Last month, the County Board of Supervisors took action on Goleta Beach 2.0.  The Board unanimously voted to recommend to the California Coastal Commission (CCC) to keep the rock revetment in place. The County staff will prepare an application to go before the CCC to permit these rocks that were originally placed under an emergency permit. The City had been advocating for a solution of this nature in which the rocks remained in place to protect Goleta Beach and Goleta Beach Park as public assets.

The Goleta City Council is concerned about a lack of compliance with California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) in the County’s decision-making process. In the interest of conserving public dollars, the Council will not pursue legal action at this time. The Council instead fully supports the County’s application and plans to actively pursue Coastal Commission approval of the County’s request.

“We are very pleased that the County Supervisors unanimously agreed on alternative 5.  Preserving the rock revetment, which has protected the beach and the park for years, is a solution that we can all support,” said Mayor Michael T. Bennett. “I look forward to working in partnership with the County to protect this important local resource.”

To read the Environmental Impact Report on the project, visit: http://www.sbcountyplanning.org/projects/11DVP-00000-00016/.

To read the City’s position on Goleta Beach communication in advance of the 3/18 meeting, visit: http://content.govdelivery.com/bulletins/gd/CAGOLETA-aad28a.