Author Archives: Jaime Shaw

Charge Up for the Drive Electric Goleta Event

As part of National Drive Electric Week (September 14 – 22), the Community Environmental Council and City of Goleta are holding an Electric Vehicle Showcase on Sunday, September 15 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. A variety of Electric Vehicle (EV) models will be on display next to the Sunday Farmer’s Market at Camino Real Marketplace (7004 Market Place Drive). Attendees will be able to see EV’s up close and personal, talk to vehicle owners, and learn from their experiences. If you are interested in attending, or are an EV owner who wants to participate, click here.

Goleta Valley Art Association’s Art Festival Celebrates 15 Years

The Goleta Valley Art Association’s Annual Art Festival at Stow House is celebrating its 15th year on Saturday, September 14 from 11:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. at Stow House (304 N. Los Carneros Road). Meet local artists while viewing and purchasing their work and watch painter John Williams demonstrate his techniques for creating classic landscapes. There will also be live music from The Decent People (formerly Shepherd’s Pie) and The Summerland Trio with Tom Henderson, great food by ARCatering, and raffle prizes. Raffle proceeds support the Goleta Union School District’s After School Art Program. This is a family-friendly event and free to attend. Learn more about the Goleta Valley Art Association at www.tgvaa.org.

Give Back with United Way’s Day of Caring

Be a part of the largest single-day volunteer team activity in the tri-county area with United Way’s Day of Caring! Returning for its 28th year on Saturday, September 14, spend three hours volunteering in the morning (9am – 12pm) followed by a Thank You BBQ at Oak Park in Santa Barbara. Last year, more than 1,000 volunteers helped at over 50 sites in Santa Barbara County. Local sites with volunteer opportunities this year include:

  • Brandon Elementary School: Campus Beautification
  • Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health: Build Table Tops, Work with Succulents, and Weed Removal
  • Dos Pueblos High School: Planting, Weeding, Mulching of School Gardens
  • Environmental Defense Center: San Pedro Creek Clean-Up
  • Goleta Valley Junior High School: Campus Beautification

Learn more about this annual event and sign up to volunteer at www.unitedwaysb.org/dayofcaring. A flyer is available here.

Help Clean Goleta’s Creeks with the EDC

The Environmental Defense Center (EDC) has five upcoming creek cleanups in Goleta this fall. The EDC is a nonprofit law firm that has been working for more than 40 years on behalf of non-profit clients to protect clean water, clean air, and a clean environment, and to promote the health of our community.

Goleta’s creeks are vital wildlife habitats supporting rare species such as the southern California steelhead trout. Our creeks also provide clean drinking water which infiltrates into Goleta’s groundwater basins. Many of Goleta’s parks, trails, and bike paths occur along local streams making these areas important for recreation. Creeks provide local students and residents with opportunities to get out in nature and learn about the environment.

EDC creek clean-up volunteers will remove over one ton of litter which has accumulated in Goleta’s streams before winter rains wash it out to the Goleta Slough and Pacific Ocean. Last year, over 100 volunteers and partners, including City of Goleta, Santa Barbara County, and Urban Creeks Council, removed 4,748 pounds of trash from Goleta’s creeks!

This year’s upcoming creek cleanup schedule is from 10am – 12pm on the following dates:

  • September 7  – Glen Annie Creek
  • September 14 (United Way Day of Caring) – San Pedro Creek
  • September 28 (Creek Week) – San Jose Creek
  • October 5 – Maria Ygnacio Creek
  • October 26 – Atascadero Creek

For more information and to RSVP for EDC‘s creek cleanups, please visit www.EnvironmentalDefenseCenter.org, call the EDC at 805-963-1622, or email Brian Trautwein, EDC Environmental Analyst/Watershed Program Coordinator, at btrautwein@environmentaldefensecenter.org.

Styrofoam Recycling Comes to Santa Barbara County!

Tired of not being able to recycle your Styrofoam? MarBorg Industries and Heal the Ocean have partnered to create a pilot program for Styrofoam recycling in Santa Barbara County! Help make the program a success by dropping off your Styrofoam for free at 20 David Love Place in Goleta and 132 Nopalitos Way in Downtown Santa Barbara – do not place it in your blue recycling bin. Instead of making its way to the ocean and hurting wildlife, the recycled Styrofoam is “densified” into viscous material that is reformed into usable products such as mirrors, picture frames, and new packing materials. Any form of Styrofoam is accepted, including the type electronics are shipped in, construction material, and meat trays. However, Styrofoam must be clean (no tape, aluminum wrapping, concrete, food…). Packing “peanuts” and softer Polyurethane foam materials are not accepted. Learn more about the program here.

Back to School Safety

Summer vacation is over and children are back to school. Sergeant John Maxwell with the Goleta Traffic Safety Unit offers the following tips for parents and children to help keep everyone safe throughout the year:

  • When walking to school, walk on the sidewalk if one is available. If there is no sidewalk, walk as far to the edge of the road as possible, facing the traffic.
  • We all learned as kids to “look both ways before crossing the street”. This remains important advice, for both children and adults. When crossing, make eye contact with drivers and always cross the street at intersections or in crosswalks.
  • If riding a bike to school, teach children the rules of the road. Ride single file on the right side of the road, with the flow of traffic. Stop at all stop signs, walk bikes across the street and always, ALWAYS, wear a properly fitted helmet.
  • When driving your child to school, stay alert and never drive while distracted. Always obey school zone speed limits and watch for children crossing the street. Remember, the area 10 feet around a school bus is most dangerous for children. NEVER pass a bus loading or unloading children. It is also important to learn and follow your school’s drop-off and pick-up procedures.
  • Washing your car can be an easily overlooked task, but driving toward the morning sun with a dirty windshield can be blinding. To make certain you can see children walking and riding to school, make sure your windshield is clean, especially during morning school drop-off hours.

The Goleta Police Department looks forward to working with parents, students, school staff, and the community, so our children can have a happy and safe school year! 

Development Impact Fee Changes for Beneficial Projects

At the July 16, 2019, City Council meeting, Council adopted a Development Impact Fee (DIF) Reduction Program for Beneficial Projects. These reductions provide financial relief to new and proposed projects that provide valuable services to the Goleta community. Project categories which can now receive a reduced or waived DIF include:

  • Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) with a floor area of 500 square feet or less will receive a 100% Development Impact Fee (DIF) waiver
  • ADUs with a floor area exceeding 500 square feet will have a flat $5,000 DIF
  • Qualifying non-profit organizations will receive a 100% DIF reduction up to the first 15,000 square feet of the project
  • Qualifying non-profit Special Care Homes, Residential Care Facilities, Assisted Living, Supportive Housing, Transitional Housing, Special Needs Housing, Child Care Facility, Family Day Care or Day Care will receive a 100% DIF waiver; for-profits will receive an 85% DIF reduction

With lower fees, it is hoped that there will be more future projects that benefit the community. The new fees are currently in effect; applicable refunds are in progress.

Creek & Watershed Management Plan Now Underway

Work on the City’s Creek and Watershed Management Plan (CWMP) has begun.  Consistent with guidance included in the City’s General Plan Conservation Element, the CWMP will provide a detailed approach for protecting the ecological function and water quality of Goleta’s creeks and watersheds. This foundational document will provide more information about the physical characteristics of the creek corridors and their habitats, identify places where repairs or improvements are warranted, and provide best management practices to keep the creeks vital and healthy.

On June 4, 2019, the City Council approved a contract with Dudek, an environmental planning and engineering firm, with offices throughout California, including Santa Barbara. To date, there has been a kick-off meeting with City staff, an inventory of relevant information has been compiled, and field work is planned. 

Public Outreach is a key component of the CWMP planning efforts.  A Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) will be formed and public workshops are being planned. Specific outreach details are still evolving, but the City will have a table or booth with more information about the project and participation opportunities at Creek Week events (September 21-28) and the Lemon Festival (September 27 & 28).

Over the next few months, additional CWMP information will be available here on the City’s website. You can also sign up here to receive information on the Creek & Watershed Management Plan sent directly to you via email or text message.

More Energy Options Coming Soon

Community Choice Energy (CCE) is coming to Goleta! On August 20, Goleta City Council voted to join Monterey Bay Community Power, a Community Choice Energy provider serving counties from Santa Barbara to Santa Cruz. Community Choice Energy enables cities, counties and other authorized entities that aggregate electricity demand within their jurisdictions to purchase and/or generate electricity supplies for those residents and businesses. The day-to-day experience for the customer is the same; the difference being that the energy is purchased through the CCE.

The CCE model puts energy purchasing and pricing options into the hands of local decision-makers and allows the community to determine what type of energy mix serves its needs. This new partnership will make it easier and quicker for residents and businesses to adopt clean energy technologies while providing a competitive rate. Customers have the right to opt out of the CCE program and continue to receive service from the incumbent utility.

Joining a CCE program was a key component to the City of Goleta’s Climate Action Plan (2014) and Strategic Energy Plan (2019), and will help move the City towards its 100% renewable electricity goal and reduce local carbon emissions. Benefits of joining Monterey Bay Community Power include taking advantage of their incentive programs which will be available upon enrollment. These programs currently focus on reducing the cost of electric vehicles, developing renewable energy microgrids, building local solar projects, and increasing energy efficiency in the Central Coast region. Goleta will be enrolled in Monterey Bay Community Power starting in 2021.

Goleta’s decision to join Monterey Bay Community Power followed the County of Santa Barbara’s choice to pursue it as their Community Choice Energy provider on July 16. Other jurisdictions in the region, such as the Cities of Carpinteria, Santa Maria and Guadalupe have joined or are considering joining. Monterey Bay Community Power will likely rebrand to reflect the Central Coast communities.

Learn more about Monterey Bay Community Power here: www.mbcommunitypower.org, and stay tuned for more details. Sign up to receive news on Community Choice Energy and other sustainable topics here.

Adoption of the City’s First New Zoning Ordinance

After months of hard work and public outreach by the City of Goleta’s Planning Department, the City of Goleta is very close to having its first ever New Zoning Ordinance (NZO) adopted by the City Council! Public input began at the beginning of the year when a Revised Draft NZO was released to the public on January 31, 2019. During the spring of 2019, the City hosted nine Planning Commissioner workshops, six open houses and one joint City Council/Planning Commission workshop. Planning Department staff also met with the Design Review Board, City Councilmembers, Planning Commissioners and stakeholders to discuss specific issues and receive feedback. After this outreach effort, staff made revisions to the Revised Draft NZO, culminating in the release of the Public Hearing Draft NZO on August 14, 2019.

The Planning Commission will conduct a public hearing on September 9, 2019, to consider a resolution recommending the City Council adopt the New Zoning Ordinance. If the resolution is recommended, then the item is taken to City Council for deliberation. This is anticipated to happen before the end of the year. Stay tuned for details and sign up here for updates on the NZO.

The City’s current zoning ordinance was inherited from the County when we incorporated, and does not reflect the City’s General Plan, which governs land use and physical development within the City and establishes policy direction for the City’s growth. The New Zoning Ordinance revises citywide zoning regulations to implement the General Plan, updates development and design standards and permitting procedures, and helps realize the community’s vision for the future – a safe, beautiful, vibrant and livable community with a robust local economy and a sustainable relationship with the environment.

More information is available at www.GoletaZoning.com.