Author Archives: Jaime Shaw

Tiny Library Coming to Goleta

There will soon be a new library in town. The City is working with the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission to host a “Tiny Library” in front of the Goleta Valley Library (500 N. Fairview Avenue). The Tiny Libraries exhibit, by artist Douglas Lochner, is the result of a partnership between the Arts Commission and the City of Santa Barbara. It consists of six bright, life-sized, functional art “libraries” in the shape of punctuation marks distributed along State Street through October 2019.

The Arts Commission is working to bring these works of art to libraries throughout the County, and beginning in mid-November, the “Hashtag” will be outside of Goleta Valley Library. Library staff will stock the Hashtag with books for all ages. These books are free to the public, and individuals are also encouraged to leave books to donate to other readers. The colorful Hashtag will be displayed on the landing space in front of the Library for six months. Follow the Library on Facebook (@GoletaValleyLibrary) and Instagram (goletavalleylibrary) for updates as Goleta moves closer to getting its own tiny library.

More information about the Tiny Libraries program is available at www.sbac.ca.gov/tinylibraries.

In case you didn’t know, Kindergarten – 5th graders can get FREE homework help at Goleta Valley Library Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:00 – 6:15 p.m. Homework can be stressful and overwhelming for students and parents. We encourage you to take advantage of this amazing service. Also, with a library card, students of all ages can get tutoring help online with Brainfuse HelpNow.

City of Goleta Receives Another Financial Reporting Award

We are pleased to share that City of Goleta’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) once again earned the City a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2018. This is the 16th consecutive year the City has received this honor.

The repeat award is an example of how the City’s financial reports continue to demonstrate transparency and disclosure of City funds so that it is easy to understand how money is received, spent, and overall financial position. The CAFR is prepared by the City’s Finance Department and complies with principles and standards for financial reporting set forth by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB), and was audited in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards by an independent public accounting firm of licensed certified public accountants.

A Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting is the highest form of governmental accounting and financial reporting recognition. The award was established more than 70 years ago by the Government Finance Officers Association to encourage and assist local and state governments to go beyond the minimum requirements of generally accepted accounting principles using the spirit of transparency and full disclosure.

View the City’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report here.

Help the City Update its Grant Plan

As a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) recipient, the City of Goleta receives federal funding each year to allocate towards capital improvements that benefit low- to moderate-income Goleta residents and social service agencies who provide needed services to Goleta’s low- to moderate-income youth, families, seniors, and those experiencing homelessness. In order to comply with federal regulations for these funds, the City must craft a Consolidated Plan every five years. The City of Goleta’s current five-year plan ends this year and a new plan will be approved in spring of 2020.

In order to ensure the updated plan is representative of the community’s needs and desires, City staff are seeking your input on Goleta’s 2020 – 2024 Consolidated Plan and the current state of housing and community needs. Come to a public meeting to gather community and stakeholder input on Thursday, November 21st from 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. at Goleta City Hall Council Chambers (130 Cremona Drive, Suite B). 

We are eager to involve the public in this process. For more information, please contact Dominique Samario at (805) 690-5126 or dsamario@cityofgoleta.org. You can also visit https://tinyurl.com/GoletaCDBG for additional details about the City’s Community Development Block Grant program.

Photo: CDBG Grantee United Boys & Girls Club of Santa Barbara County

Goleta MOVES Butterfly Educational Program Returns

The City of Goleta’s Monarch Overwintering Visual Experience Simulation (MOVES) program returns for its second year! For years, the Goleta Butterfly Grove at Ellwood Mesa was not only a magical sight to behold, but an interactive outdoor classroom for many as well. While the Ellwood Mesa was closed from July 2017 to February 2019 to assess the dead and dying Eucalyptus trees, Goleta MOVES was developed in collaboration with the City, committed organizations and volunteers.

The MOVES program seeks to enhance the community’s understanding and awareness of the Western Monarch Butterfly’s southwesterly migration, including the many groves in Goleta they call home during the overwintering season. In its second year, the program continues to educate and facilitate the community’s children, residents, and visitors about the wonders of the Monarch Butterfly.

In lieu of the restricted access to the Goleta Butterfly Grove at Ellwood Mesa, the City of Goleta obtained a grant in November 2017 to promote the development of an outdoor exhibit at Evergreen Park. The Goleta MOVES program currently maintains a curriculum designed for K-2nd grade, and is working to further the development of a curriculum focused on the importance of habitat conservation and preservation for older children.

Thanks to a team of passionate volunteers and professionals from Nature Tracks, Fish and Wildlife, Santa Barbara Natural History Museum, and the City of Goleta, the exhibit will return for its second year. While the Grove is now open to visitors, Goleta MOVES provides another educational experience. As supplements to the exhibit, the program has a set of display boxes for students and visitors to see butterflies close up, in addition to other materials and activities to assist in the educational process. Fieldtrips are currently being scheduled and are approximately 45 minutes in length.  For more information, or to schedule a field trip, contact Isaiah Geronimo, MOVES Coordinator, at 805-961-7554 or igeronimo@cityofgoleta.org, or JoAnne Plummer, Parks & Recreation Manager, at 805-562-5505 or jplummer@cityofgoleta.org. 

City of Goleta Hosts Successful CERT Training Drill

Thank you to the more than 70 Community Emergency Response Team graduates and victim volunteers that spent several hours this past Saturday practicing how to respond in case of a disaster.  On October 26, 2019, volunteers participated in an annual countywide CERT Training drill hosted by the City of Goleta using a train derailment as the basis of the drill.  The training was held on South La Patera Lane at the former Direct Relief Building near the Goleta Amtrak Station. See the participants in action – view a special video of the training drill here.

The importance of this annual drill is to provide CERT volunteers with skills that will help them know how to respond to an event when professional responders may be delayed. They have also learned psychological first aid to help those who may not be hurt physically but who are traumatized from the event.

Goleta’s Emergency Services Coordinator and Program Manager for Goleta CERT, Michael Baris, was pleased by the turnout for the training and how smoothly it went.  He said, “The dedication the CERT graduates show is incredible.  They are taking time out of their busy lives to practice the response to a scary ‘what if?’ scenario.  By being a part of this exercise, the graduates will be able to take response and safety skills back to their communities and make every neighborhood a little bit safer after a disaster event.”

Goleta CERT volunteer Zachary Naas said he got a lot out of the training.  He said, “CERT makes you feel less at the will of what is happening in your environment and empowered to contribute in the event your community needs you.”

Goleta resident, Melody O’Shock who participated as a victim volunteer said she is glad she spent some of her Saturday learning how to be better equipped during a disaster.  She said, “The biggest thing I learned today is that you don’t have to be a physician or nurse to respond during a disaster.  You can be a lay person and respond to help.”

The program teaches disaster preparedness and skills such as Fire Safety/Extinguisher Use, Triage, Light Search and Rescue, Preparedness at Home and Team Organization. 

Goleta is fortunate to have had 400 graduates go through the local CERT program.  During the Thomas Fire and Debris Flow, dedicated volunteers spent more than one thousand hours to help support the rescue and recovery effort.

The City of Goleta periodically holds CERT Trainings and due to popularity, they fill up fast.  While a date for the next CERT training has not been set, please fill out your contact information here to be added to the wait list and notified when a new class is offered.

To learn more about Goleta’s CERT program click here.

Put Goleta on the Map as a Bike Friendly City

Calling all bike riders and fans of Goleta!  We need you to participate in a survey to share your thoughts on what it’s like to bike in Goleta.  Your feedback will help determine Goleta’s score in the 2020 PlacesForBikes ratings, which identifies the best U.S. towns for bicycling and rewards those that are improving the fastest.

City Staff have been hard at work this past year to ensure bicycling in Goleta is better than ever.  Here are a list of improvements:

  • Completed the Fairview Avenue bike lane and sidewalk project in front of Goleta Valley Library
  • Completed the Bicycle & Pedestrian Master Plan in 2018 and have started to implement many of the policies and procedures
  • Constructed a new pedestrian crosswalk on S. Kellogg Avenue at the Jonny D. Wallis Neighborhood Park
  • Constructed a portion of the Class I/Multi-purpose Path on the east side of Jonny D. Wallis Neighborhood Park in preparation for the future Active Transportation Project San Jose Creek Multi-purpose Path
  • In the process of completing the design of many pedestrian crossings, sidewalks, and a path along Fairview Avenue/US 101 for infill

We hope you will take time out to help Goleta’s Places for Bikes score by filling out the survey here. Everyone is welcome to participate regardless of where, how, why or if you ride. Your responses help put Goleta on the map as a bike friendly city!

Is Energy Storage Right For You?

During these times of scheduled power outages, are you wondering if battery backup might be right for your home or business? Come learn more at an upcoming workshop on November 13 at the Santa Barbara Public Library where local solar and energy storage companies, Southern California Edison, community leaders, and local government staff will be on hand to discuss how solar photovoltaic systems paired with batteries can keep your home or business online. Presentations will occur from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m., with time available between 6:30 – 7:00 p.m. to meet energy storage providers and learn more about their products and services.

What: Energy Storage Workshop
When: Wednesday, November 13, 5:30 – 7:00 p.m.
Where: Faulkner Gallery, Santa Barbara Public Library, 40 E. Anapamu Street
RSVP: Please RSVP here.

View the event flyer here. For more information, please visit SCEEP.org

Construction Nears on Old Town Sidewalk Project

The City of Goleta’s Old Town Sidewalk Improvement Project is nearing the construction phase. The project will improve the way pedestrians get around parts of Old Town by providing a network of sidewalks on at least one side of neighborhood streets north of Hollister Avenue between South Fairview and Kinman Avenues as well as along Pine Avenue south of Hollister Avenue. The project also includes storm water drainage improvements and 39 angled parking spaces on the east side of Magnolia Avenue between Mandarin Drive and the railroad tracks.

The City held many community workshops and public meetings between 2017 and 2019; staff also walked the affected streets speaking with residents and handing out information. We are excited to begin construction in the near future, below is the upcoming schedule:

  • Bids will be presented to City Council for award this winter
  • Construction to begin in February/March 2020 and extend through November 2020
  • Owners & residents shall be notified of schedule in advance of work on their block/street

For more information, please visit the project page or contact James Winslow, Sr. Project Engineer at 805-961-7577 or jwinslow@cityofgoleta.org.

City Embarks on Homelessness Strategic Plan and Seeks Community’s Input

The City of Goleta is preparing a Homelessness Strategic Plan to help guide and coordinate efforts to prevent and address homelessness within the City of Goleta. This Plan is one of many strategic efforts being undertaken by local cities and the County of Santa Barbara to support cooperative efforts to address the problem of homelessness on a regional basis.

Over the past year, the Goleta City Council has expressed a desire to adopt a comprehensive plan to help prioritize and guide City funding efforts in the area of homelessness. Neighborhood Services and Public Safety staff have been working to establish and strengthen relationships with regional service providers, jurisdictions, and community members. Staff are excited to enter the next phase of the strategic planning process, seeking input from service agencies, community members, and those who are experiencing or who have experienced homelessness themselves.

The City seeks your input on its first-ever Homelessness Strategic Plan. While the City of Goleta has a history of supporting organizations and regional efforts serving those at risk of homelessness and those experiencing homelessness, the City currently does not have a comprehensive plan analyzing the state of homelessness in our region and the most effective steps forward. City Council and staff believe having a strategic plan will provide important direction and clarity around needs, service gaps, and priorities in order to make effective and strategic funding decisions that serve both the existing homeless population, as well as those at risk of becoming homeless.

On Wednesday, November 6, 2019, from 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. service providers and other local jurisdictions will be meeting at Goleta City Hall to share input on the current state of homelessness in the region, service gaps, best practices, future goals and objectives, and service strategies. Then on Wednesday, December 11, 2019, from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. at the Goleta Valley Community Center, there will be an open house for the community to interact on a one-on-one basis with City staff and homelessness service providers, as well as provide ideas and input on homelessness in our community. During this time, staff will also release an online survey seeking personal input from residents, businesses, service providers, and those who are or who have experienced homelessness. A link will be shared in the next edition of the Monarch Press.

City staff will present an initial outline of the Draft Homelessness Strategic Plan in winter of 2020, with a goal of completing the Draft Plan and presenting it to City Council for review and comment next spring. Staff plan to present a final Homelessness Strategic Plan by summer of next year. The City seeks the community’s input throughout the strategic planning process.

City staff want to take this opportunity to thank the community in advance for their time and support of this major effort. For more information, please contact Dominique Samario (dsamario@cityofgoleta.org or 805-690-5126).

Piers 421

Community Town Hall: Platform Holly and Piers 421

The California State Lands Commission (CSLC) is holding a Town Hall on Thursday, November 7 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. in Goleta City Hall Council Chambers (130 Cremona Drive, Suite B). CSLC staff will update the community on the work being done to plug and abandon the oil and gas wells on Platform Holly and Piers 421, and provide information on the upcoming CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) process to remove two shore zone piers. For more information, please visit the California State Lands Commission website at www.slc.ca.gov or view the flyer.

The Town Hall is family-friendly. Feel free to bring your kids to play in the Fun Zone. Refreshments will be provided. If you cannot make the meeting, it will be recorded and aired live on Channel 19 as well as rebroadcast Fridays at 1:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. You can also watch it live here, or view a recording at any time on the City’s website.