Daily Archives: November 3, 2014

Goleta Ranked #79 in the Best 100 Places to Live

Once again Goleta is being touted as a great place to live.  Our small City placed #79 in the Best 100 Places to Live in the United States. This is the second-annual ranking of the best small to mid-sized cities in the U.S. by Livability, an online resource.

“The rest of the country is finding out what we already know – that Goleta is a great place to live and work,” said Mayor Michael T. Bennett.  “Events like the Lemon Festival and the Dam Dinner, the community feeling, great schools and the beautiful setting make Goleta a true gem.”

According to their site, “As Livability’s editors and writers crisscross the U.S in search of great stories, we find that time and again, the best tales are told in the Main Street diners, corner churches, park benches and even the mayor’s offices of small to mid-sized cities and towns. Far from letting time pass them by, these communities are doubling down on livability for their residents. Our second-annual ranking of the Top 100 Best Places to Live celebrates the work they are doing.”

Liability worked with globally-known partners to analyze the best public and private data sources. They were advised by the leading thinkers, writers and doers in the place-making space.. More than 2,000 cities were ranked, so every city on this list is in the top 5 percent of livable communities in the U.S.

 

Gaglione to Lead Public Works

The City is pleased to announce Ms. Rosemarie Gaglione as the new Public Works Director.   She beat out 30 applicants for the position.  She’s been serving as the Interim Public Works Director since March 2014.

Ms. Gaglione is a familiar face to many as she’s been instrumental in key projects including the San Jose Creek Project, the Los Carneros Roundabout and the Santa Marguerita/Cathedral Oaks Crosswalk Enhancements.   She has provided outstanding leadership for our ambitious program of capital improvement work.  You’ll often see her at City workshops explaining complex engineering projects in easily understandable language.

She has been working for the City since 2007 as Senior Project Manager and was named as Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Manager in July 2008. She was again promoted to Assistant City Engineer in December 2012.

For the six years prior to coming to Goleta, she served as the CIP Manager in the San Luis Obispo County Public Works Department. Rosemarie holds a degree in Environmental Engineering from California Polytechnic University (Cal Poly) at San Luis Obispo.  She is also a registered Civil Engineer.

We are very happy to have Rosemarie continue to be a part of the City team.

 

Cleaner Air in Goleta’s Parks and Open Spaces

The public can now enjoy the outdoors even more by having less exposure to secondhand smoke. The City has installed NO SMOKING signs in every park and open space in Goleta.

The new signs are a result of the Secondhand Smoke Ordinance that was passed by City Council earlier this year. The ordinance expands areas where tobacco use is prohibited, thus increasing protection from exposure to secondhand smoke for Goleta residents and visitors. California law bans smoking in almost all enclosed places of employment, and also restricts smoking within 20 feet of government buildings. The Goleta law augments state law by regulating tobacco use in some outdoor areas. The ordinance outlaws smoking from a 20 foot perimeter around all places of employment and prohibits tobacco use in public places and recreational areas. State law only regulates smoking and the Goleta law includes all tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes.

This ordinance prohibits smoking in recreational areas, which includes any outdoor area owned or operated by the City open to the general public for recreational purposes. These include parklands, portions of parks such as picnic areas, playgrounds, sports fields, walking paths, gardens, hiking trails, bike paths, horseback riding trails, athletic fields, and beaches.

The ordinance also provides a specific list of areas where smoking may be permitted.  Please contact our Code Enforcement Officer, Greg Nordyke, at gnordyke@cityofgoleta.org or 805-961-7556 with any questions.

Santa Barbara International Marathon Begins in Goleta

The Santa Barbara International Marathon will take place on Saturday November 8, 2014.

The race begins at 7:30 a.m. from Dos Pueblos High School, 7266 Alameda Ave, Goleta, and will impact Goleta neighborhoods from 5:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.  Expect some delays and detours.  All residents will have access to and from their residences with police and volunteer assistance.

For more information on the entire course route, please visit http://sbmarathon.com/.

Old Town Park Design Modified Due to Water Restrictions

With the stage 2 drought and the related water restrictions, the City is having to take another look at design for the Old Town Park near the corner of Hollister Avenue and South Kellogg Road. Because the site has historic water use, it is not subject to the moratorium.  However the future use cannot exceed the historical use.

The current park design would exceed the water use allowance, and as a result, some changes to the park’s design and landscaping will be necessary to bring the project under the established water allotment. The City’s landscape architecture consultant, Van Atta Associates, is working on some options for reducing the park’s water demands with the goal of keeping the major recreational functions intact.

The public is welcome to attend a Parks and Recreation Commission meeting on November 19, 2014, in Council Chambers at City Hall at 6:00 p.m. At this meeting City staff will present various design options to reduce the overall water demand of the new park.

For more information on the project please click here.

Monarch Butterfly Season is Here!

Every winter, thousands of monarchs migrate from as far north as Canada to make their way to the eucalyptus trees of the Goleta Butterfly Grove. This incredible sight is a cherished natural phenomenon in our community. 

The Goleta Butterfly Grove (also known as the Ellwood Main Monarch Aggregation site) is one of the largest overwintering locations in California. Adjacent to the Sperling Preserve on the Ellwood Mesa, the space includes 137 acres of natural terrain with designated nature trails that lead to the bluffs and beach. The City of Goleta runs one of only four Monarch Docent programs in California.  Each year our trained docents are stationed at the Goleta Butterfly Grove on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., beginning in November, to answer questions and provide visitors with information about monarchs and our Grove.

A trip to see the monarchs is a wonderful, family-friendly experience. The monarch season runs from mid-October through February, with peak butterfly counts typically occurring between Christmas and through January.

If you have any questions about the Grove or are interested in becoming a docent, please call 805-961-7571 or visit goletabutterflygrove.com where you can also find the latest butterfly counts starting in mid-November.

Goleta Council Appoints Michelle Greene as City Manager

Goleta has a familiar face in the City Manager’s office.  Michelle Greene has been appointed as the City Manager.  She has been serving as the interim City Manager since May.

“Ms. Greene is the right person to lead our organization forward.  She is a long-time Goleta resident who is respected within the community, by her colleagues, and by the City’s employees,” said Mayor Michael T. Bennett. “We were pleased to find an excellent candidate in our own ranks given the highly qualified pool of individuals who applied.”

A nationwide search for a City Manager was conducted by Bob Murray and Associates and more than 70 candidates applied for the position.  The City Council interviewed the most qualified candidates, and following a second round of interviews, authorized the Mayor and City Attorney to negotiate an agreement for employment with their preferred candidate.

Ms. Greene has been with the City for the last ten years.  She started out as a Management Analyst and demonstrated her value to the organization, rising to the positions of Administrative Services Director and later Deputy City Manager before filling the Interim City Manager post.  In the twelve years prior to coming to Goleta, Ms. Greene held a number of public offices, including the City Clerk/Personnel Manager in Grover Beach and the Assistant City Manager in Escalon.

Ms. Greene graduated from the University of California Berkeley before beginning course work on a Masters of Public Policy through the University of Southern California.

She has guided the City in the development of some of its most important policies and programs and assured that the organization is moving forward on a sound footing. Her experience within the City has afforded Ms. Greene the perspective necessary for an organizational vision which will effectively implement the policy vision of the City Council.

Congratulations Michelle!

Whooping Cough Resource Kit

We’ve seen a recent outbreak of Whooping Cough in our community and wanted to offer this important information from the Santa Barbara County Department of Public Health

Pertussis (Whooping Cough)

Whooping cough (also known as pertussis) is a highly contagious bacterial disease that can be spread by coughing. People with pertussis have severe coughing attacks that can last for months. Infants too young for vaccination are at greatest risk for life-threatening cases of pertussis. Over 9,000 cases of pertussis were reported in California during 2010, the most in over 60 years, including 10 infant deaths. Consistent with a peak in incidence every 3-5 years, CDPH has declared a whooping cough epidemic in May of 2014. Pertussis is widespread throughout the U.S. and the rest of the world.

Make sure that you have been vaccinated against whooping cough. Booster doses are needed throughout life, because protection against whooping cough after vaccination or disease wanes over time.
• Pregnant Women are recommended to receive Tdap (whooping cough booster) during their third trimester of each pregnancy, even if they got it before pregnancy. The protection that expectant moms receives from Tdap also passes to their baby in the womb. This helps protect babies during the most vulnerable period, until they are old enough to get their first whooping cough vaccination at 6–8 weeks of age
• Infants can start the childhood whooping cough vaccine series, DTaP, as early as 6 weeks of age. Even one dose of DTaP may offer some protection against fatal whooping cough disease in infants. Young children need five doses of DTaP by kindergarten (ages 4-6)
• Students in 7th grade in California need to have met the requirement for a Tdap booster – see http://shotsforschool.org.
• Adults are also recommended to receive a Tdap booster, especially if they are in contact with infants or are health care workers, but most adults have not yet received Tdap.
• Whooping cough vaccination recommendations of the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice (ACIP) are http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/acip-recs/index.html.

For the latest information on whooping cough in the state of California, visit the CDPH Pertussis Summary Reports page.   For the latest information on whooping cough in Santa Barbara County, visit the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department Epidemiology page. How Well-Vaccinated Is Your Child’s Child Care Facility/School? Child care facilities with low vaccination rates are at increased risk for outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. Some children are allowed by California law to skip immunizations if a parent submits a personal beliefs exemption (PBE) or medical exemption (PME) at enrollment. Other children, may be admitted to child care on the ‘condition’ they complete remaining vaccinations when due. Often there is no follow-up and these children remain under-vaccinated. To lookup vaccination rates at your child care/ school, click below:

Child Care/Preschool | Kindergarten | 7th Grade

Resources For the Public
• Pertussis Disease Questions and Answers (CDC)
• Immunizations for a Health Pregnancy Brochure | Spanish
• Whooping Cough: What You Need to Know | Spanish
• Protect Yourself and Your Baby | Spanish
• Whooping Cough: Vaccinate to Protect (11X17) poster | Spanish | Chinese (CDC)

For Childcare and Schools
• Pertussis Disease Questions and Answers (CDC)
• Keep Our School Healthy flyer
• Protect Against Flu and Whooping Cough poster | Spanish
• Preteen brochure | Spanish
• Preteen poster | Spanish

Media and Web
• CDPH Pertussis Radio PSA | Spanish
• Silence the Sounds of Pertussis: Audio and Video PSAs featuring actress Keri Russell
• Sounds of Pertussis video produced by March of Dimes
• Spanish TV PSA featuring a mother who lost her son to pertussis
• Protect Babies from Whooping Cough Infographic
• Pertussis Publication and Materials

What Are Goleta’s Recreational Needs?

The City of Goleta has been working on a recreation needs assessment to determine current needs in the community and identify future needs. We have held two workshops and engaged the community in a telephone and electronic survey.

There will be one last community workshop where the results of the community outreach will be presented. At this workshop you will provide your input on how to prioritize the needs that have been identified. These community priorities will be included in the assessment and presented to the Parks and Recreation Commission and Goleta City Council. Your feedback at this stage is important!

Join us for this final workshop:

Wednesday December 3, 2014
6-8 PM
Goleta Valley Community Center
5679 Hollister Avenue, Goleta CA

A light dinner will be served, so your RSVP is appreciated!
Register here.

Spanish translation will be available

For more information or to RSVP, contact Luz Reyes-Martin at 961-7558 or lreyesmartin@cityofgoleta.org.

City Receives Helen Putnam Award for Goleta Prepare Now

The California League of Cities presented the Goleta City Council with the Helen Putnam Award for Excellence for the City’s Goleta Prepare Now Program.  The Goleta Prepare Now program is designed to increase the level of overall awareness and emergency preparedness for residents, visitors and local businesses.

“The League is proud to recognize the Goleta Prepare Now Program as the 2014 Helen Putnam Award of Excellence recipient in the category of public safety.  This award recognizes outstanding achievements by California’s cities and Goleta is certainly deserving of this recognition,” said David Mullinax, Regional Public Affairs Manager for the California League of Cities who presented the award at the City Council meeting.

Mayor Michael T. Bennett said, “We are honored to receive this prestigious award and appreciate the work of our dedicated staff.  Because of their efforts, we now have a greater number of residents who are prepared to help in the event of an emergency.”

The City Council has placed a high priority on emergency preparedness and this is achieved through bilingual public education, the provision of emergency preparedness materials and the training of volunteers as well as continuing training opportunities and outreach for program graduates. This is Goleta’s second Helen Putnam Award. The first was received in 2005 for the City’s role in preserving the Ellwood Mesa.

For more information, please contact Luz Reyes-Martin, Management Analyst in the City’s Neighborhood Services and Public Safety Department, at 961-7558 or lreyesmartin@cityofgoleta.org.