A new chapter begins for food security in Santa Barbara County and the City of Goleta gets a front row seat! On Saturday, March 1, the Santa Barbara County Foodbank held a ribbon cutting for its new South County Sharehouse (82 Coromar Dr), as part of “Sharehouse Community Day.”

The new 57,600-square-foot Sharehouse in Goleta is five times larger than the previous facility, providing the capacity to store over 1 million pounds of staple food commodities. This expansion allows for more efficient food distribution and dramatically reduces unloading times—from 1.5 hours to just 15 minutes. The enhanced storage capabilities also ensure that the Foodbank can better respond to emergencies, with increased reserves of food ready to be distributed in times of crisis.

Over 400 community members attended the festive event filled with engaging activities, food trucks, interactive family-friendly entertainment, educational booths, and giveaways. Attendees also enjoyed tours of the new facility, fresh smoothies from the blender bikes, face painting, bingo, and more. The highlight of the day was the ribbon cutting ceremony where Mayor Pro Tem Stuart Kasdin and District 2 Councilmember James Kyriaco joined a host of special guests including Senator Monique Limón, Congressman Salud Carbajal, Supervisor Laura Capps, California State Assemblymember Gregg Hart, Foodbank CEO Erik Talkin, and many others for the memorable occasion.

Food insecurity remains a critical issue in Santa Barbara County, where 1 in 3 residents relies on the Foodbank for assistance, and 38% of the individuals we serve are children. The county also has one of the highest poverty rates in California, and rising food costs have made access to nutritious meals even more challenging for vulnerable families. The new Sharehouse will help address these challenges by increasing food storage capacity, streamlining distribution, and enhancing disaster preparedness efforts.

The City of Goleta congratulates the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County on this historic milestone in the region’s fight against food insecurity. Every donation, volunteer hour, and partnership helps the Foodbank ensure no one in Santa Barbara County goes hungry. For more information, including tours of the Sharehouse and ways to get involved, please visit www.FoodbankSBC.org or contact the Foodbank at (805) 967-5741.

Ribbon cutting at the Sharehouse

Group in front of the Sharehouse banner

Councilmember James Kyriaco (District 2) speaking at the event

What a spectacular Opening Day for the Goleta Valley Girls Softball Association (GVGSA)! The 2025 season kicked off on Saturday, March 1 with a special visit from Councilmember Jennifer Smith (District 3) who was in attendance to present the All-Star 2024 Goleta Thunder 12U Softball team with Certificates of Recognition for placing second in the 2024 Western National Championship in Salem, OR!

The Thunder, representing GVGSA, finished with a 30-14 summer record, including three tournament victories and second place overall in a tournament with the top 32 teams in the Western United States. A big congratulations to the 2024 All-Star Thunder, a remarkable group of players!

Players on the team are: Evie Bechler, Olivia Carleton, Reagan Cram, Cecily Benes, Karina Huie, Arina Baltadano, Bailey Conway, Sophia Munoz, Cami Weiss, Kylie Buben, Lucy Hendrick and Jasmine Rollman. The team is coached by Eric Buben, Julie Weiss, Chris Huie, Devany Bechler and Dan Carleton.

We wish all the talented softball players and dedicated coaches who are a part of GVGSA a fantastic 2025 season! We also want to thank all the wonderful volunteers, parents, and supporters that work tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure that our Goleta youth have the best experience possible each year.

From the City of Goleta, we wish GVGSA another electric season filled with passion, teamwork, and the joy of softball. Let’s hit it out of the park!

Thunder team at the Western National Championship

Above: Thunder Team at Opening Day with their Certificates of Recognition; also pictured: team coaches and Councilmember Jennifer Smith (District 3)

Watch Highlight Reel of Community Academy

Congratulations to the 34 participants who graduated from the LEAD Goleta Bilingual Community Academy on February 20, 2025. This is the largest class to graduate in the program’s 5-year history and the third bilingual class with Spanish interpretation and translated materials. Former LEAD Goleta graduates, family and friends of the current class, City staff and the entire Goleta City Council gathered at the Goleta Community Center to applaud the group as each walked across the stage and received a Certificate of Completion and a City of Goleta pin. An ice cream social and sparkling apple cider toast followed the ceremony. Watch a video recap of the program here.

Mayor Perotte who had the honor of pinning each of the graduates said, “This is one of my favorite evenings. I really love coming here and seeing and thanking all of you. I hope you will take what you learned and tell your family and friends, but mostly, I hope you had a good time and know that we [Goleta City Council] are accessible. It’s really important to us that we hear from you.”

LEAD, which stands for Learn, Empower, Advocate and Discuss, is an award-winning bilingual six-week class that gives participants an up-close look at local government and in particular how the City of Goleta operates. This year, due to the rainstorm on February 13, 2025, the class ended up being five weeks long with a combined final class which took place prior to the graduation. The enthusiastic and attentive group from all walks of life received a lot of information during the course of the Academy but all expressed on the final day that they were glad they took the initiative and signed up for the eye-opening experience.

Terrie Bovaird said, “My sincere thanks to the organizers and presenters at the 2025 Goleta LEAD Academy. I truly appreciated the opportunity to learn through this valuable and educational program. I will use what I learned and the reference materials provided for many years to come.”

David Rachford said, “LEAD Goleta is a great program to introduce you to civic leadership in Goleta the Goodland. It was an opportunity to learn about City programs, issues and challenges, and celebrate the successes with the amazing team that makes things happen. I now feel more connected to our community, and I’ve lived here for 26 years.”

In addition to staff presentations from various departments, participants also toured the Goleta Valley Library, watched a Sheriff’s K-9 presentation, received a tutorial on how to pack a Go Bag in case of an emergency, and also participated in a Mock City Council Meeting. 

Community Relations Manager Kelly Hoover said, “We will never forget this dynamic class. They were hungry for information, asked great questions throughout and no matter the complexity of the subject matter, they were on the edge of their seats, engaged the entire time. It is impressive that each of them made sacrifices in their personal lives to attend this class week after week. It says a lot about each and every one of them as people. We hope they will stay connected with the City and each other as a result of this bonding experience. Hats off to my Community Relations colleagues Jaime Shaw and Marcos Martinez who went over and beyond to make this an exceptional learning experience for everyone involved.”

We also want to express our heartfelt appreciation to our Spanish interpreters Viviana Marsano, Hugo Santos, and Regina Santos.

If you are interested in signing up for a future LEAD Goleta class, please email jshaw@cityofgoleta.org to be notified when applications are available.

Photos from the LEAD Goleta Bilingual Community Academy

LEAD Goleta graduates with City Council

Mock City Council meeting participants with City Clerk staff

Goleta Police & K-9 (pictured left-to-right: K-9 Team Deputy James Carovano and Obi, Community Resource Deputy Connor Worden and Sgt. Noel Rivas)

Spanish Interpreters (pictured left-to-right: Hugo Santos, Viviana Marsano, and Regina Santos)

City Manager and Assistant City Manager Presenting

Pictured above: LEAD graduates with their certificates: Boris Grodzovsky (top left), Luz Murillo-Reyes (top right), Caroline Rind (bottom right) and Hansen Huang (bottom left) 

Please join the City of Goleta in recognizing Women’s History Month this March.

Women’s History Month is an annual observance that recognizes the vital role women have played in shaping our history and society. Originating from International Women’s Day in the early 20th century, it became a formal celebration in the United States in 1987, following a petition by the National Women’s History Project.

Women’s History Month is not just about celebrating the successes of the past but also acknowledging the struggles and challenges women have faced and continue to face today. From the fight for equal rights to ongoing battles for representation and equity, the journey has been long and often difficult.

To learn more about the rich social, political, and cultural impact of women in history, make sure you check out the Goleta Valley Library in-person Women’s History display and explore the library’s online catalog throughout the month of March.

Let’s embrace this month with enthusiasm and gratitude for the women who have shaped our history and continue to influence our present and future. Together, let’s make history by sharing our stories and inspiring each other every day!