Author Archives: Jaime Shaw

Microplastics on a finger

Goleta Green Room: Microplastics

City of Goleta’s Environmental Services Division would like to share information about microplastics with the community.

What are microplastics?

Microplastics are small plastic pieces less than five millimeters long which can be harmful to our ocean and aquatic life.

Where do microplastics come from?

Microplastics come from a variety of sources, including from larger plastic debris that degrades into smaller and smaller pieces. In addition, microbeads, a type of microplastic, are very tiny pieces of manufactured polyethylene plastic that are added as exfoliants to health and beauty products, such as some cleansers and toothpastes.

Why is this a problem?

As a pollutant, microplastics can be harmful to the environment, animal health, and possibly human health. These tiny particles easily pass through water filtration systems and end up in the ocean, posing a potential threat to aquatic life.

How to help

While larger scale policy may be needed to help address microplastics, individuals can have a positive impact on plastic pollution through their lifestyle choices. Here are some ways you can help reduce microplastics in the environment:

  • Avoid purchasing products with excess packaging
  • Choose glass or metal drink containers over plastic
  • Avoid disposable plastic bags and bring reusable bags with you
  • Avoid single use plastics as much as possible
  • Choose natural fibers over synthetic garments
  • Participate in shoreline and neighborhood cleanups

Learn more about microplastics and what you can do to help in the incredibly detailed and accessible video: “Ten Facts You Need to Know about Microplastics” by PhD candidate Imari Walker, Duke University. This video was shared by the California Water Quality Monitoring Council, State Water Resources Control Board, and also includes information from academic articles and research therein.

Countdown to Clean Energy

Locally Controlled Electricity Service Begins with Central Coast Community Energy this October!

Beginning in October 2021, Central Coast Community Energy (formerly Monterey Bay Community Power) will be sourcing electricity from clean and renewable sources on behalf of all electricity customers in Goleta, as well as the communities of Carpinteria and southern Unincorporated Santa Barbra County. The City of Buellton will also enroll in early 2022. 

Who is Central Coast Community Energy?

Central Coast Community Energy (CCCE) is a community-owned public agency known as a Community Choice Aggregator or CCA, that sources competitively priced electricity from clean and renewable energy resources. Central Coast Community Energy is locally controlled and governed by board members who represent each community served by the agency. CCCE serves more than 400,000 customers throughout the Central Coast, including residential, commercial and agricultural customers in communities located within Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz counties.

What is Community Choice Aggregation (CCA)?

Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) was established back in 2002 through the California Assembly as an opportunity to give residents and businesses an ability to purchase electricity from local government agencies, and gives local governments the authority to manage energy resources on behalf of their communities and customers. CCAs provide many environmental, social, and economic benefits to California communities. Central to the concept of CCA is local choice. It gives the communities themselves the power to make choices about energy resource portfolios and investments, both within and from outside their local service area. It also empowers communities to reinvest locally with programs that address economic, social, and environmental goals.

How did Goleta decide to participate in Central Coast Community Energy?

The City of Goleta went through a comprehensive and public process in 2019 to evaluate 3CE (formerly Monterey Bay Community Power) as an opportunity to provide choice, local control, competitive rates and access to community reinvestment for our residents and businesses.  The City of Goleta City Council passed the required resolution and conducted two readings of the ordinance in accordance with California Public Utilities Code to request membership in 3CE as well as codify the City of Goleta’s participation in the Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) program.

What does this mean for you?

Revenue generated by Central Coast Community Energy stays local and helps keep electricity rates affordable for customers, while also funding innovative energy programs designed to lower greenhouse gas emissions and stimulate economic development. That means some of the money you spend on electricity bills will come back to you in the form of economic and environmental benefits for your home or business – and for your own community.

How does it work?

Central Coast Community Energy replaces your utility’s (PG&E or SCE) role in deciding how and where your electricity is generated. Your utility (PG&E or SCE) will continue delivering electricity and maintaining electric infrastructure along with billing. Customers still receive only one bill which will include Central Coast Community Energy Electric Generation Charges.

Electricity customers have always paid for electric generation, but prior to Central Coast Community Energy service these costs were part of your utility’s Bundled Service charges. Now generation charges will be broken out on a separate Central Coast Community Energy page for more transparency.

Share Your Feedback About CCCE Energy Programs for the 2021-2022 Fiscal Year

Community members are encouraged to share comments and feedback about 3CE’s proposed FY 21-22 Energy Programs by emailing programs@3ce.org before July 14, 2021. Staff will review and post formal responses to questions and concerns via CCCE’s website.  Review Proposed CCCE FY 21-22 Energy Programs on the City website here.

Stay Informed

Learn more at https://3cenergy.org/2021-enrollment/ and on social media, including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @3Cenergy.

Community members are also encouraged to join the Central Coast Community Energy e-newsletter and board meeting notification list here.

LED Streetlight Project Goes to Council on July 20

If you want to know more about new streetlights to be installed throughout the City, then mark your calendar for July 20th at 5:30 p.m. That’s when the LED Street Lighting Project will be presented to the Goleta City Council for final approval. City Staff will be requesting authorization to purchase light fixtures and begin the streetlight conversions.  The plan is to replace more than 1,300 High-Pressure Sodium (HPS) streetlight fixtures throughout Goleta with new energy efficient LED streetlights.

The community had a chance to hear more about the project and ask questions at a virtual Town Hall meeting on June 22nd.  The two-hour interactive meeting started with a brief presentation, and was followed by an extensive Q&A session discussing the light color, brightness, shielding and more.

The City website has been updated to include a copy of the presentation, as well as a transcript of the Q&A. Learn more at www.CityofGoleta.org/LEDStreetlights and watch our video on the project here.

Please contact Project Manager Michael Winnewisser at (805) 690-5120 or mwinnewisser@cityofgoleta.org for any questions or additional information.

The project team wants to thank all of the participants for joining in the discussion for this important project!  We hope you will watch the July 20th Goleta City Council meeting to learn more and see what Council decides.

Pictured: LED Project staff members James Campero and Michael Winnewisser (left to right).

City Acknowledges Goleta CERT Business Ambassadors

The City of Goleta would like thank its CERT Business Ambassador Team for a job well done!  This volunteer group, made up of graduates from the City’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program, was an enormous part of Goleta’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  They worked in three teams and met businesses at their storefronts to provide guidance and education to the ever-changing health guidelines and provided ideas and solutions to challenges that arose at store locations.  

Over the last year, the CERT Business Ambassadors put in more than 300 hours of work for the community and contacted more than 125 businesses in Goleta.  The program was led by the City’s Emergency Services Coordinator, Michael Baris, and Emergency Services Aide, Natalia Rios, who also serve as the program managers of the general CERT program.  “My jaw dropped when I saw the final numbers our volunteers put in,” commented Michael Baris.  “I can’t imagine a more amazing group.  These volunteers care so much about their community – it’s incredible.”

Our wonderful CERT Ambassadors have shared their experiences with us:

Zubir Putih
To be out there during the pandemic and lockdown was pretty scary.  We are glad to be able to help in a very different kind of emergency and are thankful we are safe now.


Jeff Woolever
Being an Ambassador for the City of Goleta during the pandemic was a great experience that helped local businesses and created an atmosphere of partnership.



Viridiana Victoria
This project gave me the opportunity and pleasure to serve my community in the face of a difficult, unknown, and changing situation during the pandemic. Now, it is a joy to see that we are on the right track and improving more and more.

Peter Omoregie
I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as a volunteer City of Goleta Ambassador to help businesses navigate the responses to the pandemic.  I had great experiences working with the leaders and other volunteers.


Stephan Brissaud
I am grateful for the opportunity to help the Goleta community through the CERT Program under the leadership of Michael and Natalia. The local businesses were appreciative of the regular flow of information we gave them during the entire duration of the Ambassador program, and I am very glad the City is on the road to recovery so fast.

Cecilia Herrera
Volunteering as a CERT Business Ambassador was very fulfilling and an honor.  We were in the same storm and separated from each other, but everyone was taking care of each other to be afloat. I love Goleta and our community. / Ser voluntario como “CERT Business Ambassador” fue muy gratificante y un honor, solo por el hecho de que todos estamos en la misma tormenta separados unos de otros, pero todos cuidando de todos y seguir a flote. Amo a Goleta y nuestra comunidad.

Justin Haagen
It was an honor to serve on the City of Goleta’s CERT Ambassador team. We were out in the business community at least once a week visiting with local businesses for many months during the pandemic and our educational efforts were welcomed.  After several visits in our green volunteer shirts, businesses recognized us as a partner and understood the requirements of the always changing color tier system.  It was great to be of service to our community.

Ian Fiedler
I enjoyed being a CERT Ambassador.  It was great to be there for the businesses of Goleta.

Thank you, CERT Ambassadors, for all your hard work and dedication to the community.

CERT courses to become a volunteer are generally held twice a year.  If you are interested in becoming a CERT volunteer and would like to be contacted when a course becomes available, sign up here.

#VaccinateGoleta Update

If you have not yet been vaccinated, we encourage you to do so.  As of July 1, 2021, 67% of eligible Santa Barbara County residents are vaccinated and 58.7% are fully vaccinated. Please do your part and get vaccinated to better protect the entire community.

It’s even more important to get vaccinated given new cases of the Delta variant that have been found in Santa Barbara County. The Delta variant is labeled as a variant of concern by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is known to have increased transmissibility.

“These [Delta variant] cases serve as a reminder that even as our progress continues towards the end, our community is still in a pandemic, shared Van Do-Reynoso, County Public Health Director. “We have a tried and true method of preventing severe illness and hospitalization from the COVID-19 Delta variant, and that is getting vaccinated.  If you are eligible and have not yet been vaccinated, we urge you to get your first shot as soon as possible.”

Everyone ages 12+ years of age is eligible (minors are only eligible for the Pfizer vaccine). For information on walk-in Community Vaccination Clinics, or how to make an appointment at a local pharmacy, please visit https://publichealthsbc.org/vaccine/.

If you haven’t already, watch this short video from the Goleta City Council on the importance of getting vaccinated. #VaccinateGoleta

Goleta Train Depot Design Review Board Input on July 13

The Goleta Design Review Board will conduct an Advisory review and offer comments on design-related issues for the Goleta Train Depot project located at 27 South La Patera Lane. The Design Review Board (DRB) Meeting will be held virtually on Tuesday, July 13 at 3:00 p.m. A link to participate will be available in the agenda within 72 hours of the meeting; the agenda can be accessed on the City website at www.CityofGoleta.org/GoletaMeetings. View the Notice of Public Hearing here.

Project Description (City request for DRB Advisory Input):

This is a request for Advisory review. This is a City of Goleta project which does not require formal review or approval by the DRB. However, this is an important Gateway project for the community and City staff is interested in soliciting DRB’s input for a third time.

The property includes an existing 39,800-square foot warehouse structure with an associated parking lot, outdoor storage area, and vehicle yard on an approximately 2.5-acre parcel. The existing warehouse structure covers approximately 50 percent of the overall site and is situated in the middle of the northern middle side of the project site. The City is replacing the existing warehouse structure, built in 1967, with a new approximately 9,000 square foot Goleta Train Depot structure.

The project would involve demolition of the existing warehouse structure and construction of a new train depot building. Other components of the project include a parking lot and a passenger drop-off area, outdoor waiting areas, bike storage, signage, outdoor lighting, and landscaping.

After demolition, a new Goleta Train Depot (“GTD”) building and required associated amenities for the Depot would be constructed. These amenities would be located both within the project site as well as within the City-owned right-of-way adjacent to and leading to the site. The proposed Depot structure would provide a permanent, enclosed, and safe structure for Amtrak passengers to use as they wait to board or after they disembark from trains.

Environmental Review (In-process):

The City will prepare an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and circulate this document for public review, and the City Council will review all aspects of the project including the adequacy of the proposed EIR at the time the first action is taken on the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) project. Staff is requesting input on the design concept at this stage (35% conceptual drawings) in the project review process.

Additional Information:

Please contact Jaime Valdez, Goleta Train Depot Project Manager, at (805) 961-7568, or via email at jvaldez@cityofgoleta.org for more information on this project. Comments on this project may be emailed to the project planner by 5:00 p.m. the day before the hearing date.

Learn more about the Goleta Train Depot project at www.tinyurl.com/GoletaTrainDepot.


Pictured: Goleta Train Depot rendering

Help Us Draw Goleta on August 2nd for District Elections

Mark your calendars for the City’s next in-person District Elections workshop on Monday, August 2 at 6:00 p.m. at Goleta City Hall Council Chambers (130 Cremona Drive, Suite B). This third and final workshop will also serve as the first of four official public hearings as required by state law.

With district elections, the City of Goleta will be divided into four districts, and voters in each district will elect a City Council member who lives in their own district. The mayor will continue to be elected by voters across Goleta. Public input is a critical part of the process to draw the initial district lines. We encourage you to be a part of this special civic engagement experience and help literally shape the future of Goleta during this historic process.

The City of Goleta hosted its first in-person workshop since the onset of pandemic restrictions on June 26 at the Goleta Union School District Boardroom at 401 N. Fairview Avenue. More than 30 people turned out to learn about the City’s move to district elections and ask questions. The workshop educated the public on the process, showcased the demographics of the City, and demonstrated how to use the paper and online mapping tools to help equip community members to draw their own proposed boundaries. A recording of the June 26 meeting is available to watch here.

Another way the community can participate is by visiting the City’s district elections website, www.DrawGoleta.org, where you can learn more about the process, view a Story Map that provides interesting demographic and geographic information about Goleta, see upcoming hearing dates and deadlines, and draw and submit your own district boundary map using various paper and online tools.

Regardless of whether you choose to submit a map, we also want to hear from you on what communities of interest might exist within Goleta. A community of interest is a group of people with common interests who live close together and would benefit from being kept together in a single district. If you know of a community of interest, please email it to Goleta City Clerk Deborah Lopez at dlopez@cityofgoleta.org.

For additional questions, contact cityclerkgroup@cityofgoleta.org or call 805-961-7505.

Thank you for your interest and participation. See you on August 2nd!

Pictured: Synergy Computing, Inc CEO Scott Phillips, City of Goleta Deputy City Clerk Liana Campos, National Demographics Corporation Consultant Daniel Phillips, City of Goleta Clerk Deborah Lopez, and National Demographics Corporation Consultant Justin Levitt pose for photo outside of the GUSD boardroom following the District Elections Workshop

 

Free Crisis Counseling for Parents & Caregivers

It’s not easy being a parent or caregiver, especially during these challenging times. That’s why United Parents is offering FREE Crisis Counseling sessions to the people who are caring for the next generation. United Parents/CalHope is a non-profit organization funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and run by California Department of Health Care Services. The goal is to assist individuals, families, and communities recovering from the effects of COVID-19. To do this, the group provides free emotional and crisis support sessions for up to six contacts by phone, videoconferencing, smart device and/or computer chat. Along with emotional support, resources and support group sessions are also offered. If you are a parent or caregiver in need of support, please call (888) 384-1120 Monday – Saturday, 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. There are also support groups via Zoom every Tuesday at 12:00 p.m. (English) and Thursday at 6:00 p.m. (Spanish).

Tips to Manage Stress:

  • Take a break from the news if it’s causing you to feel overwhelmed.
  • Maintain social contact by phone, text, or email with those who support you.
  • Treat your body kindly: eat healthy foods, avoid excessive alcohol, and exercise as you are able.
  • Focus on what you can control and let go of the rest.

For more information visit https://www.calhope.org/.

Goleta City Grants Awarded

The City of Goleta is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2021-2022 City Grant Program funding. Since 2014, the City Council has authorized up to $100,000 annually for grant funding. This year, the City granted $89,500 to 29 nonprofits allocated an additional $11,500 to spend on events taking place throughout the year that were not planned at the time of the grant application period. The City included funding for the Juneteenth Santa Barbara event, Food From The Heart, Goleta Education Foundation, Isla Vista Youth Projects, and many other worthy organizations.

The Goleta City Grant Program provides grants of up to $5,000 each for non-profit organizations involved in providing public services, educational and cultural activities such as music, art, dance, and recreation, and Goleta-oriented special events and regional projects that enhance and support the quality of life in Goleta. The Committee kept last year’s focus on essential services during the COVID-19 pandemic that met the requirements of the City Grant program. In addition, the Committee considered other programs that were certain (using best-known knowledge) to take place in the upcoming fiscal year. The Committee expressed how difficult finalizing award recommendations was given the extreme need at this time. Staff appreciates their careful deliberation and thoughtfulness throughout the process.

The City Council’s Grant Funding Review Standing Committee reviews Goleta City Grant applications and is composed of Mayor Paula Perotte and Mayor Pro Tempore James Kyriaco as well as two Goleta citizens. This year the citizen advisors are Eileen Monahan and Luz Reyes-Martin. The City would like to thank the Committee for their dedication to the City’s grant programs.

For more information on the City’s grant programs, please visit www.tinyurl.com/goletagrant.

Pictured: Youth Mental Health Education Program (Mental Health Association in Santa Barbara County)

CA COVID-19 Rent Relief

Do you need help with rent or utilities? You may be eligible for the CA COVID-19 Rent Relief program.

Financial assistance is available from the State of California for income eligible renters and their landlords who have been impacted by COVID-19 and have past due rent or utilities, or who need help with upcoming rent or utilities.

Both renters and landlords are encouraged to apply.

Assistance is available for unpaid rent dating back to April 1, 2020, as well as for future rent.

Assistance is also available for unpaid utility payments dating back to April 1, 2020, or for future utility payments, which will both be compensated at 100% of cost, limited to a total of 12 months, and paid directly to the utility provider.

Assistance from the CA COVID-19 Rent Relief program does not count as earned income and will not affect eligibility for any other state benefit assistance programs. All applicant information is kept private and will not be shared. Income eligible applicants may qualify regardless of immigration status and will not be required to show proof of citizenship.

How do I apply?

To check eligibility and apply, visit HousingIsKey.com or call 833-430-2122.

For in-language assistance, to get help with eligibility requirements or filling out an application, schedule an appointment with a local organization near you by calling 833-687-0967.