Author Archives: Jaime Shaw

Upcoming Strategic Energy Plan Workshops

Want to learn more about local, resilient renewable energy development potential? The City of Goleta is hosting several opportunities in the month of April for the community to participate in the strategic energy planning process.

The energy planning process and local workshops will help Goleta to develop more renewable energy, reduce its carbon emissions, and explore the best ways to provide clean, reliable, and resilient energy to the community. We need your valuable input to help identify the best strategies to ensure equitable community access to clean energy and its benefits. You can learn more about the city’s strategic energy plan progress on the website here.

Upcoming Meeting:

  • Goleta Energy/Green Issues Standing Committee
    Thursday, April 25, 2019 | 3:30 – 5:00 p.m. (new date!)
    Goleta City Hall (130 Cremona Drive, Suite B), Conference Room 1
    Please join us in reviewing Goleta’s draft Strategic Energy Plan! During this committee meeting we will provide an overview of the contents of the plan and discuss the strategies identified to help Goleta reach its 100% renewable energy goal.

Upcoming Workshops with the County of Santa Barbara and the City of Carpinteria:

  • Agricultural Stakeholders of Santa Barbara County Clean Energy Workshop
    Thursday, April 4, 2019 | 4:30 – 6:30 p.m., following the Ag Advisory Committee
    Buellton Rec Center (301 2nd Street, Buellton)
    This workshop is open to landholders interested in siting renewable energy projects. Grower-shippers looking to add on-site energy and resiliency for packaging and processing facilities are invited to participate. If interested, please RSVP here. 
  • New Funding Opportunity Zones and Clean Energy in Santa Barbara County
    Friday, April 5, 2019 | 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
    Santa Maria Business Development Center (731 S. Lincoln St., Santa Maria)
    This workshop is aimed for both landholders and finance/investment partners, providing an opportunity for networking and information for people looking to offer their sites and people looking to make investments in projects. If interested, please RSVP here.

Now Open! Old Town’s Newest Park

On Saturday, March 30, the City held an opening celebration for the new Jonny D. Wallis Neighborhood Park in Old Town! It was an amazing day with hundreds of residents joining us to try out the new activities available at the park, such as pickleball, bocce ball, Bankshot and the skateboard plaza. The opening celebration also included food, fun and a ribbon cutting with City and State officials. Guests could also learn more about the services offered in Old Town by visiting the non-profit booths that were providing information. Thank you to everyone who came out and helped make this day so special! You can view a video and photos of the event on our Facebook page, and learn more about the park at https://tinyurl.com/oldtownpark.

Don’t Miss the Community State of the City on April 4

Everyone is invited to attend the Third Annual Community State of the City at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 4 at the Goleta Valley Community Center (5679 Hollister Avenue). This event is free and Spanish interpretation will be provided. Attendees will hear from Mayor Paula Perotte and City Manager Michelle Greene on past, present and future items of importance at the City of Goleta. Following those presentations, members of the City’s management team will answer questions from the audience. We hope you make it, but if not, 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. 

Come early to be part of the “El Corazón de Goleta Mural” Dedication Ceremony at 5:00 p.m. Artist Barbara Eberhart and student volunteers worked for months to bring this stunning mural to life and add public art to Old Town. Join the Goleta Valley Community Center Board and the City for a ribbon cutting and celebration.

Why Drive to Work When You Can Take the Train?

Last spring the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner began its new early-morning train service to Goleta and Santa Barbara to better accommodate commuters in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. The new schedule allows northbound riders to arrive into Santa Barbara at 6:47 a.m. and Goleta by 7:16 a.m. In the afternoon, the southbound train departs Goleta at 4:25 p.m. and Santa Barbara at 4:40 p.m.

Once at the train station, you can take one of the MTD train shuttles to your place of work for free. The shuttles run from the Goleta and Santa Barbara train stations to locations in Santa Barbara, Cottage Hospital and along Hollister Avenue. They are available to take people back to the train stations in the afternoon as well. For those who prefer to bike to work from the train station, bike lockers are available to rent. In an effort to increase ridership on the early morning trains, the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments is offering a free trial pass. There are also unlimited monthly passes and ten-ride passes available. More information is available at www.trafficsolutions.org/Train.

Bicycle Safety Tips

Each year in California, more than 100 bicyclists are killed and over 10,000 are injured in collisions, commonly caused by bicyclists’ and/or motorists’ behavior, lack of skill, or attention.  Here are four basic bicycling safety tips to help everyone stay safe on our roads:

  1. Maintain Control of Your Bicycle:
  • Ensure your bicycle is the right size and properly adjusted to fit you.
  • Ensure your bicycle is in good working order by inspecting it regularly.
  1. Protect Yourself:
  • Properly fitted helmets provide protection from a potentially life-threatening head injury. By law, riders under 18 years old must wear a bicycle helmet while riding on a public road
  1. Be Visible and Alert:
  • Be prepared to stop for vehicles waiting at stop signs, driveways, etc. or to take evasive action relating to vehicles that may not see you.
  • Use hand signals before making turns or changing lanes to warn traffic around you.
  • Using lights and reflectors at night is the law. During darkness, bicyclists should also avoid wearing dark clothing. 
  1. Ride in a Safe Lane Position:
  • Ride in the same direction as traffic so you are more visible to drivers.
  • Keep your eyes on the road ahead to avoid hazards in the roadway.
  • Watch out for opening doors on parked cars.
  • When available, use a bicycle lane, but watch out for cars merging into these lanes to make a right turn.

Together, we can share our roads and make them a safer place for bicyclist and motorists!

This information was taken, in part, from the Department of Motor Vehicles “Sharing the Road” brochure.  For the entire brochure, click here.

Join the First Regional Energy Workshop to Explore Renewable Goals

Do you have an interest in community resiliency, renewable energy, and/or energy storage?  Join the cities of Goleta, Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, and the County of Santa Barbara on Thursday, March 14 for the Strategic Energy Plan Stakeholder Symposium! The symposium will be held from 9:00 am – 1:30 pm in the Faulkner Gallery of the Santa Barbara Central Library (40 E Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara).

In this workshop, local governments and public stakeholders will be exploring strategies to maximize the local environmental, economic, and community benefits of clean energy development. From 9:00 am – 12:00 pm, the City of Santa Barbara will be presenting key findings from their strategic energy plan and hosting roundtable discussions. From 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm, the cities of Goleta, Carpinteria and the County of Santa Barbara will be hosting lunch and providing updates on their coordinated strategic energy planning process and highlighting additional upcoming workshops.

The energy planning process and workshop will help Goleta to develop more local renewable energy, reduce its carbon emissions, and explore the best ways to provide clean, reliable, and resilient energy to the community. We need your valuable input to help identify the best strategies to ensure equitable community access to clean energy and its benefits.

This free workshop is open to the public and will include lunch. We encourage all public members with an interest in community resiliency and energy to attend. Space is limited, so please RSVP here.

CERT Class Training this Spring

The City is hosting its next Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training on Mondays this spring (March 25 – May 13). CERT classes are free and train and prepare you to help in a disaster when first responders may not be able to respond quickly. Basic disaster response skills covered include fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. After completing the class, CERT members also are encouraged to support emergency response agencies by taking a more active role in emergency preparedness projects in their community.

Goleta CERT Training Class:
Mondays March 25 – May 13, 2019
6:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Goleta Valley Community Center
5679 Hollister Avenue
*Participants must attend all eight classes.

To register, complete an application by March 15 and email it to Anthony Rodriguez. For more information, view the flyer here. For questions, contact Anthony Rodriguez at arodriguez@cityofgoleta.org or 805-961-7571.

Information on CERT is available at https://tinyurl.com/GoletaCERT.

Old Town’s Newest Public Art

Have you seen the mural on the wall outside the Goleta Valley Community Center? More than a dozen students participated in this public art project with artist Barbara Eberhart. Barbara and the volunteers worked hard from October 2018 through February 2019 to bring this beautiful mural to life. Join the Goleta Valley Community Center Board and the City for a ribbon cutting and celebration on Thursday, April 4 at 5:00 p.m. at the Goleta Valley Community Center (5679 Hollister Avenue). This event will take place right before the Community State of the City, we hope you will mark your calendars to attend both.

City Receives Grant for San Jose Creek Multipurpose Path

The City of Goleta received a $14 million Cycle 4 Active Transportation Program (ATP) grant for the San Jose Creek Multipurpose Path. This path will remove barriers and gaps in the regional network extending from the County’s new multipurpose path and bridge in the north, under US 101, Union Pacific Railroad, through Old Town Goleta, across San Jose Creek, and under SR 217 connecting to Goleta Beach and the Coast Route Trail in the south. This north-south connection is an important local and regional community project that will improve safety and access to the schools, shopping, services, and Goleta Neighborhood Clinic north of US 101 and the Class 1 bike path to the south providing access to UCSB and the employment in the County and City of Santa Barbara to the east.  Watch the video we sent in with our application to learn more.

The ATP Cycle 4 process was very competitive with 554 projects submitted requesting over $2.2 billion in ATP funding and only $445.6 million available. The City will continue to work on the conceptual design and environmental phases of the Project. This grant funding will cover the final design, right-of-way, and construction phases.

The City of Goleta will take the lead on the funding, design, and construction of the project with the County’s support and assistance for the areas within the County.  The entire project cost is expected to be approximately $20 million.  The City hopes to construct the path in 2019/2020.

Give Input on the City’s New Zoning Ordinance

Zoning is important to a City. It controls where and how development occurs through regulations such as building setbacks, height, and lot size. It helps define how properties are used, what new buildings look like, and how much development can occur in our community. It protects recreational areas and allows for more open spaces in the neighborhood. The City has released a draft of its New Zoning Ordinance (NZO) and wants feedback from the community. Attend a Planning Commission workshop at City Hall (130 Cremona Drive, Suite B) to learn more, and view the NZO at www.goletazoning.com.

Workshop Dates:

  • Wednesday, March 6, 2019, 6:00 pm
    • Topic: Review Authorities and Permit Procedures Part 1
  • Tuesday, March 12, 2019, 6:00 pm
    • Topic: Permit Procedures Part II
  • Thursday, March 21, 6:00 pm
    • Topic: Open Space, Height, Floor Area, Fences and Hedges, Outdoor Storage, and ESHA
  • Monday, April 8, 2019, 6:00 pm
    • Topic: RV Parking, Parking Reductions, Signs, and Lighting
  • Thursday, April 11, 2019, 6:00 pm
    • Topic: Housing, Community Assembly, Mobile Vendors, Accessory Uses, and Energy
  • Thursday, April 18, 2019, 6:00 pm
    • Topic: Remaining Issues and General Feedback
  • Joint City Council / Planning Commission Workshop: Tuesday, May 7, 2019, 6:00 pm
    • Topic: NZO Finalization and Adoption Process

For the latest updates on the New Zoning Ordinance, sign up here.