and Mallard Avenue as well as on Pine Avenue south of Hollister Avenue. The new sidewalks will connect to existing sidewalk providing a continuous path of travel. There will also be drainage improvements, tree replacements, repaving, and the construction of 39 back-in angled parking spots on Magnolia Avenue (for a net increase of approximately 17 new parking spots). Watch this video to learn more about the project.

When this project is done, the safety improvements, livability and ability to recreate in Old Town will change dramatically. We are pleased the community will be able to enjoy the improvements for years to come.

Pictured: Newly constructed sidewalk and retaining curbs on the east side of Pine Avenue.

Fire Risk Reduced Along Highway 101 Corridor

In an effort to reduce fire hazards along the Highway 101 corridor in Goleta, Caltrans crews began work at the end of July to clear brush and dead vegetation from Fairview Avenue to Los Carneros Road between the highway and the train tracks.  The work also included tree trimming and pruning the remaining tree canopies. The project is expected to conclude by Friday, August 7, 2020, and may involve periodic shoulder or lane closures for the protection of workers. The City of Goleta provided 40-cubic yard roll-off Marborg containers in support of this effort.

City of Goleta Director of Neighborhood Services and Public Safety, Vyto Adomaitis said, “The vegetation removal will greatly reduce the fire load in the area and likelihood of a fire starting in the first place, and the new visibility through the corridor is expected to reduce the number of new homeless encampments being established.”

In July there were several fires along Highway 101 in Goleta that were associated with homeless encampments. The build-up of dense vegetation, trash and debris through the corridor has added to the heightened level of concern as the City has seen a proliferation of encampments since the onset of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. The danger is not only to encampment residents, but the larger Goleta community given the proximity to businesses and residences.

Due to the current pandemic, crews did not clear or remove any homeless encampments. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has issued guidance that homeless encampments not be cleared to prevent potentially infected or ill individuals from being dispersed into the community.  Encampment residents were given advanced notice of the work being done.

Adomaitis said, “The pandemic has complicated how these encampments can be addressed. Accordingly, we have modified our approaches, but we are continuing close coordination efforts with Caltrans, California Highway Patrol, the Sheriff’s office, Santa Barbara County Fire and other allied agencies to do everything we can to ensure the safety of the entire community.”

In a separate effort to reduce fuel load through the area, Caltrans is providing trash bags for distribution to people living in the encampments for their use to collect their trash and debris, with the request to then place their full trash bags along the freeway (safely off the paved shoulder area). Caltrans will then pick up these bags on a weekly basis. The goal is to reduce the amount of trash build-up in these areas, thereby reducing the fuel load.

How to Help Your Kids Navigate the Impacts of COVID-19

By Suzanne Grimmesey, MFT, County of Santa Barbara, Department of Public Health

The uncertainty, fear and myriad of changes created by the COVID-19 pandemic has had a tremendous impact on everyone, but kids and teens may have an especially tough time coping emotionally.

Children have been cooped up for weeks with no in-person school, sports or play dates.  Not being able to socialize with their friends may leave kids feeling depressed, hopeless anxious and angry.  

Now, as we begin to reopen communities and facilities, it may be hard to get children and especially teens to take safety protocols seriously, but it is vital that they do.  How we talk to our kids is as important as what we say to them.  To help you and your kids navigate their emotions and new ways of living, here are 7 tips you may find useful:

  1. Hear your child out.  Try to understand where your children are coming from with any issues they may have, such as feeling that wearing a face mask makes them look stupid or feeling like they just have to meet up with their friends at the park.  Try to make something work for them and for you.  Perhaps you can let them choose or decorate their own mask to wear.  As for meet ups, offer your OK if they agree to wear their mask and bring along hand sanitizer.  Most importantly, let them express their feelings about missing friends and activities.
  2. Empathize and Validate! It’s probably been awhile since you were a teenager, but you may recall, for teens, friends are their life.  Not being able to hang out with their friends, enjoy activities together and meet in person can feel devastating.  As a parent, work to get a clear sense of what your kids want and need right now.   Listen and empathize with them.  Hey, it’s been hard on you too, and you can share that with them! You can develop rules and guidelines for your kids to venture out, while at the same time, giving them space to express themselves, be heard and be validated by you.
  3. Create perspective.  Three months of quarantine and physical distancing can feel like forever to kids (and adults too).  Now would be a good time to remind your kids that this will not go on forever, but it is important that we all adhere to safety precautions so that we remain safe.  
  4. Stick to the facts. This generation of kids has access to more information than ever before.  As a parent, it is important that we help them understand what they need to know and talk to them about what they are reading and hearing.  Also, resist the urge to scare your children into complying with new safety precautions; rather encourage compliance by affirming them, such as by saying, “I have faith in your ability to follow through with these orders right now.” 
  5. Use trusted information sources.  With so much information available, it can be difficult to know what is accurate.  Stick to trusted sources of information such as the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO) and our local Department of Public Health for the County of Santa Barbara.  These are the places where you will be able to obtain accurate and timely information about the coronavirus and up-to-date health orders.
  6. Personalize situations for your kids.  If you ask your child if they know of anyone that has the coronavirus, the answer will likely be no, so this disease can seem abstract to kids.  Gently remind your children that the coronavirus is dangerous to the elderly, and that what we all do now can have a big impact down the road.  If we all follow safety precautions now, we can help prevent future lockdowns.
  7. Help connect their independence with being safe.  Children and teens want and deserve their freedom back (don’t we all!) If we can help them understand that adhering to safety precautions, like wearing your face mask (correctly) and using hand sanitizer, will enable them to venture out, kids are more likely to follow these safety protocols. 

As parents, we set the tone in the household. It is important that we try to stay positive and communicate consistent messages to our kids such as adhering to safety protocols now, and that a brighter future lies ahead. Remember to keep lines of communication open between you and your kids; reassure them, keep them informed and connected.

For more information about how you can prevent getting and spreading the coronavirus and what steps the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department is taking to protect our communities, please visit: https://publichealthsbc.org/.

Suzanne Grimmesey, MFT, is the County of Santa Barbara’s Chief Quality Care and Strategy Officer and is responsible for leadership of Quality Care and Strategy Management within the Department of Behavioral Wellness.

Face Covering Q & A

Face coverings or masks reduce the spread of coronavirus, especially when combined with physical distancing and frequent hand washing. Coronavirus spreads when an infected person speaks, sneezes, or coughs within 6 feet of others. It is possible for you to have the virus and spread it even if you have no symptoms and feel well. Wearing a face mask protects people around you.

When should I wear a face covering?

You must wear a face covering or mask whenever you are outside of your home in public settings, including:

  • Outdoors, if you can’t stay 6 feet away from others
  • At work, when near other people or in common areas 
  • Inside any indoor public space including grocery or retail stores
  • When waiting in line
  • When getting health care
  • On public transportation or when ride-sharing

When can you take off your mask?

There are times when it’s alright to take your mask off when you’re away from home, such as:

  • When eating or drinking
  • When you’re not sharing a common area, room or enclosed space with others
  • When outdoors in public and can stay six feet from others
  • If a hearing-impaired person needs to read your lips
  • If wearing a face covering imposes a risk to you at work – for example, if it could get caught in machinery
  • When you are getting a service to the nose or face

What is a face covering and how should it be worn?

A face covering is a material that covers the nose and mouth. Don’t wear your mask under your nose or just on your chin. A mask is only effective if it covers both ways you breathe. It can be secured to the head with ties or straps or simply wrapped around the lower face. A mask can be made at home using a scarf or t-shirt. It should be made of tightly woven fabric. Face coverings with one-way valves are discouraged as they permit respiratory droplets that may easily escape, placing others at risk.

Who shouldn’t wear a mask?

  • Children under 2 years old
  • Anyone with respiratory issues where it would impede their breathing
  • Anyone unable to remove the mask without help
  • Anyone with a medical condition, mental health condition, or disability that does not allow them to wear a mask

How should I care for a cloth face covering?

It’s a good idea to wash your cloth face covering frequently, ideally after each use, with detergent and hot water. If you must re-wear your cloth face covering before washing, wash your hands immediately after putting it back on and avoid touching your face. Discard cloth face coverings that:

  • Cannot stay on the face
  • Do not cover the nose and mouth
  • Have stretched out or damaged ties or straps
  • Have holes or tears in the fabric

Read the official guidance from the California Department of Public Health: State Guidance on Face Coverings. 

As a reminder, watch the City’s safety video featuring our Emergency Services Coordinator, Michael Baris, which aims to clear up some confusion about how and when to wear face coverings.  The video is followed with a Spanish version that is narrated by Natalia Rios, an Emergency Services aide. 

Households and Gatherings: Staying Safe During COVID-19

Certain activities come with a higher risk of spreading COVID-19. Watch this video featuring Dr. Henning Ansorg with the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department to learn more about what factors you should consider when choosing activities for you and your loved ones.

For more information about how you can prevent getting and spreading the coronavirus and what steps the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department is taking to protect our communities, please visit: https://publichealthsbc.org/.

Important Reminders to Help Us #reCOVERgoleta

As you drive around town, you will notice our colorful #reCOVERgoleta signs encouraging you to wear face coverings which are required outside the home.  It is the easiest and best thing we can do to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.  If you are in, or know of, a busy location that would benefit from a #reCOVERgoleta sign in front, please let us know by sending an e-mail to PIO@CityofGoleta.org. You can also view and print your own smaller version of our flyer in English and Spanish. We hope to see the City united in having these signs posted across town. 

While we know you have probably heard these tips many times before, the City of Goleta wants to remind us all about some important guidelines to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.  

  • Avoid social gatherings and close contact with people not from your household. If you have been in large crowds or around new people, be very cautious and stay away from the vulnerable until you are absolutely sure you did not contract the virus.  
  • Put distance of at least six feet between yourself and other people not from your household.
  • Clean your hands often, either with soap and water for 20 seconds or a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
  • Everyone must wear a cloth face cover that covers their nose and mouth when they go out in public.
    • Cloth face coverings should not be placed on young children under age 2, anyone who has trouble breathing, or is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance.
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces daily.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
  • Be alert for symptoms. Watch for fever, cough, shortness of breath, or other symptoms of COVID-19.
    • Especially important if you are running essential errands, going into the office or workplace, and in settings where it may be difficult to keep a physical distance of six feet
  • Call your doctor if you have symptoms of COVID-19 – Be sure to call your doctor before going to their office.

For more information about how you can prevent getting and spreading the coronavirus and what steps the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department is taking to protect our communities, please visit: https://publichealthsbc.org/.