The Goleta City Council recognized Michael Baris at its October 15, 2024, meeting with a City Tile in recognition of his six-years of service to the City. During his tenure, Michael served as a liaison between residents, city administration, and county government to prepare and respond to emergency situations. He also oversaw the City of Goleta’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program and played a key role in shaping critical documents such as the City’s Emergency Operations Plan (EOP), Debris Flow Removal Annex, and Multi-Day Power Outage (PSPS) Plan. His time at the City included work on various committees and collaborations, including the Santa Barbara County Emergency Managers, Santa Barbara County Aware and Prepare, Santa Barbara County CERT Collaborative, and Santa Barbara County Listos.

While he is excited to start a new chapter, he enjoyed all the relationships he built in Goleta. Michael said, “I am going the miss the residents most of all. The personal conversations I would have with the great people here in our town always made the work worth it.”

Thank you, Michael, for all you have done for the City and best of luck as you embark on becoming a fictional writer.