Do you know about Picnic in the Park? It’s Foodbank of Santa Barbara County’s free summer lunch program for kids. The program is offered at multiple locations throughout the County for children 18 and under, including Goleta’s Jonny D. Wallis Neighborhood Park (170 S. Kellogg Avenue). Lunch is available Monday – Friday from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. through August 16. In addition to lunch, the program includes activities, games, and nutrition education. Learn more here.
The Goleta Valley Community Center is hosting Upcycle Art Day for families on Thursdays July 11 and August 8 from 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Kids of all ages will be able to create their own upcycled piece of art just by bringing an empty egg carton, cereal box, or can. The GVCC will supply additional materials. The workshops are free and will take place outside by the beautiful new El Corazón de Goleta mural. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Stay for lunch afterward provided by the Santa Barbara Unified School District Mobil Café, free for kids 18 and under and $4.00 for adults. Click here to view the flyer.
We look forward to this event every year, and we hope you do too! Goleta’s Annual Dam Dinner is always the Saturday before school begins, so join us on August 17 from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. at the Lake Los Carneros Dam. This casual community event is a great way to meet new people, see old friends, and have a fun-filled evening. The Salt Martians will be back as the musical guest, and Neighbor Tim’s BBQ returns as well as an option to purchase dinner (you can also bring your own food). We encourage everyone to bring a dessert to share. Beer, wine, and our popular Dam Dinner t-shirts will be sold at the event. There will also be activities for kids such as face painting, coloring, and corn hole. Parking is available in the Stow House/South Coast Railroad Museum parking lot or along La Patera Lane.
Please register in advance so we can plan for enough tables and chairs. View the flyer here for more information. Keep in touch by liking us on Facebook (@DamDinner) and use #BestDamDinner.
In the smartphone age, people are more connected than ever before, but also attempting to stay connected when they shouldn’t: behind the wheel. It’s not just cell phones, distracted driving is anything that takes your eyes or mind off the road, or hands off the steering wheel – especially when texting or using your phone.
It is not only dangerous, but illegal, to use your cell phone while driving. In California, you cannot use a cell phone or similar electronic communication device while holding it in your hand. It can only be used in a hands-free manner, such as speaker phone or voice commands, but never while holding it. Any driver under the age of 18 is prohibited from using a cell phone for any reason.
The Goleta Police Department takes distracted driving very seriously. Traffic officers are constantly on the lookout for motorists who violate distracted driving laws, endangering themselves and others with whom they share the roads. “It only takes a moment for lives to be forever changed by a distracted driver,” says Sergeant John Maxwell who supervises the Goleta Police Department’s Traffic Unit. “Cell phone use can be a habit that’s hard to break, but this habit can have life changing consequences.”
Remember, other serious driver distractions such as eating, grooming, reading, reaching for objects on the floor, changing clothes, or talking with passengers, are just as dangerous. Always focus on the road ahead, and together we can eliminate the unnecessary dangers of distracted driving.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office welcomes Chop, the newest member of their K9 team. Chop was purchased through funding from the Sheriff’s Benevolent Posse’s Project Deputy Dog program. In his first few months on the job, he is off to a great start. Deputy Moore, a six-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office, is his handler. The two are stationed in South County but available to respond to calls countywide. Chop was born in Germany and received his initial training at the Inglis Police Dog Academy in Oxnard. Chop and Deputy Moore recently graduated from patrol school where they completed 200 hours of intense training. Chop is now trained in human scent detection, open area building searches, handler protection, and apprehension. Chop will eventually be trained in narcotics detection and hard surface tracking as well. If you would like to learn more about Project Deputy Dog and how you can support the Sheriff’s K-9 Unit, please go to www.sbsheriffsposse.org.
In honor of Parks & Recreation Month this July, the City has put together a fun-filled calendar of outdoor activities for residents to do throughout the month. In addition to exploring some of Goleta’s great parks or attending popular summer time events such as Music at the Ranch, Concerts at the Gazebo, or the new Summer Games & Movies at the Goleta Valley Community Center, those interested can also learn a new sport by attending a clinic for pickleball, Bankshot or Bocce Ball. Check out the full calendar in both English and Spanish and get your game on this July!
On June 19, 2019, the City held a groundbreaking for the renovation of the athletic field behind the Goleta Valley Community Center and next to the Boys & Girls Club. City Staff, Councilmembers, and Boys & Girls Club Kids of the Week were all in attendance as Council helped to break ground on this exciting new project. The City is excited to improve this recreation space for the entire community, the hundreds of children who attend the Goleta Boys & Girls Club each day, and those who use the Goleta Valley Community Center. This project includes new turf with gopher mesh for the field, new irrigation, a walking path, and a fitness station.
The City received a Housing Related Parks Program grant from the State of California’s Department of Housing and Community Development to help pay for the renovations. Construction is anticipated to be complete by the end of August. If you missed the event, you can watch the speeches and ground breaking on the City’s YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/user/CityofGoleta1.
The City of Goleta is partnering with the Community Environmental Council (CEC) and several other local jurisdictions to encourage residential solar development through CEC’s Solarize Santa Barbara program. The program is designed to help homeowners step-by-step through the solar installation process, and utilizes group purchasing to offer discounts on home systems. As of early 2019, CEC has helped 736 local homeowners, bringing 3.5 megawatts of solar to the Central Coast through the Solarize Program since it launched in 2011.
If you’re a homeowner interested in going solar and or adding battery storage to your existing solar system, attend an upcoming Solarize Santa Barbara workshop on Wednesday, July 10 at 5:30 p.m. at the Goleta Valley Community Center (5679 Hollister Avenue). This workshop is free and open to everyone.
Goleta residents can take advantage of the limited-time discounted price up until August 31, 2019. For more information on the program and how you can go solar, please visit www.SolarizeSB.org or contact info@cecsolarize.org.
On Wednesday, July 24, the City will hold the first of two public workshops on the Goleta Traffic Safety Study. Join us from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. at the Goleta Valley Community Center (5679 Hollister Avenue) to learn about the study, talk to City staff, and give feedback on the City’s roadways and corridors, traffic conditions, and perception of safety.
The Goleta Traffic Safety Study Project is an opportunity for the City to review and evaluate the City’s major east-west and north-south corridors, including the major intersections, for things such as collision frequency and magnitude, roadway and intersection design configurations, and traffic volumes. A project team is currently analyzing and assessing the roadways. Their findings, combined with public input, will help construct an analysis which will include common factors in vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian collisions, and address recommended safety improvements for vehicle lanes, bicycle lanes, and pedestrian crosswalks.
The Goleta Traffic Safety Study is funded through a $225,000 Systemic Safety Analysis Report (SSAR) Program grant the City received in January 2018. The final report will aid the City in pursuing further grant opportunities to assist in funding recommended improvements which have been identified. Additional information, including a map of the corridors, is available at https://tinyurl.com/GoletaTrafficSafetyStudy.
Southern California Edison (SCE) has recently developed a plan to shut off power when high risk weather could start a wildfire. The Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) could lead to multi-day power outages in Goleta during periods of extremely hot, dry, and/or windy weather. A PSPS outage will last as long as the potentially dangerous weather conditions exist, plus the amount of time it takes for power company workers to inspect and repair their equipment in the affected area(s). Residents need to prepare for a power outage that could last 3-5 days.
The City has put together tips on how to prepare for a multi-day power outage including knowing how to manually open your automatic garage door and having a battery-operated radio. Click here to learn more. It is also recommended to register for emergency alerts from the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management (SBCOEM) at www.ReadySBC.org. To receive emergency information from the City of Goleta, go to https://tinyurl.com/goletaemergency, text Goleta Emergency to 468311, or call 961-7508.
Learn more about Public Safety Power Shutoffs on the SCE website.
