Daily Archives: February 6, 2023

Winter Storms

The storms last month reminded us how important it is to be prepared in advance for winter storms. This is a good reminder to sign up for information from both Santa Barbara County and the City of Goleta.  Register for County emergency alerts at ReadySBC.org. This is how you will be notified during an emergency.  If the emergency impacts Goleta, the City of Goleta will send emergency notifications through its email/text message notification system – sign up to receive our City emergency alerts here. 

We were fortunate that Goleta faired pretty well during the storms, but we did see some damage: flooding on streets, a small mudslide on Cathedral Oaks Road, downed trees, and a few small sinkholes that appeared.

“A huge thank you to our Goleta Public Works Team for its storm preparation, 24-hour service and quick work removing downed trees and clearing debris. I also want to thank the community for following safety orders and staying home and off the roads when asked”, said Mayor Perotte. 

We are so appreciative of the Goleta Public Works Team, Caltrans and our first responders for their hard work to keep our community safe before, during and after the storm.

Learn more about winter storm preparedness, including sandbag locations in Goleta, knowing your flood risk, and more, on the City website here.

Pictured: San Pedro Creek at Calle Real

E-Bike Safety Awareness

You see them everywhere, E-Bikes!

The Goleta City Council officially proclaimed January 19th as the first ever Electric Assisted Bike Safety Awareness Day at its January 17 meeting. View the proclamation here. Kent Epperson, Director of Traffic Solutions from the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG), was on hand to accept the Proclamation from the City Council.

As in many California communities, Santa Barbara County has seen a noticeable increase in e-bike use by people of all ages over the last couple years. While there are many benefits to e-bikes, studies show that a rapid increase in less experienced, higher speed bicyclists can result in more collisions with pedestrians and other road users, leading to injury and sometimes even death.

To improve public safety, the State of California has passed e-bike safety laws that regulate who and where each of the three types of e-bikes can lawfully be ridden and that riders 17 years of age and under must always wear a helmet.

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is developing statewide safety standards and training programs based on evidence-based practices for e-bike users which are scheduled to be launched next summer.

E-bikes can bring joy and a sense of freedom, but that no matter what type of bike you ride, some collisions can be avoided by practicing common sense safety including:

  1. Checking your battery, brakes, chain, and tire pressure before you ride;
  2. Wearing a helmet and visible clothing whether you are a rider or passenger;
  3. Watching your speed by riding slowly and respectfully on multi-use paths or where pedestrians are present;
  4. Riding predictably, using hand signals and keeping eye contact to communicate your movements with other vehicles;
  5. Avoiding texting, talking on the phone, or listening to loud music while riding; and
  6. Obeying traffic signs, signals, and roadway laws just as cars are required.

Information regarding E-Bike Awareness Day, the Safety Pledge and other e-bike safety information can be found on the Traffic Solutions website.   

Pictured: Kent Epperson receiving the proclamation from Mayor Paula Perotte

Passing of Long-Time City Consultant Linda Gregory

The City of Goleta is saddened by the loss of one of our long-time City consultants. Linda Gregory passed away suddenly and unexpectedly at the end of 2022. Linda worked as a consultant for the City of Goleta for 19 years, beginning in 2003.

During her time at the City, she served as the Recording Clerk for the Planning Commission and the Design Review Board. Her services included clerking at the public hearings of the Goleta Planning Commission and the Design Review Board. She recorded the proceedings, as well as the production of the minutes. She later provided additional services associated with the Planning Department’s Document Imaging Program.

Planning and Environmental Review Director Peter Imhof said, “We will all miss Linda’s calm, quiet presence, her kindness, her dedication and her careful work in support of the City of Goleta.”

Read her full obituary in The Independent here.

Celebrate 50 Years at the Goleta Valley Library

This March we are celebrating a special milestone for the Goleta Valley Library, the 50th Anniversary of the building at 500 N. Fairview Avenue. Join us on Saturday, March 11 from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. for an afternoon of sharing memories with library staff and community members. In preparation for this event, we are gathering photos of the library throughout the years. Please bring your photos of the library to the Goleta Valley Library from now through February 28th so that we may add copies of them to our archives and share them as part of this memorable occasion. All photos will be returned to their owners. Thank you for joining in this celebration with us!

This milestone would not have been possible without the support of you, our wonderful patrons, and our dedicated team of library staff.  

Foodbank Raises $20 Million to Purchase Sharehouse

Funds will be used on new cooler freezers, volunteers, and nutrition education spaces

Congratulations to the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County for successfully completing a major fundraising campaign – Building Readiness: Campaign for a Hunger-free Tomorrow – to purchase and modify its new Sharehouse facility in Goleta.

Over the course of an 18-month-long private fundraising period and a four-month public campaign that concluded on December 31, 2022, the Foodbank raised $20 million. When it becomes operational – in fall 2023 – Sharehouse will allow the Foodbank to provide increased healthy food for community members countywide who face hunger and food insecurity, and will ensure that south county is adequately prepared for emergency food needs during future large-scale disasters. It will also make it possible for the Foodbank to train thousands of volunteers, and further develop nutrition education curriculum and partnerships.

Planned modifications include construction of freezer and cooler space – which will multiply the Foodbank’s current south county cold food storage space by ten times – along with a new Nutrition Promotion Center and Volunteer Center, and the Foodbank’s administrative offices.

The Sharehouse is located at 80 Coromar Drive in Goleta, just off Hollister between Storke and Los Carneros Roads. The Sharehouse name indicates it will serve as more than just a warehouse; it will be a comprehensive center where the community can “share food, education and hope.”

About Foodbank of Santa Barbara County

The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County transforms hunger into health through good nutrition and food literacy. The Foodbank provides nourishment and education through a network of more than 200 partner agencies, nutrition education programs and food distributions operated by the Foodbank and its volunteers. For more information, visit FoodbankSBC.org

Green Room: Beautify Goleta 2023 in Focus

The first Beauty Goleta event of 2023 did not disappoint. On January 28, 2023, 27 Volunteers collected 672 lbs of trash! Additionally, the Bulky Item Collection event beat previous records and included 37 vehicle drop offs totaling 14,967 lbs of bulky items collected! (Previous record was 7,966 lbs collected.) If you missed it, don’t worry, get involved in the next one on March 25 or clean up anytime using our self-guided cleanup instructions. Stay safe and report your results to be entered into a prize drawing. You can do your own self-guided cleanup or coordinate a group as a site captain. Learn more about the Captain role online and please reach out if you’d like to Captain a location for any of the dates below. 

2023 Dates

We hope you will save-the-date for these upcoming Beautify Goleta events:

  • March 25, 9am – 1pm “Spring Into Action” with Caltrans
  • April 22, 9am – 1pm “Earth Day”
  • July 22, 9am – 1pm “Put A Smile on Your Place”
  • September 23, 9am – 1pm “Coastal Cleanup Day” with Explore Ecology

Dates listed above include both a bulky item collection event and citywide community cleanup, with the exception of September which is a countywide community cleanup.

2022 Recap 

Relaunching Beautify Goleta in 2022 after the program was put on pause in 2020 due to the pandemic was a big effort made possible by this amazing community. The City would like to give a special shoutout to all the volunteers and captains that made this program what it is today. Below is a quick summary of the tremendous effort of the community in 2022, and we hope to use this as a baseline to measure progress moving forward. 

Thank you to all of those who volunteered. We are also very thankful for our partners at MarBorg Industries and Big Green Cleaning for their ongoing support. We hope you will volunteer this year and help Beautify Goleta.

Learn more about the program at www.CityofGoleta.org/BeautifyGoleta or email environmentalservices@cityofgoleta.org.

Pictured above: Volunteers with Waypoint Church captain Jerry Lucera

Black History Month

Join the City of Goleta in recognizing Black History Month. This is a time to honor the contributions and legacy of Black Americans across U.S. history and society — from activists and civil rights pioneers to leaders in industry, politics, science and culture. 

To learn more about the rich history of social, political, and cultural contributions made, make sure you check out the Goleta Valley Library’s in-person and online catalog. Patrons who visit the Goleta Valley Library in-person at 500 N. Fairview Avenue can browse the adult and children’s displays that will feature titles and materials related to Black History Month.  

Community organizations across Santa Barbara County will be offering both in-person and virtual events. For the full calendar of events, please visit: www.JuneteenthSB.org.