Author Archives: Jaime Shaw

Do You Know Your Emergency Terminology?

In many instances, people responding to an emergency situation use terms familiar to them which may not be widely known by the general public. Get up to speed with these common terms used during a fire:

Mandatory Evacuation Order = Leave immediately; there is an imminent or existing risk to life and property.

Evacuation Warning = A strong likelihood that there will be a risk to life and property, and residents in the warning area should take this time to prepare to leave quickly if given the mandatory evacuation order. Time should be taken to gather family members, pets, valuables, and important paperwork/documents. An individual or family should be ready to leave at a moment’s notice. However, if anyone feels threatened, do not wait for an evacuation order – leave immediately.

Red Flag Warning = Critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or will shortly. A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can create extreme fire behavior.

Fire Weather Watch = Typically issued generally 12 to 72 hours in advance of potential critical fire weather conditions.

Don’t Miss the Best Dam Dinner in Goleta

The 4th Annual Dam Dinner is almost here. Please join us on Saturday, August 20th from 5-7 p.m. at the Lake Los Carneros Dam. Gather with your friends, neighbors and community to share your love for Goleta. Great for all ages, there will be kids’ activities such as face painting and coloring, live music by the Salt Martians, and a photo station (new this year!). Show your spirit by purchasing a Dam Dinner t-shirt.

Attendees can bring dinner or purchase food from Georgia’s Smokehouse. If you feel inclined to do so, please bring a dessert to share.  Getting thirsty with all this food talk? Water, beer and wine will be available for purchase.

Please register in advance as it helps us plan for setting up enough tables and chairs.  We need a few volunteers to help put on tablecloths before and pick up the event after. Like us on Facebook to get the latest information. #OhDam

Goleta Library

Goleta Branch Library Operations Update

For several years, the City of Goleta has evaluated various options to address the significant imbalance between revenues and expenditures at the Goleta Library, which has been operating with a deficit for some time, as are many libraries throughout the County. Reserves are quickly depleting and are likely to be fully expended in the next two years without significant changes to the operation. Currently, the library is operated by the City of Santa Barbara under operating agreements with both the City of Goleta and the County of Santa Barbara.

On July 19th, the City Council received an update from staff regarding options to reduce deficit spending, from increasing the City’s contribution to reducing operating hours. The City Council opposed closing the library on Mondays, which the City of Santa Barbara indicated was necessary because of limited staffing levels. The Council also opposed closing one hour early on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays.

Instead the Council authorized an additional $42,000 contribution to help fund the vacant children’s librarian position and the continued use of reserves to cover the operating deficit.  Council further directed that City staff initiate negotiations with both the City and County of Santa Barbara to transfer the responsibility for library operations to the City of Goleta, maintaining service to the broader Goleta Valley as a County library branch.

Goleta staff will work closely with the City of Santa Barbara to stave off any reduction in operating hours while a transition to City control is pursued. For more information regarding the Goleta library, please contact Deputy City Manager Kathleen Trepa at ktrepa@cityofgoleta.org.

And the Next Mayor of Goleta Is…

This November residents can decide if they want to vote for the next Mayor of Goleta or continue letting the City Council decide. Currently, the five-member council annually selects among themselves who will be mayor. The ballot measure will ask residents if electors should choose the mayor or if it should remain status quo. Voters will also be asked to decide if the term of mayor should be two or four years. Should the ballot measure pass, it would take effect in the November 2018 election.

Please click here for more information on the ballot measure.

 

Be A Good Neighbor!

Please do not dump trash or large items in the parkway or on streets. Consider donating usable items to a local thrift store. For large trash items, Marborg allows residents 2 FREE bulky/large item pickups per year. For more information please visit Marborg’s website at www.marborg.com.  If you see items that have been dumped in the public right of way, please report them through City Assist.

The City of Goleta reminds you to “Close the Poop Loop”. Please use bags provided to pick up your dog’s waste AND place used bags into a trash can. Please do not drop full bags onto the ground along paths and walkways. Close the Poop Loop!

Use the Sun to Your Advantage with Solarize Santa Barbara

The Community Environmental Council (CEC) is offering the Solarize Santa Barbara program to Southern Santa Barbara County residents though August 17, 2016. The program is designed to make going solar simpler and more affordable and to increase the amount of renewable energy within Southern Santa Barbara County.

CEC’s next free workshop covering solar technologies, energy efficiency, financing options and the Solarize program is July 12 from 6:00-7:30pm at the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara (1535 Santa Barbara St.).

In 2011, 2012, and 2014, Solarize Santa Barbara’s programs helped 120 Santa Barbara County homeowners go solar and begin saving on utility bills. To learn more or apply for Solarize Santa Barbara, homeowners can go to www.SolarizeSantaBarbara.org or call (805) 963-0583 x 101.

Go Green – Enroll in the 2016 Green Business Academy

The Green Business Program of Santa Barbara County is now recruiting businesses for its 2016 Green Business Academy. The Academy provides tools and training to help businesses go green by implementing sustainable strategies that can save money and are better for the environment. Businesses can achieve their green business certification by participating in a series of four workshops over four months. Participants form a cohort where networking and peer-learning are encouraged. Visit www.grenbizsbc.org for the complete schedule.

CMC Rescue, Inc., a local Goleta company and globally recognized leader in the design and manufacture of rescue and work-at-height equipment and services, participated in the inaugural launch of the Green Business Academy in 2015. The Academy provided CMC Rescue a launch pad to integrate sustainability into its daily operations. Learn more about the changes CMC Rescue, Inc. made to their company since becoming certified by attending the kick-off workshop on July 21 at their offices (6740 Cortona Drive, Goleta).

To participate in the Green Business Academy, please RSVP by calling (805) 729-3472. More information can be found at www.greenbizsbc.org.

Goleta Again Named a Top 50 Safest City in California

The City of Goleta continues to be recognized as one of the safest places to live in California, according to a study conducted by SafeWise, an online service aimed at providing consumers with an idea of what communities all over the United States are doing to stay safe and secure. Goleta placed in the top 50 safest cities in California, coming in at number 50. Goleta is the only city within Santa Barbara County to make the top 100. In order to compile the safest city list, SafeWise uses recent FBI crime data, reported crimes and the likelihood of these crimes occurring out of 1,000 people in each city.

This is just one of several times that the City of Goleta has been recognized as an exceptionally safe community:

CERT Graduates 20 More Community Volunteers!

Congratulations to the twenty Goleta residents that completed their Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training! The 2016 spring/summer class lasted for eight weeks, April 28 – June 16. These residents (from teenagers to those with disabilities to Spanish/English language speakers) came together to learn to be prepared and respond effectively during a disaster.

Participants learned different aspects of fire safety, medical operations, search and rescue, disaster psychology, terrorism and team organization. The final week was a full scale drill simulating a natural disaster, which happened to coincide with the Sherpa (aka Scherpa) Fire. This was a strong reminder that disasters do occur in our community and we need to be prepared. Emergency services will not be available to help everyone directly following a disaster, so it is important for civilians to be prepared and take action in order to help others in their community, including loved ones. If you are interested in learning more about the next CERT training, please contact Vyto Adomaitis at vadomaitis@cityofgoleta.org.