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.