Author Archives: Jaime Shaw

Be Water Aware for National Water Safety Month and Year-Round

While May is officially National Water Safety Month, it’s important to be water aware year-round. Swimming is one of life’s great pleasures. It offers many health and fitness benefits, cools you off in the summer, and provides a great opportunity to socialize with family and friends. Make sure you and yours stay safe in the water by being water aware. Follow these safety tips from the World Waterpark Association:

  • Learn to swim: Swimming Lesson Save Lives.™  The best thing anyone can do to stay safe in and around the water is to learn to swim. This includes both adults and children. Note: The American Academy of Pediatrics now supports swimming classes after the age of 1 if the child is emotionally and developmentally ready.
  • Never leave children unattended: Parents are the first line of defense in keeping kids safe in the water. Never leave children unattended near water, not even for a minute. If your child’s in the water, you should be too! Constant, careful supervision and barriers such as pool fencing are necessary even when children have completed swimming classes.
  • Wear a life jacket: If you or a family member is a weak or non-swimmer, wear a life vest. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about and many facilities provide them at no charge.
  • Read all posted signs: Follow posted safety rules and warnings. Teach kids that being safe in and around the water is a personal responsibility – yours and theirs.
  • Never swim alone or in unsupervised places: Teach your children to always swim with a buddy. 
  • Look for lifeguards: It is always best to swim in an area supervised by lifeguards, but remember, lifeguards are the last line of defense when all other layers of protection fail.
  • Don’t drink alcohol: Avoid alcoholic beverages before or during swimming, boating or engaging in other water-related activities. Never drink alcohol while supervising children around water. Teach teenagers about the danger of drinking alcohol while swimming or boating.
  • Spit it out: Teach kids not to drink the pool water. To prevent choking, never chew gum or eat while swimming, diving or playing in water.
  • Avoid water wings: Do not use air-filled swimming aids (such as “water wings”) in place of life jackets or life preservers with children. Using air-filled swimming aids can give parents and children a false sense of security. These air-filled aids are toys and are not designed to be personal-flotation devices.
  • Watch out for the dangerous “too’s”: Don’t get too tired, too cold, too far from safety, exposed to too much sun or experience too much strenuous activity. Don’t take chances by overestimating your swimming skills.
  • Note the weather: Pay attention to local weather conditions and forecasts. Stop swimming at the first indication of bad weather.
  • Use sunscreen: Apply sunscreen on all exposed skin to ensure maximum skin protection. Hats, visors and shirts are recommended to prevent overexposure.
  • Keep toddlers in shallow play areas: Zero-depth entry pools have water games, sprays and fountains with no appreciable water depth.
  • Follow age & Height instructions as well as health restrictions: Restrictions apply to many rides and attractions at pools and waterparks.  Size and coordination is critical to safety inside open water flumes.  Guests with neck or back problems, heart conditions, prevalence toward motion sickness or pregnancy should not ride high-speed or rapid-descent rides.
  • Use plastic swim diapers: Many parks require them. Note where changing areas are located and use these designated, sanitized changing spots.

National Water Safety Month is an annual awareness campaign coordinated by the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance with support from the American Red Cross, National Recreation and Park Association and World Waterpark Association. For more information go to https://nwsm.phta.org/.

Don’t Be a Crime of Opportunity Victim

The Goleta Police Department is reminding residents that there are criminals out there looking for crimes of opportunity. To avoid becoming a victim, please be vigilant about locking your doors to both your residence and vehicles. 

Goleta Chief of Police, Sheriff’s Lt. Rich Brittingham said, “Typically, thieves are looking for crimes of opportunity and unlocked vehicles or residences are easy targets.  Just the simple act of locking your car and home is enough of a deterrent to cause some thieves to move on and to prevent the crime from occurring.”

The Goleta Police Department wants to take this opportunity to remind residents to:

  • Always lock your car and residence.
  • Close your windows.
  • Never leave valuables in plain sight. Lock all valuables in your vehicle’s trunk or take them with you.
  • Remove personal information such as a driver’s license from unattended vehicles.
  • Always take your keys with you after you park your vehicle.
  • Do not use spare keys hidden on or in your vehicle. Consider a spare key in your wallet instead.
  • Park and lock your vehicle in your garage whenever possible.
  • Remove or hide your garage remote when you leave your vehicle unattended.
  • If you have a car or residential alarm, set it.

To report suspicious subjects or vehicles, call 911. If you have any information regarding thefts from autos or residences, please contact the Sheriff’s Office at 805-683-2724 or to leave an anonymous tip call 805-681-4171.

The City of Goleta contracts with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office for police services.

The Green Room: Landscaping and Gardening

Spring is here and it’s a great time to spruce up your garden! Here are some tips for an eco-friendly and stormwater friendly garden:

  • Consider plants that attract beneficial insects to your garden.
  • Go Native: Native plants are low-water, fertilizer and pesticide users. They require little maintenance and they provide habitat for local wildlife.
  • Be Careful of Invasive Plants: Some semi-arid exotic plants grow like crazy. This seems great for your garden however, some can take over wild native plants that keep our watersheds healthy and provide habitat and food for wildlife. Here are a few examples of invasive plants: Pampus Grass, Fountain Grass, ice plant, etc.
  • One way to save water is to transform your landscape to a more water wise garden. It is important to put in plants that do not need a lot of water and are climate appropriate. Learn about sustainable landscaping here.
  • Use mulch: Mulch is a great ground covering that retains water in the soil so you can water less. Using mulch in your landscape also helps control weeds and reduces erosion on slopes.
  • Use less toxic alternatives to herbicides or pesticides. Find out how to manage pests naturally with our Healthy Garden Guide in English and Spanish.
  • Follow manufacturer’s instructions and do not apply pesticides or herbicides within 48 hours of predicted rain, or when wind speeds are above five miles per hour.
  • Mix or use only what you need; more chemicals are not better.
  • Use a funnel and handle gasoline, diesel, oil, and grease carefully when using landscaping equipment.
  • Do not blow leaves, grass clippings, and dirt into street or storm drain inlets; instead, sweep it up and dispose of it in the correct container.
  • Lawns can look beautiful without using pesticides and fertilizers. The tips in our Beautiful Lawn Guide in English and Spanish will help you maintain a healthy and beautiful lawn that can outcompete weeds and other lawn pests.
  • Don’t forget you can direct gutter downspouts away from pavement and into vegetation, or install a rain barrel, or create a rain garden to capture run-off and conserve water!

Find more information about eco-friendly practices at home on our website and check out our Homeowner’s Guide to Best Management Practices (BMPs) in English and Spanish, and our Gardener’s Guide to Clean Water in English and Spanish.

New Environmental Services Webpages

The City of Goleta Environmental Services Division is pleased to announce the complete re-design of the Environmental Services webpages! Our new pages are intuitive, user-friendly, and packed full of great information for our community. Explore our stormwater and solid waste programs and services, check out our Creek and Watershed Management Plan, and learn about sustainability and climate adaptation for a cleaner, greener Goleta. The new webpages have something for everyone! For example, find how to recycle certain items, learn when there are free bulky item collection events, discover how you can protect our creeks and oceans, stay in the know about upcoming green events, check out our Green Business Program, learn about stormwater requirements for construction, and browse many more additional resources.

Our mission in the Environmental Services Division is to help create a clean, sustainable Goleta through watershed protection and responsible materials management (recycle, reduce, reuse), while complying with environmental regulations. Our new webpages provides our community with resources and tools to help protect our ocean and watersheds, and to reduce, reuse, and recycle, with the ultimate goal of zero waste. Visit the pages now at https://www.cityofgoleta.org/city-hall/public-works/environmental-services.

Pictured: City of Goleta Environmental Services Coordinator Melissa Nelson participating in Coastal Clean-Up Day

Get Outside: Stay Active and Visit the EZ Bike Pop-Up at Goleta City Hall

As spring rolls in, and the days are getting longer and warmer, it’s the perfect time to get outside and enjoy the fresh air. One great way to get around and take advantage of the beautiful Goleta weather is through the means of active transportation. Active transportation refers to any human-powered method of travel, which generally includes walking, bicycling or skating to get from one place to the next. Not only does it improve public health and physical activity, but it also reduces transportation costs, greenhouse gas emissions and traffic congestion. There are fun events going on through the month of May that allow Goleta residents to try out new forms of active transportation! In the coming months, keep an eye out for an opportunity to provide your feedback through a community wide survey on a Goleta bike share program.

How can I get involved?

Experience the joys of biking during the whole month of May, as we celebrate the 12th annual CycleMAYnia Bike Month on the South Coast. This year’s activities include both online presentations and in-person physically-distanced bike rides and small outdoor group activities. Community members can join a Bike to Nature Ride or demo electric bikes at the EZ-Bike Pop-Up, hosted by the City of Goleta and EZ Bike Project on May 8. Other activities throughout the month include Taco Tuesday e-bike demos, City Cycling Skills online class, an outdoor bike-in movie, and a Mother’s Day bike ride. Go to CycleMAYnia.org for a full listing of the Bike Month activities, or click here for a flyer with all of the fun activities.

The EZ Bike Project, a new electric bicycle (e-bike) demo program operated by SBCAG Traffic Solutions, offers a wide range of free e-bike demos of various models to local residents and commuters as a measure to reduce traffic and air pollution in Santa Barbara County. During May, Goleta residents can test ride these bikes on Saturday May 8 at Goleta City Hall (130 Cremona Drive, Suite B) or in downtown Santa Barbara on a “Taco Tuesday” demo day. Resuming in June, you can borrow an e-bike over the weekend to ride around your neighborhood, take it to work, the market or any other errands, and even to the beach! Those interested in participating in an EZ-Bike event or reserving an e-bike must either live or work in Santa Barbara County and can visit www.EZBike.org to sign-up.

Pictured: Electric bicycles with a view, photo by Steve Miley

City Receives $3 Million Highway Safety Improvement Grant

The City of Goleta is pleased to announce that we have been awarded a $3,120,100 Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) grant from Caltrans for our Citywide Systemic Traffic Signal Upgrade Project. The work includes upgrading and modernizing existing city traffic signals including retroreflective back plates, advanced dilemma zone detection, LPIs, cabinets, controllers, BBS, and 12-inch LED lenses at various locations throughout the City.

Public Works is working with our Caltrans Division of Local Assistance Engineer (DLAE) to submit the paperwork for the funding allocation and begin the work. Once the funding allocation process is complete, the City will issue a Request for Qualifications/Request for Proposals (RFQ/RFP) from firms, review, evaluate, and recommend the best team to assist the City in designing the upgrades. The replacements/upgrades will follow once the designs and equipment are completed.  

For the HSIP grant, Caltrans selected 266 projects total $227.6 million out of 429 applications. The HSIP program is part of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST) signed into law on December 4, 2015, and is a core federal-aid program to States for the purpose of achieving a significant reduction in fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads. The HSIP funding is State-only funds (and not Federal funds). 

Click here to view the approved project list.

Pictured: Example of a newer traffic signal installed by the City of Goleta

Old Town Sidewalk Project Receives Top Honors Again

The City of Goleta’s Old Town Sidewalk Improvement Project continues to receive award recognition. It recently took home the Project of the Year Award from the American Public Works Association Year in the Transportation $2-5 Million category for projects completed in the 2020 year. Earlier this year it received the American Society of Civil Engineers Santa Barbara-Ventura Branch’s (ASCE SBV) 2021 Project of the Year award.

The project, which was completed in 2020 on time and under budget, improves the safety and livability for residents in one of the area’s most disadvantaged communities by providing a continuous sidewalk path of travel on 10 residential streets in Old Town Goleta. The work included constructing sidewalks for several residential streets in the neighborhood north of Hollister Avenue between South Fairview Avenue and Mallard Avenue, as well as on Pine Avenue south of Hollister Avenue. Additionally, the project improved drainage, reconstructed driveways, constructed ADA curb ramps, replaced or relocated trees and repaved streets. After a request from the community and direction from City Council, 39 back-in angled parking spots were added on Magnolia Avenue.

Watch our video on the completion of this project here.

Key personnel involved from the City of Goleta included James Winslow, P.E., Teresa Lopes, P.E. and James Campero, P.E.

Register for May Book to Action Events!

Firsthand Stories of Internment and Artist Harmony Becker

The Goleta and Santa Ynez Valley Libraries would like to invite you to register for our upcoming Book to Action events. As part of the Book to Action community read featuring “They Called Us Enemy” by George Takei, we are announcing three special online presentations in May:

  • June Aochi Berk spoke on Saturday May 1 on “Camp Rohwer Memories.” From age 10-13, Berk was incarcerated with her family in the Rohwer Japanese American Relocation Center in Arkansas. Watch a recording on YouTube.
  • On Saturday, May 15 at 3:00 p.m. Sigrid Toye will speak on “Tuna Canyon Detention Station, and the History of German American Incarceration in the United States during WWII.” Toye will share with us her family’s experience of her father’s three years at Tuna Canyon Detention Station and will cover a brief history of German American incarceration during World War II. Register here.
  • Artist and illustrator Harmony Becker will be featured on Saturday May 22 at 2:00 p.m.to speak about creating the artwork which is so much a part of George Takei’s graphic novel “They Called Us Enemy,” which was published by Top Shelf Productions in 2019. Sign up for this event here. 

The 2021 Book to Action program at the Goleta and Santa Ynez Valley Libraries centers around the themes of equity, diversity and inclusion found in George Takei’s autobiographical memoir They Called Us Enemy. The book uses the powerful format of graphic novel storytelling to bring to life George Takei’s childhood experiences as a Japanese American who was forced from his home into an internment camp during World War II. His story of courage and the challenges faced by his family spotlights issues of racism and injustice that remain at the forefront of global conversations today. Community members are invited to read this compelling book together and participate in engaging online programming that will honor this story and celebrate inclusion for all.

For more information and a schedule of all virtual events, visit the Book to Action page on our website at www.cityofgoleta.org/city-hall/goleta-valley-library/information/book-to-action. Copies are available to borrow through the library catalog and as a free, instant-download eBook in English and Spanish from Hoopla, as well as on Overdrive, two of the library’s popular streaming and download services.

Book to Action is a program of the California Library Association, supported in whole or in part by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.

No More Library Late Fee Fines

The City of Goleta is pleased to report that library patrons will soon no longer be charged late fines at the Goleta and Santa Ynez Valley Libraries. The Goleta City Council unanimously approved the Library Advisory Commission’s recommendation to do away with late fines at the April 6, 2021, Council meeting. Beginning July 1, 2021, patrons will only be billed for items that are 30 days overdue after the original due date, and no overdue fines will be charged. Existing fines will be forgiven but patrons will still owe for unreturned materials and collection agency fees. Patrons with fines for late fees on their accounts will see those fines disappear in the next couple of weeks.

Library Director Allison Gray said, “I am very grateful to the City Council for taking this action. It will open up the wonderful services offered by our Library System to those who could not previously make use of them and ensure that we are being inclusive in offering our services to everyone.”

Many libraries across the country have taken this step and found that it not only increased their circulation but brought the people who most need the library back. Numerous studies indicate that eliminating fines increased goodwill between patrons and library staff and did not lead to an increase in late book returns.

In order to regain overdue materials the library will send mailed notices to patrons at 30 days past due (item is billed) and 60 days past due (replacement cost is final). At 63 days past due (and $40 or more in fees) the library will forward your account to a materials recovery agency and a $10 non-refundable service charge will be added to your account.

We hope that this action will lead many more people to get a Goleta Valley or Santa Ynez Valley Library card and begin accessing all of the physical and virtual materials and resources available. You can get your card during Sidewalk Service at your local branch (Wednesdays – Saturdays 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.). Please bring with you a form of valid, government-issued photo identification, such as a driver’s license or passport that shows your home address. If your photo identification does not match your current address, bring in any piece of mail that has your name and address on it. Children from birth through 5th grade are eligible for their own library cards with the signature of a parent or guardian. Teens ages 12 through 17 can apply for their own card. You can also register here for an e-card that gives you immediate 24/7 access to online services.

Eliminating late fees also allows staff to spend more time providing positive services to library patrons, such as Tech Tutoring, Homework Help, Personal Reading Lists, and helping to navigate the Library’s robust website offerings. Visit www.GoletaValleyLibrary.org to learn more about the programs and services available.

Read the full staff report from the April 6, 2021, City Council meeting at: https://tinyurl.com/3xhszama. A recording of the meeting is also available to view here.

Reminder to Mail Back Your Pre-Paid Project Noticing Plan Postcard

By now you should have received a letter in your mailbox from the City of Goleta about the City’s new Project Noticing Plan. Please don’t recycle or throw it away! Take a moment to fill out and send back the pre-paid postcard that was included letting us know that you would like to receive notices directly about large projects via email, text or in the mail. You can also send an email to PIO@CityofGoleta.org specifying your preference(s) and preferred language (English or Spanish).

The City of Goleta wants to make sure you are aware of projects occurring within the City and that you have an opportunity to be a part of the consideration process. At the same time, we are mindful that many of our community members would prefer to receive notices via on-line methods rather than by mail. For more information on the City’s Project Noticing Plan go to www.CityofGoleta.org/ProjectNoticing.

We encourage you to stay connected with us on our outreach platforms to be informed about all that is happening in our City. 

Ways to Stay Connected