Application Period Opens Friday, December 16

Are you a part of a local non-profit serving Goleta residents or know someone who is? If so, the City of Goleta has more than $250,000 in grant funds for which you can apply. From December 16, 2022, until January 27, 2023, online applications will be accepted for both Goleta City Grant and Community Development Block Grant programs.

The City Council has set aside approximately $100,000 in General Fund money and $150,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money for the Goleta City Grant Program. Recipients of this grant may receive up to $5,000 for programs that benefit Goleta residents and the general community. Organizations involved in educational and cultural activities, such as music, art, dance, and recreation, as well as Goleta-oriented special events and regional projects that enhance and support the quality of life in Goleta are encouraged to apply.

Each year, the City of Goleta sets aside a portion of its Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding to support non-profits serving low-income residents, seniors, and those experiencing homelessness. CDBG funds are dispersed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which strictly regulates the use of funds. The City of Goleta reserves these funds for agencies who qualify for CDBG funding, serve the goals of the City’s 5-Year Consolidated Plan, and apply for a minimum of $10,000. For the 2022-2023 Fiscal Year, the City distributed more than $33,000 to public services from its CDBG allocation.

Grant applications for both programs will be accepted online beginning December 16 via the ZoomGrants program. Once all applications are received, the Mayor, Mayor Pro Tempore, and two Goleta residents appointed by the Mayor make up the committee that evaluates the applications and makes funding recommendations to the City Council. The Council then awards the grants at a meeting in the spring, likely in May of 2023.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to help your non-profit or community group. Visit https://www.cityofgoleta.org/your-city/neighborhood-services/grants for additional information on both grant programs or contact Shanna Dawson in the City of Goleta Neighborhood Services Department at 805-690-5126 or sdawson@cityofgoleta.org.

The Ellwood Beach Public Access and Habitat Enhancement Project has more funding thanks to a $208,500 National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Grant. The Project will complete the final design for two beach access points on City-owned property; one being a stairway and the other a sloped trail down to the beach. A total of five acres of habitat restoration surrounding the two beach access ways will benefit native grassland, bluff scrub, coastal sage scrub, and dune ecosystems, as well as improve the aesthetics and user-experience. All activities funded under this grant must be completed by February 29, 2024.

The grant money came from the 2015 Refugio Oil Spill settlement in which Plains All American Pipeline was ordered to pay more than $60 million for natural resource damages, penalties, and to reimburse the governmental entities for costs incurred as a result of the oil spill. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), together with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, California Department of Parks and Recreation, California State Lands Commission, and Regents of the University of California (collectively the “State Trustees”) established a grant program under the consent decree settling the civil action.

The goal of the grant program is to allocate available funds to a variety of recreationally based projects down the coast from El Capitan State Beach to Long Beach. Other grant programs were also established to restore habitat and wildlife impacts from the oil spill.

Council adopted a resolution for the grant at the November 15, 2022, meeting. Read the staff report here.

The world lost a legendary monarch butterfly expert and long-time city consultant. Dan Meade unexpectedly passed away at home on November 26^th. Dan was a scientist, advocate for the environment, and advisor on all things monarch butterfly. For Dan, the Ellwood Mesa Butterfly Grove was his passion project.  He began his life’s work on monarch butterflies here as a UCSB graduate student in the 1980s. Dan’s contributions to our Ellwood Butterfly Grove Habitat Management Plan cannot be understated. For the City, one of his most important roles was as an advisor trusted by the wider community, including the Friends of the Ellwood Monarch group and Santa Barbara Shores neighbors. Our Ellwood project team is so fortunate to benefit from Dan’s insights, recommendations, and leadership. 

Dan is irreplaceable. However, the City is working with Dan’s family and business partners to continue Dan’s important work with the future of the grove. We will also continue to draw on the expertise of Dr. Stu Weiss, another respected monarch butterfly expert, to inform our habitat enhancement plans for the grove. Our Ellwood monarch butterfly team continues to finalize the draft habitat enhancement plans that will be presented to City Council in a development plan in early-2023. The meetings without Dan have been somber as we deal with his absence, but as a group we’ve reaffirmed our commitment to ensuring the project gets to the finish line as quickly as possible while maintaining the high standards and rigorous scientific basis that Dan strived for.

A celebration of Dan’s life is being held in Paso Robles on December 17. 

Thank you, Dan, for all you have done for Goleta. Your work will be carried on forever at the Grove.

Chuck Flacks is a Familiar Face and Expert on Homelessness Related Issues

The City of Goleta is pleased to have its first Homelessness Services Coordinator. Chuck Flacks is a familiar face to the community and brings a wide range of professional experience in addressing issues related to homelessness and prevention of homelessness. Mr. Flacks spent most of his childhood in Santa Barbara and has been a proud resident of the City of Goleta. He has spent his professional career of over 20 years building affordable housing, helping low-wage workers improve their skills, and directly helping homeless people find a home.

City of Goleta’s Neighborhood Services Director Jaime Valdez said, “We are excited to have someone with Chuck’s credentials and experience join our team to help with the City’s response to assisting people experiencing homelessness and implementing the City’s Homelessness Strategic Plan. Chuck has an extensive background in social issues, particularly with regard to homelessness, which he has gained through his work in various settings locally and throughout the state. We look forward to seeing the positive impact he is going to make in Goleta.”

Mr. Flacks said, “My interest in Goleta is simple: I live here! My hope is that because a relatively small number of Goleta residents are homeless, that we can get our arms around this problem quickly and make homelessness a rare and brief experience for anyone who happens to find themselves in that situation. Goleta is a uniquely compassionate and engaged community. I have been very impressed with the city, businesses, and its residents sharing resources to help people in need. My hope is to make the most of those resources.”

His background includes serving as a consultant for the City through Flacks Seed Consulting, former Director of Programs for PATH (People Assisting the Homeless), Executive Director for Central Coast Collaborative on Homelessness, and serving in several other capacities in the healthcare and workforce sectors throughout California. Mr. Flacks earned a master’s degree from San Diego State University in Family and Child Counseling, a master’s degree from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government in Public Policy and holds a bachelor’s degree from University of California Santa Cruz in Sociology/Politics.

Mr. Flacks’ first day at the City was December 5th. You can connect with him via email at cflacks@cityofgoleta.org.