Author Archives: Jaime Shaw

April Observances

April is full of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) observances, and while we cannot draw attention to them all, here are a few that we are highlighting for the month.

Celebrate Diversity Month: Takes place in April every year and was first started in 2004 to recognize and honor the diversity of the world around us. It is a great opportunity to remind us to increase diversity in the workplace and various academic fields. The month aims to get people to foster a deeper understanding of others.

Autism Acceptance Month: Previously named Autism Awareness Month, aims to celebrate and promote acceptance for the condition that occurs in one in every 54 children as of 2020 in the United States – calling for more than just ‘awareness’ but for public acceptance and celebration.

Passover, April 22 – 30, 2024: The festival of Passover is one of great joy, primarily celebrated in the home. Passover celebrates the freedom of the Jews from slavery in ancient Egypt. Passover 2024 begins at sundown on Monday, April 22nd and ends the evening of Tuesday, April 30th.

As we celebrate these observances, it is important to remember that we are all part of a global community. There are many other special holidays, celebrations, and observances that are happening, and we encourage everyone to recognize our differences and learn from one another. Take a moment this April to appreciate the rich diversity of our community and to learn something new about the people and cultures around us.

Public Works Inspector Retires After 19 Years of Service

Longtime Goleta Public Works Inspector Jerry Lopez is enjoying retirement after 19 years of service.

As a token of gratitude for his outstanding service to the City of Goleta, Mayor Paula Perotte and the City Council presented Jerry on March 10 with a City tile, with the Public Works Department in attendance to show its support.

Jerry first started working with the City of Goleta in 2005. He said, “I remember my first day like it was yesterday. There were three guys in our department in a small corner office down by the garage.” Throughout his tenure, Jerry has worked with hundreds of people on pavement, sidewalks, and other projects.

A Goleta resident of 24 years, Jerry looks back fondly at his career. “It has been a great experience working here,” said Jerry. “If I ever needed help or advice, no one hesitated for a moment to jump forward and help. Everyone was always willing to go above and beyond. The teamwork here is like no other. Lots of hard work but always lots of good laughs.”

Jerry is taking a well-deserved break over the next few months to relax and spend time with his family and grandchildren. Afterward, he and his wife plan to travel to exciting destinations and enjoy all the adventures that retirement has to offer.

Thank you Jerry, for all you have done for the City of Goleta and our community. We wish Jerry all the best in his retirement and look forward to seeing him around the community in the future!


Jerry Lopez receiving his City Tile at the March 10th meeting; pictured with his wife and the City Council


Jerry with the Goleta Public Works Department

Meet Goleta’s New Community Resource Deputy

CRD Worden Met Many New Faces at Coffee with a Cop on March 27

The City of Goleta is pleased to introduce its new Community Resource Deputy (CRD) Connor Worden, who began his new assignment on March 11, 2024. With an impressive background and a passion for community involvement, the City is looking forward to the positive impact CRD Worden will make in Goleta.

On March 27 the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office held a Coffee with a Cop event at Old Town Coffee for the community to get to know CRD Worden. Attendees included Sheriff Bill Brown, Chief of Police Services Lt. Brittingham, Mayor Paula Perotte, Councilmember James Kyriaco, and other local leaders.

Born and raised in Auburn, California, CRD Worden graduated from UC Santa Barbara and loved the area so much he always intended on coming back. He went on to attend the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento where he graduated with his Juris Doctorate. Following law school, he served as a Judge Advocate in the Marine Corps. CRD Worden’s desire to be on the front end of community work led him to pursue and get hired as a Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputy in 2021. During the past three years, he has worked patrol in the City of Goleta which drew him to the CRD position.

CRD Worden said, “What I am most looking forward to in this new role is the prospect of immersing myself in the community. I want to foster relationships that will serve as the foundation for developing creative and lasting solutions to community issues.”

CRD Worden has a variety of interests outside of work. He enjoys hiking, cooking, playing rugby, and taking his dog to the beach.

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank our outgoing Community Resource Deputy Ehren Rauch for his time, service, and dedication to Goleta the past two years. “I have truly enjoyed working first-hand with the citizens and businesses to address the unique and challenging issues that faced our community. Burglary prevention, e-bike safety, traffic education, and homeless outreach were just some of the items I was proud to be a part of in the Good Land,” said Deputy Rauch. “Goleta is my hometown, and it has been an honor to serve as your CRD.”

Senior Deputy Rauch is now on Special Duty as a Tactical Flight Officer/Crew Chief for the Santa Barbara County Air Support Unit.

Please join us in wishing Senior Deputy Rauch and Community Resource Deputy Worden great success in their new assignments and thank them in advance for protecting and serving our community.


Councilmember James Kyriaco (District 2), Mayor Paula Perotte, and Goleta Chief of Police Lt. Rich Brittingham


CRD Connor Worden and Deputy Ehren Rauch

 

Our Water Our World: Controlling Moles, Voles, and Gophers 

Learn how to control moles, voles, and gophers with these tips from the City of Goleta Environmental Services Division. 

Moles, voles, and gophers are small, mouse-like animals that are found outdoors in your backyard. These mammals look similar, live underground, and move quickly, so it can be difficult to distinguish them. One way to know if you have moles, voles, or gophers is to look at the soil mounds or holes in your backyard.  

Do You Have Moles, Voles or Gophers? 

  • Moles travel through a network of raised tunnels and create cone-shaped soil mounds entrance holes 
  • Moles have oversized front claws, sensitive snouts, and poor eyesight 
  • Voles travel through a network of closed or partly exposed tunnels and create clean, golf-ball sized entrance holes 
  • Voles look the most like mice and have short tails and round bodies 
  • Gophers create a crescent-shaped soil mound with a plugged opening 
  • Gophers are larger than moles or voles and have yellow-orange teeth 

Did You Know? 

  • Moles usually do not eat plants and can usually be found after a rain event 
  • Vole populations can quickly reach up to thousands per acre 
  • Gophers carry food and nesting material in their cheek pouches 

What Can You Do?  

Different methods can be used to remove moles, voles, and gophers such as creating barriers or using traps. The most effective and less toxic method to control moles, voles, and gophers is to create barriers. To prevent these animals temporarily, purchase castor oil-based repellents. It is not recommended to use any poisons, fumigants, or devices that cause fire (incendiary devices). 

  • Build in barriers. Use wire baskets when planting fruit trees or other plants. For planter beds, lay wire mesh or hardware cloth across the entire bottom. 
  • Use the correct measurements. Certain measurements should be used when installing barriers. If you have voles, bury ¼-inch wire mesh 6 to 10 inches below the surface and leave 12 inches above the surface. For gophers, bury at least 24 inches below the surface. 
  • Use a wire basket. For delicate plants, use wire baskets, also known as “gopher baskets.” 
  • Remove weeds. Remove weeds or other unwanted plants, which can attract these animals.  
  • Avoid and remove dense foliage. Voles use dense foliage to hide from predators, such as owls and hawks. 
  • Call in professionals. If you want to trap and remove these animals, it is recommended to call a professional because trapping can be dangerous.  

Find more information on controlling moles, voles, and gophers with eco-friendly products in our OWOW OWOW brochure.  

The City of Goleta along with the Cities of Buellton, Carpinteria, Solvang, Santa Barbara, Santa Maria and the County of Santa Barbara have partnered with the OWOW organization to promote the use of less-toxic products in an effort to reduce pesticide pollution in our communities. By reducing pesticide use and the use of less-toxic products around the home, you can help reduce pesticides and other pollutants such as herbicides and fertilizers from being picked up while watering or when it rains and transported to the nearest storm drain inlet and into our waterways. The OWOW website is a great resource for finding less-toxic products to use around your home or garden. 

Deltopia Parking Restrictions in Effect April 5 – 7

The City of Goleta’s parking permit program will be in place for Deltopia, Isla Vista’s unsanctioned street party. Deltopia is usually held the weekend after students return from their Spring break and is anticipated for Friday, April 5th through Sunday, April 7th. Over the past several years, a temporary permit-only on-street parking program for residents near Isla Vista was implemented and deemed successful in dissuading partygoers from parking in the Goleta neighborhoods closest to Isla Vista and easing the impacts felt by residents. 

Parking permits are issued for the Goleta neighborhoods closest to Isla Vista: University 1 and University 2 neighborhoods, including the Cannon Green Condominium complex. The boundaries are: Cannon Green Drive to the west, Hollister Avenue to the north, Storke Road to the east and Whittier Drive to the south.

Each household should have received two passes in their mailbox. The parking permits are required to be taped to the inside of the vehicle’s driver’s side window during the restricted hours (see below). Signage will be posted on the streets in advance to remind drivers, and electronic message boards will be at several entrances to the University 1 and 2 neighborhoods. Vehicles not displaying the appropriate permit will be subject to ticketing and/or towing. Parking restrictions are for Friday and Saturday nights, when most party-goers are expected to be in the area:

  • 7:00 p.m. Friday, April 5, to 7:00 a.m. Saturday, April 6; and
  • 7:00 p.m. Saturday, April 6, to 7:00 a.m. Sunday, April 7

Should Deltopia move to the following weekend, the restrictions will be in place from 7:00 p.m. on Friday, April 12 to 7:00 a.m. Saturday, April 13 and 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 13 to 7:00 a.m. Sunday, April 14.

The overnight parking restrictions will not affect those visiting Girsh Park. If you live in the area designated to receive a parking permit, and have not received yours, please contact the City of Goleta Neighborhood Services Department at 805-961-7554 or mcure@cityofgoleta.org to make arrangements for a replacement.

A map of the restricted area is below and FAQs can be found here: https://cityofgoleta.org/parkingrestrictions.

 

Trees Planted at Stow House for Arbor Week

Mayor Perotte and the Goleta Valley Historical Society Help Improve Cultural Landscape and Native Ecosystem

There are seven new trees growing at Rancho La Patera and Stow House following a tree planting on March 14th. It was all part of recognizing Arbor Week. Six olive trees were installed along the historic driveway leading up to the Stow House and a native coast live oak was planted to replace a large oak that died several years ago. Goleta Mayor Paula Perotte, Goleta Valley Historical Society Director of Operations Lisa Potter, and the City’s Parks and Open Space Division had the honor of planting the latest additions to Goleta’s diverse urban forest. 

The Goleta Council City recognized Arbor Week at its March 5th meeting with an official proclamation presented to the Public Tree Advisory Commissioner Ken Knight and Parks and Recreation Commission Chair Richard Jenkins. View the proclamation here.

City of Goleta Parks and Open Space Manager George Thomson said “Arbor Week is a special time of year when we reflect on all the wonderful things trees do for our community. We took this opportunity to look at the unique collection of trees at the Stow House and ensure we’re replacing historic trees that were recently lost. The new olive trees and the native oak are important cultural and environmental parts of this landscape and we’re so pleased we can help improve this area for future generations.”

The Rancho La Patera and Stow House grounds include a unique collection of exotic and native trees that are open to the public during daytime hours. The gardens have been nominated to the National Register of Historic Places for Cultural Landscapes. Some highlights of the tree collection include the largest brush cherry (Syzygium australe) in California and the largest Spanish fir (Abies pinsapo) in the nation. To learn more about visiting this wonderful place, please see https://goletahistory.org/visit/.

There are more than 14,000 publicly owned trees along our streets and parks managed by the City’s Public Works team. We hope you can find some time to enjoy our beautiful trees which are not only good for the environment but are a source of joy and spiritual renewal.


March 14 Tree Planting – pictured left-to-right: Public Works Maintenance Worker Jesse Sanchez, Public Works Maintenance Worker Cesar Rios, Goleta Valley Historical Society Director of Operations Lisa Potter, Mayor Paula Perotte, Chase Plants & Landscape Founder Chase Cahoon, and Goleta Parks & Open Space Manager George Thomson


Proclamation at March 5 City Council Meeting – pictured left-to-right: Parks and Recreation Commission Chair Richard Jenkins, Mayor Paula Perotte, Parks & Open Space Manager George Thomson and Public Tree Advisory Commissioner Ken Knight

BioBlitz at Goleta’s Butterfly Grove is Back On!

The Goleta Butterfly Grove event is on May 4, 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.

The City of Goleta’s Butterfly Grove BioBlitz has been rescheduled to Saturday, May 4, 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. Nature enthusiasts, citizen scientists, and community members who love the Goleta Butterfly Grove at Ellwood Mesa are encouraged to attend. This is a great opportunity to participate in a single day inventory of biodiversity at the Butterfly Grove, hosted by the City of Goleta’s Parks and Open Space Division and UC Santa Barbara’s Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration. This hands-on experience promises an engaging and educational opportunity for community members of all ages to connect with nature and foster a deeper understanding of environmental conservation.

What is a BioBlitz? It’s a fun and educational event to explore and document the incredible biodiversity around us. The goal is to identify and record as many plants, animals, fungi, and other species as possible in a single day.

The BioBlitz will bring together community members for a morning of scientific exploration, environmental learning, and data collection. Participants will become citizen scientists, contributing valuable data to ongoing biodiversity research, and playing a role in the conservation of important habitat for plants and wildlife. This BioBlitz will be used as an informal baseline survey of biodiversity at the Goleta Butterfly Grove before the City enters the next phase of enhancement and restoration. Surveys can be conducted in different seasons this year and again after several years to track changes in plants, birds, insects, and other living things.

Event Details
Event Name: Butterfly Grove BioBlitz
Date and time: Saturday, May 4 from 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Location: Ellwood Mesa – Meet at the Parking Lot at 7729 Hollister Avenue
Cost: Free to attend
Bring:  

  • Comfortable walking shoes
  • Water bottle
  • Sunscreen
  • Hat
  • Snacks
  • Whatever else you need for your comfort
  • Smartphone for documentation – download iNaturalist to your smartphone and join the “BioBlitz Ellwood Mesa” project
  • Binoculars (optional)

No experience necessary – all ages and skill levels are welcome! Whether you’re a seasoned naturalist or just curious about the world around you, this event is for you. Spread the word and bring your friends – the more, the merrier!

The Goleta Butterfly Grove BioBlitz is co-hosted by The City of Goleta’s Parks and Open Space Division, UC Santa Barbara’s Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration, and LegacyWorks Group. This event is funded by the California State Coastal Conservancy.

RSVP here so we know how many to expect and can notify you of any changes.

Can kids attend? 
Yes, this event is open to kids. The Cheadle Center will provide a free kids program for ages 6-10. Young scientists who want to join the data collection groups are also welcome to join the adults who are exploring the site. 

Parking
Park your car at Ellwood Mesa Open Space & Sperling Preserve parking area, 7729 Hollister Avenue, across the street from Ellwood Elementary (view on Google Maps).

Contact Information
For more information contact Melissa Fontaine at melissa@legacyworksgroup.com.

Funding for the implementation of the Monarch Butterfly Habitat Management Plan is provided by the California State Coastal Conservancy. The Coastal Conservancy is a California state agency, established in 1976, to protect and improve natural lands and waterways, to help people get to and enjoy the outdoors, and to sustain local economies along California’s coast. It acts with others to protect and restore, and increase public access to, California’s coast, ocean, coastal watersheds, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Its vision is of a beautiful, restored, and accessible coast for current and future generations of Californians.

City of Goleta Settlement Agreement with UCSB

The City of Goleta (“City”) and the Regents of the University of California (“UC Regents”) reached a settlement on a lawsuit that the City brought in 2021 alleging that the University of California, Santa Barbara (“UCSB”) was not building student and faculty housing as provided for in UCSB’s 2010 Long Range Development Plan (“LRDP”). The City alleged that the UC Regents were not meeting the terms of a 2010 settlement agreement that addressed UCSB’s growth, thereby negatively impacting the City and its residents.

In the current settlement agreement, which was approved by a majority of the City Council, UCSB commits to constructing an additional 3,500 student beds by September 1, 2029, and will pursue the housing projects originally outlined in the 2010 LRDP. This commitment meets the City’s primary goal of the lawsuit, which was to ensure that UCSB was on track to build the necessary units within a set timeframe. UCSB will build housing at the Facilities Management site on the northwestern corner of the main campus and at the East Campus Infill and Redevelopment site.

Both entities can now move past litigation, which can be costly and unpredictable. In March 2022, three months after the City filed its lawsuit, the legal landscape changed. In a similar case involving the University of California, Berkeley (“UC Berkeley”), the trial court ordered UC Berkeley to cap its enrollment due to noncompliance with the California Environmental Quality Act. UC Berkeley quickly appealed this decision to the California Supreme Court, which decided not to take the appeal. However, about two weeks later, the California Legislature passed Senate Bill 118 (“SB 118”), a new law that eliminated all existing University of California enrollment caps by court order.

The impact of SB 118 on the City’s lawsuit was to render the City’s requested remedy of capping enrollment to be highly implausible to be ordered by the court. The City’s other remedy was monetary. To this end, the City negotiated $2.3 million to be paid by UCSB towards two important capital improvement projects, namely the Goleta Train Depot and San Jose Creek Multipurpose Path, both of which will also benefit UCSB students and faculty.

The City looks forward to working with UCSB to fulfill its plans to provide campus housing and being a good neighbor and partner in other regional issues.

Cathedral Oaks Road Detour

A detour is in place for Cathedral Oaks Road around the closure between Calle Real and Winchester Circle. The detour will route drivers down Calle Real and Winchester Canyon Road to the opposite end of the closed road section. The detour is shown in the map below.

The City closed Cathedral Oaks Road on February 4, 2024, between Winchester Circle and Calle Real. Heavy rains and storm runoff have heavily damaged both the slopes and the 40-foot high crib walls supporting Cathedral Oaks Road and the adjacent bike path. A Crib Wall is a type of large-scale retaining wall that retains an earthen slope. This damage raised concerns over the integrity of the roadway and thus prompted the closure of this portion of Cathedral Oaks Road.

Initial inspections have been completed by the City’s engineers. Pending a determination of the extent of damage, costs of repair, and available funding, this portion of Cathedral Oaks Road will remain closed until deemed safe for traffic. The City is in the process of hiring an engineering firm to design the reconstruction of the slope and new retaining walls. City staff understand the value of opening this portion of Cathedral Oaks and are dedicated to delivering repairs as quickly as possible. We appreciate your patience as the City addresses this costly and complex project.   

Project updates can be found here.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact the Project Manager Michael Winnewisser at (805) 690-5120 or mwinnewisser@cityofgoleta.org.

Project Connect Groundbreaking

Watch Video Recap

Project Connect is officially off and running following a groundbreaking ceremony held on March 18th in Old Town Goleta. The milestone event was held near the intersection of Hollister Avenue and the southbound Highway 217 onramp, a location that will be impacted by the future realignment of Hollister Avenue. The groundbreaking ceremony brought together local leaders, stakeholders and community members for this historic moment. Watch a video recap here. Project Connect is the largest capital improvement project in the history of the City and will enhance pedestrian access and safety, improve road conditions, and build critical linkage throughout Goleta while increasing stormwater flow capacity in San Jose Creek under Hollister Bridge.

The event began with a welcome from City of Goleta City Manager Robert Nisbet who emceed the event and introduced the speakers which included Mayor Paula Perotte, Councilmember James Kyriaco (District 2), Meg Henry Caltrans District 5 Project Manager, Marjie Kirn with Santa Barbara County Association of Governments, U.S. Congressman Salud Carbajal, Santa Barbara County 2nd District Supervisor Laura Capps and 3rd District Supervisor Joan Hartmann, and Goleta Assistant Public Works Director Nina Buelna. Each expressed the magnitude and impact this project will have not just for Goleta but for the region. 

Councilmember James Kyriaco said, “This project has something for everyone. A better pedestrian experience, a safer bicycling experience, more parking and another east-west route for vehicles. It finishes flood control efforts many years in the works and includes much needed accessibility improvements to help people get from one side of the street to the other.”

“Today marks a promising achievement for the City of Goleta. This is your commitment to progress and community wellbeing. It’s more than a collaboration, it is a shared vision involving local, state and federal partnerships. We are excited to see the completion of this project and a safer and more accessible transportation network for all,” said Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) Executive Director Marjie Kirn.

U.S. Congressman and Goleta resident Salud Carbajal added, “This is a great example of what can happen when the city, county, state and federal government all work together in true partnership. This is a fantastic project for Goleta residents. It will improve our commutes, protect our pedestrians and improve connectivity in our neighborhoods.”

“Project Connect is about fostering connectivity, enhancing safety and the sense of community. This project is a major investment to help make Old Town what it was meant to be, the heart and soul of Goleta,” said Supervisor Joan Hartmann.

Mayor Paula Perotte said, “There will be a lot going on during construction and it is really important that we all remember to shop local and support the Old Town businesses during this multi-year project.”

Following their comments, the speakers took part in a ceremonial groundbreaking and photo opportunity.

Assistant Goleta Public Works Director Nina Buelna concluded the event by saying, “The contractor will be working along Hollister Avenue, Ekwill Street and Fowler Road for the next few years. The City of Goleta will work to keep our residents, travelers and businesses informed about all of the changes. We recognize this is an impactful project and we appreciate your patience.”

To stay updated on project milestones, construction, traffic impacts, and other important Project Connect information, go to the City’s website at www.CityofGoleta.org/ProjectConnect.

For additional information or questions, please contact: Connect@CityofGoleta.org or 805-690-5116.

About Project Connect:
Construction is underway on the multi-year project that will enhance pedestrian access and safety, improve road conditions, and build critical linkage throughout Goleta while increasing stormwater flow capacity in San Jose Creek under Hollister Bridge.

This comprehensive project includes:

  • Hollister Avenue Bridge & Roundabout Project – Construction of two roundabouts at the Hollister Ave./State Route 217 ramp intersection to improve traffic flow. Additionally, a new bridge will be built over San Jose Creek to achieve 100-year storm flow capacity.
  • Ekwill Street & Fowler Road Extension Projects – Improve east-west circulation north and south of Hollister Avenue, providing direct connections to portions of Old Town Goleta and the Santa Barbara Airport.
  • Hollister Old Town Interim Striping Project – Striping and pavement improvements, timed parking restrictions and traffic signal upgrades that will increase safety, accessibility, and mobility for all users on Hollister Avenue between Kellogg Avenue and Fairview Avenue.

Project Connect is predominantly funded by the Highway Bridge Program, State Transportation Improvement Program and local City funding.


Project Connect Groundbreaking Speakers Pose with Shovels – pictured left-to-right: Meg Henry Caltrans District 5 Project Manager, Councilmember Kyle Richards, Mayor Paula Perotte, Congressman Salud Carbajal, Councilmember James Kyriaco (District 2), Santa Barbara County Supervisors Joan Hartmann (District 3) and Laura Capps (District 2) and Marjie Kirn with Santa Barbara County Association of Governments


Audience at Project Connect Groundbreaking Ceremony


City Manager Robert Nisbet Emceeing the Groundbreaking Ceremony


Nina Buelna, City of Goleta Assistant Public Works Director, Speaking at Groundbreaking


Crowd at Project Connect Groundbreaking Ceremony