Author Archives: Jaime Shaw

City of Goleta Welcomes New Community Resource Deputy

The City of Goleta is pleased to welcome a new Community Resource Deputy to our team.  Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Deputy Jaycee Hunter was selected for the position and will begin his new assignment on February 10, 2020.  He was introduced at the February 4, 2020, Goleta City Council meeting.

Deputy Hunter was born and raised in Goleta and is invested in the community where he still resides.  He brings almost 35 years of law enforcement experience to the City. While he has been employed at the Sheriff’s Office for almost four years, he spent the majority of his career as an officer with the Santa Barbara Police Department where he worked a number of assignments including patrol, major crimes, cold cases and as a traffic investigator.  He most recently worked as a School Resource Deputy at his alumni school, San Marcos High School, where he also met his high school sweetheart. 

Deputy Hunter is looking forward to his new assignment with the City of Goleta.  He said, “I have lived in Goleta the majority of my three and half decades in law enforcement providing services to communities outside of Goleta.  With my new role, I am elated to be home where I can now protect and serve my community with the special law enforcement services provided by the Community Resource Deputy position.”

City Manager Michelle Greene said, “This is an important position for the City and we are pleased to have an experienced and dedicated law enforcement professional protecting and working collaboratively with our community members.” 

Director of Neighborhood Services and Public Safety for City of Goleta Vyto Adomaitis said, “We are extremely excited to welcome Deputy Hunter to the City of Goleta and look forward to working with him to help maintain a safe community and provide a high level of service to our residents.”

The City of Goleta contracts with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office for police services.  As the Community Resource Deputy, Deputy Hunter will address quality of life issues through education and training, crime prevention and intervention, specialized patrol services, and building community partnerships with our residents, our local businesses, and our other neighborhood-serving agencies. He is bilingual.

Welcome Deputy Hunter.  We wish you a wonderful chapter ahead with the City of Goleta and thank you for all you have done to help others during your career and thank you in advance for your service to our community.

City of Goleta Introduces New Parks and Open Space Manager

The City of Goleta is pleased to welcome George Thomson as the new Parks and Open Space Manager for its Public Works Department. This is an important role for the City which values and prides itself on its variety of parks and open spaces. George will take on the job of planning and managing the City of Goleta’s open space system.  It’s a perfect match for George, a Goleta resident who brings more than 20 years of experience managing local ecosystems and developing hands-on community education and stewardship programs.

George most recently worked for the City of Santa Barbara where he managed the design and construction of the City’s major park improvements and recreation facility renovations. During his time with the City of Santa Barbara he also oversaw habitat restoration projects, invasive plant removal programs and the development of constructed wetlands to improve creek and ocean water quality. George also served as Reserve Steward at the University of California’s Coal Oil Point Reserve and worked for five years at UCSB’s Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration.  He attended UC Santa Barbara, UC Davis, and the University of Tasmania in Australia.  His graduate school research through UCSB focused on management of California’s central coast grasslands. 

City Manager Michelle Greene said, “We are thrilled to have George Thomson join our City team. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in the area of habitat restoration on the South Coast, which will be of great benefit to the City – particularly for our efforts to restore sensitive habitats on the Ellwood Mesa and enhance the Lake Los Carneros open space area. These areas are gems of our community, and we look forward to working with George on preserving and enhancing them and other open space areas within our community.”

GGeorge began his new position earlier this month.  He said, “Ellwood Mesa and the Butterfly Grove, Lake Los Carneros, Stow Grove Park, Evergreen Open Space, and other local treasures are so critically vital for our community’s quality of life.  These are places we love and I am so excited to begin this new decade working towards the best possible stewardship of our open spaces.” 

We welcome George Thomson to our team and wish him great success ahead in this important and rewarding role for the City.

 

LEAD Goleta is Underway

We have a fantastic group of engaged community members as the cohort of our second LEAD Goleta Community Academy (January and February 2020)! LEAD stands for Learn, Empower, Advocate and Discuss, and is open to 30 Santa Barbara County residents, including high school and college students. This six-week class is designed to give community members an inside look at how local government works so that they can effectively participate, share that knowledge with others, and possibly even consider a future role in city governance. Three people from the City’s first LEAD Goleta Community Academy went on to serve on a Board or Commission.

During each class, participants hear directly from City staff or Councilmembers. LEAD is also very hands on, with attendees having the opportunity to tour the newly purchased City Hall building and participate in a mock City Council meeting. The current class will graduate on February 12. We can’t wait to show you photos and video from this Academy class.  Stay tuned!

The next LEAD Goleta Community Academy will take place in the fall. Please email jshaw@cityofgoleta.org if you would like to be notified when applications are available for LEAD Goleta Fall 2020.

What is CERT?

Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training is underway. On February 4, 2020, the City kicked off the year’s first CERT Training Course which will run through March. CERT Training is free and designed to prepare you to help yourself, your family, and your neighbors in the event of a catastrophic disaster. Because emergency services personnel will not be able to help everyone immediately, you can make a difference by using the 24 hours of training in this class to save lives and protect property. 

CERT training covers basic skills that are important to know in a disaster when emergency services are not available. With training and practice and by working as a team, you will be able to do the greatest good for the greatest number after a disaster, while protecting yourself from becoming a victim. Last October, CERT graduates participated in a countywide training drill. View the video here to get a first-hand look at what CERT course participants learn.

If you are interested in taking the City’s next CERT training, add your name to our waitlist and be the first to know about future courses. Learn more about CERT here: https://tinyurl.com/GoletaCERT. For questions email CERT@cityofgoleta.org.

Beautify Goleta

The beauty of Goleta continues to improve thanks to another year of Beautify Goleta events. In 2019 the City held six Beautify Goleta events. Beautify Goleta is the City’s community clean-up program, in partnership with MarBorg, and is designed to make it easy for residents to clean up their homes and yards. On select Saturday mornings, the City provides roll-off boxes for disposal of unwanted items (trash and yard waste/organic material) for small sections of the City. After the clean-up events, the City has additional street sweeping completed in those neighborhoods. The 2019 events were in the Lake Los Carneros and Old Town neighborhoods. The six events collected a total of 50,000 pounds worth of material, of which 75% was recycled or reused. 

If you have large items that you want to dispose of and do not want to wait for Beautify Goleta to come to your neighborhood, please contact MarBorg at (805) 963-1852 to schedule your free bulky item pick-up (up to two per year per household). To dispose of household hazardous waste, please call (805) 882-3602 and for electronic waste call (805) 963-1852.

Save the Date for the Community State of the City on April 13

Update: March 13, 2020: This event has been postponed.

The Fourth Annual Community State of the City is Monday, April 13 at 6:00 p.m. at the Goleta Valley Community Center (5679 Hollister Avenue). Everyone is invited to attend this FREE event where you will hear from Mayor Paula Perotte, City Manager Michelle Greene, and Department Directors. They will be discussing the city’s finances as well as current and future projects and programs. The evening will conclude with questions from the audience. Spanish interpretation will be available. This is an important night for the City, and we really hope to see you there in person, but if you are unable, the event will be rebroadcast on Goleta TV (channel 19/104.148) and will also be posted on the City’s website at www.cityofgoleta.org. A broadcast schedule will be available after the event. 

The 13th Annual State of the City presented by the Goleta Chamber of Commerce and City of Goleta is on Thursday, April 16 from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara. Click here for more information and to purchase your ticket

Photo: 2019 Community State of the City

Make Goleta Count Day / Haz Que Cuente Goleta (Día de Promocíon)

Join us on March 14 from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at Jonny D. Wallis Neighborhood Park (170 S. Kellogg Avenue) for a fun-filled day and opportunity to learn about Census 2020! Make Goleta Count Day / Haz Que Cuente Goleta (Día de Promocíon) is for the whole family. There will be games, raffle prizes, food (for purchase), music, census information, and key speakers. City staff will also be on hand to answer questions to help make sure everyone completes his/her census. Spanish interpretation will be available. View the event flyer here. 

Households will receive an invitation in the mail from the U.S. Census Bureau in mid-March. It will have instructions on how to complete the 2020 Census online, by phone, or using a paper copy. The City of Goleta wants 100% participation from our residents in order for Goleta to receive proper funding for important programs and services we value and depend on. In addition to helping our community get its fair share of federal funds, the census creates jobs, helps plan for the future, and supports public safety and emergency preparedness. An undercount could result in a loss of money for the next ten years! Census results will also play a role as Goleta moves to district elections in 2022. Learn more about the 2020 census here.

We are also inviting everyone to the March 3 City Council meeting where Council will recognize the 2020 Census as an important event in the community, and we will share our Census 2020 Make Goleta Count video for the first time. Join us at 5:30 p.m. in Council Chambers (130 Cremona Drive, Suite B), for this special event.

Tell your Family, friends, neighbors and co-workers that we all need to work together to Make Goleta Count!

Weigh In on the Future of Goleta’s Creeks & Watersheds at Feb. 26 Workshop

Join us for the first workshop of the new year on the City’s Creek and Watershed Management Plan (CWMP): February 26, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. at the Goleta Valley Community Center (5679 Hollister Avenue). Because our creeks are such an integral part of the Goleta landscape and provide important habitat and drainage functions, the City would like your input on how our creeks and watersheds should be cared for into the future. This workshop will focus on the work City staff and the consultant team have done over the past few months. The public will be able to hear and provide feedback on the technical details of field surveys performed, the outline and background information for the CWMP, and the remaining work to be done. The workshop format will include a presentation and ample opportunities for the community to ask questions and share insights for the development of the CWMP; Spanish interpretation will be available.

The City of Goleta is fortunate to have a dozen creeks that run through our community. Not only are these creeks available for us to enjoy, but they also are home to a number of special-status species including frogs and fish. In addition, our creeks drain the Valley and the foothills into the Ocean and play an important role in addressing flooding. Learn more about the project and sign up for project updates at https://tinyurl.com/GoletaCWMP.

City Provides Community Update on Efforts to Create First Homelessness Strategic Plan and Requests Feedback

The City of Goleta continues to move forward on its path to create the City’s first-ever Homelessness Strategic Plan. City Staff invite you to join us for a community meeting on February 19, 2020 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at the Goleta Valley Community Center located at 5679 Hollister Avenue. The event will serve as an opportunity for the community to get an update on efforts being taken to create the Homelessness Strategic Plan and to hear directly from City staff regarding possible strategies to address homelessness in Goleta. Each attendee will also be asked to prioritize their preferred solutions and share which options they would not support at this time. For a flyer please click here for English. Haga clic aquí para obtener un folleto en español. Spanish interpretation will be available at the meeting.

Community input is an essential part of the City of Goleta’s effort to develop a comprehensive Homelessness Strategic Plan. The City encourages community members to participate in this process so the options presented to City Council reflect the needs and desires of its constituents. In addition to public meetings, the City released a survey in December of 2019 to directly hear from those with input on homelessness in our region. Staff are still taking responses to this survey through February 9, 2020. We hope to get as much participation as possible with input from residents, businesses, service providers, and those who are or who have experienced homelessness.

The survey can be found online in both English and Spanish at the following links:

The Community Open House held December 11, 2019, and survey are elements of a larger effort to address homelessness, which has included stakeholder meetings, best practice discussions with communities nationwide, and years of partnership supporting regional homelessness efforts. City Council and staff believe having a strategic plan will provide important direction and clarity around needs, service gaps, and priorities in order to make effective and strategic funding decisions that serve both the existing homeless population, as well as those at risk of becoming homeless. With the goal of being adopted in the summer of 2020, the Homelessness Strategic Plan will help guide and coordinate efforts to prevent and address homelessness within the City of Goleta.

We appreciate the community’s involvement and input in this process thus far and look forward to continued engagement during this important effort. For more information, please contact Dominique Samario, Management Analyst for the City of Goleta, at dsamario@cityofgoleta.org or 805-690-5126.
Learn more about Goleta’s Homelessness Strategic Plan at tinyurl.com/GoletaHomelessnessPlan.

Photo: December 2019 Community Open House on Homelessness

New Zoning Ordinance Close to Council Adoption

The City’s New Zoning Ordinance (NZO) is at the finish line. After years of hard work and community input, it will return to City Council for adoption consideration at the February 18, 2020, public hearing. Once adopted, this will be a milestone for Goleta. The NZO will replace the City’s existing zoning regulations, which were inherited from the County at the time of incorporation, in their entirety. The proposed NZO provides rules and regulations for land use and development on private property within the city. The purpose of the New Zoning Ordinance is to implement the General Plan and to protect and promote the public health, safety, peace, comfort, convenience, prosperity, and general welfare. More information about the project can be found at www.GoletaZoning.com.