Author Archives: Jaime Shaw

Eleven Adopt-A-Park Spaces Available in Goleta

Watch Newly Released Promo to Find Out How to Get a Spot

The City of Goleta’s Adopt-A-Park program is taking off with many of its parks and open spaces adopted, but there is still time for you to get involved. There are eleven spots available now and ready for an individual or group to step up and adopt. To see the open locations, go to www.CityofGoleta.org/AdoptAPark. You can also watch our video explaining how to get involved:

Whether it is a place that you have a connection to or just a way to give back to your community, the commitment to adopting a park can be as much or as little time as fits into your schedule. You supply the time, and we supply the equipment.

Tasks will vary depending on the adopted location, but examples of duties that may be performed include:

  • Picking up trash
  • Sweeping walkways
  • Wiping down tables, benches and/or playground equipment
  • Occasional special projects

The City’s Adopt-A-Park coordinator Leonel Mendoza-Diaz said, “Some community members will spend an hour a week picking up trash along their walks, while others will gather with their neighbors or organizations they are affiliated with, for an hour or two once a month.”

In addition to providing a helping hand to your adopted location, you will also serve as an additional set of eyes to let the City know of any issues that need to be addressed.

Thanks to everyone who has participated in Adopt-A-Park since the program launched as a pilot project in December of 2019. Your time and effort go a long way in helping to keep Goleta’s parks and open spaces ready for everyone to enjoy.

If you are interested in learning more about the program, visit our webpage at https://cityofgoleta.org/adoptapark or email Leonel Mendoza-Diaz at lmendoza-diaz@cityofgoleta.org. 

Pictured top right: City of Goleta Adopt-A-Park Coordinator Leonel Mendoza-Diaz


Goleta Noontime Rotary volunteers at their Adopt-A-Park location – Jonny D. Wallis Neighborhood Park


Lake Los Carneros Adopt-A-Park volunteers from the Northside Optimist Club of Santa Barbara

 

 

Warning: “Skimming” Devices on Gas Pumps

Consumer Protection Division stays vigilant in their inspections

The Santa Barbara County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office/Department of Weights and Measures is warning of the dangers of “skimmers” after finding them at local gas stations.

On Tuesday, September 5, the department’s Consumer Protection Division was notified by a local gas station that an external keypad and card swipe skimmer were removed by a service agent at a gas pump in Buellton.

After receiving the call, the Consumer Protection Division visited the site and confirmed the two devices were overlay (external) credit card theft devices “skimmers”. A sweep of the surrounding area and stations throughout the county was conducted by the Consumer Protection Division. While no additional skimmers were found during the sweep, adhesive residue on the PIN pad and card swipe reader were found at several other stations countywide. Adhesive residue found on financial components of a fuel filling station or ATM can indicate that an overlay skimmer device was installed and removed from operation at that location.

Skimming devices can be internal or external and come in many shapes or sizes. The intent of installing these is always the same, to steal credit or debit card information, including PIN digits and ZIP codes. The majority of skimming device are installed internally. These intercept customer’s information as its being transferred from the sales system. Additionally, skimmers like those found recently, are installed externally. These retrofit devices are falsely portrayed as a true component of the machine and installed over the top or front of the original. They store the “skimmed” information and are later removed from operation to download that data.

Trends show that skimmers are typically installed at gas pumps furthest from the staff kiosk and where cameras are unlikely to be installed. External skimming devices target credit or debit card swipe readers as well as PIN pads. Customers are encouraged to use “tap” to pay when available to bypass the swiping readers. When not available, going inside the location to pay can also be a financially safer practice.

The Agricultural Commissioner’s Office Consumer Protections Division strives to “level the playing field” when weights and measures are involved in commercial transactions. As a consumer, you should feel assured that you’re getting what you pay for with regard to a product’s weight, volume, count, duration or advertised price. Commercial weighing and measuring devices, package content statements and advertised prices are regularly inspected to ensure their accuracy.

The Consumer Protections Division is taking a vigilant approach in inspection of filling stations countywide and are also providing education and outreach to local station managers. The skimming devices removed from operation are carried by County inspectors and used as a show-and-tell tool to display the level of intricate fraud that’s occurring. Filling station managers are encouraged to use security tape on their equipment and to check for manipulation frequently.

To report suspect equipment at filling stations or improper performance of equipment please contact:

Watch City’s Highlights from Goleta Lemon Fest

We had a ball at the 30th anniversary of the Goleta Lemon Festival this past weekend and loved seeing so many of you there!  Our City of Goleta booth area had non-stop visitors for the entire two-day festival. We enjoyed seeing all of the smiling faces and hearing the laughter as people spun the wheel for a chance to win some of our newly released Live • Work • Play themed giveaways. Some had to pass the City of Goleta beach ball or bounce it ten times to take it home, others did squats, jumping jacks, toe touches or arm circles to get a prize, but everyone walked away a winner. 

Here is a short video clip with highlights from the weekend: https://youtu.be/2fsSiOwpDzs.

More than 600 adults and children participated in the “Guess How Many Lemon Drops in the Jar” contest. Congratulations to Michelle Cronk of Camarillo who guessed the closest on Saturday and Stephen Crosby of Santa Barbara who guessed the closest on Sunday. Each will take home a Goleta Prize Pack with Live • Work • Play merchandise. For those wondering, the correct answer is 591 lemon drops.

We had pages and pages of new sign-ups for our City notifications, don’t get left behind! You can register for City information here.

The Goleta Valley Library booth right next to us was another popular spot with 1,500+ visitors learning about the wonderful programming options. In addition, 86 people signed up and received their free library cards.

Our Sustainability and Environmental Services team members handed out 1,800 Plastic Free Goleta reusable utensil sets, 1,700 metal straws, and 1,000 Creek coloring books.

While there were so many fun moments, one of the best parts as always was watching the pie-eating contests each day. Thanks to our distinguished judges, many including our Mayor and Councilmembers, for helping to pick the winners.

Thanks also to the Goleta Police Department and Goleta CERT for being at the largest Safety Street section ever at the Lemon Festival. The Sheriff’s Office was there in force showing off so many of their specialty units including a helicopter landing and the Mounted Unit.

Finally, we want to congratulate and thank the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce for putting on another awesome Goleta Lemon Festival. Can’t wait till next year to do it all over again.


Michelle’s relatives John and Cheryle Brion with her prize pack


Stephen Crosby holding his prize pack

Goleta Creek Tours Finale of Creek Week

What better way to end Creek Week than with tours of two of our Goleta Creeks.

Approximately 25 people attended the Devereux Creek tour on September 28 led by City of Goleta’s Parks and Open Space Manager George Thomson. Participants learned about the Devereux Creek watershed, got an up-close look at transitional wetland habitats, examined why some invasive plants are able to negatively impact biodiversity, deciphered what monarch butterfly overwintering sites need to function, and more. 

Another 20+ people attended the San Jose Creek tour on September 29. The tour, led by the City’s Environmental Services Manager Melissa Nelson and Brian Trautwein of the Environmental Defense Center, also served as a great opportunity for community members to find out more about upcoming projects for the creek. Topics included the current bike path project, learning about the native habitat around the creek, the San Jose Creek Fish Passage project, the new “Clean Creeks Green Streets” initiative, as well as some potential locations for water capture and filtration features such as modular wetlands.

We appreciate the engagement of our community members who help us protect our creeks! 

SB Creek Week 2023 was a great success all-around. Here in Goleta, our highlights included Coastal Cleanup Day, the Goleta Valley Library’s Creek Week Art Contest, tours of the Devereux and San Jose Creeks, and giving out over 1,000 bilingual coloring books and creek giveaways during the Lemon Festival. The City of Santa Barbara also coordinated many other events County-wide, each of the other events led by our neighboring jurisdictions. 

Let’s keep the momentum going and continue to show our love for our precious creeks year-round! Don’t forget to mark your calendars for our community cleanup of Devereux Creek this Saturday, October 7th from 9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.!  We keep up creek stewardship throughout the year and there are many opportunities to get involved. If you are interested in other events throughout the year, there are many more to come that you can find on our Beautify Goleta website. 

If you’d like to learn more about the City’s Creek and Watersheds Management Program, join us for a special City Council meeting on December 5th. More information about this will be posted on the City’s Council Meetings web page as it gets closer.

Pictured above: George Thomson leading the Devereux Creek Tour


Devereux Creek Tour


Melissa Nelson and Brian Trautwein leading the San Jose Creek Tour

 
San Jose Creek Tour

National Pedestrian Safety Month Happening Now

National Bike and Walk to School Day Today, October 4

October is National Pedestrian Safety Month. This observance recognizes the right of everyone to walk or roll safely and reminds drivers of their responsibility to stay alert for pedestrians, cyclists, and other vulnerable road users. Today, October 4th, schools from all over participated in National Bike and Walk to School Day. Thanks to Mayor Paula Perotte, City of Goleta Police Chief Lt. Rich Brittingham, Community Resource Deputy George Hedricks, and the California Highway Patrol for joining students at Brandon School to encourage walking and rolling to school.

It’s a two-way street. Drivers and pedestrians must work together to demonstrate safe behaviors on the road, helping to protect themselves and those around them. The Office of Traffic Safety and their partners provide the following tips for pedestrians and drivers.

Safety tips for pedestrians:

  • Make yourself visible: wear bright colored clothes and carry a flashlight if you are walking at night.
  • Avoid dangerous behaviors: always walk on the sidewalk (no jaywalking), stay sober and make eye contact with drivers – don’t assume the driver can see you.
  • Stay off your phones, talking and especially texting distracts you from paying attention to your surroundings.
  • Look before you step: cross streets at marked crosswalks/intersections, obey traffic signals and watch for turning vehicles.
  • Look left-right-left before crossing a street.
  • Be predictable. Use crosswalks.

Safety tips for drivers:

  • Don’t speed, follow the speed limit and never use your phone; always be cautious of your surroundings.
  • Never drive under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.
  • Look out for pedestrians, especially in hard-to-see conditions such as at night or in bad weather.
  • Pedestrians have the right of way at any crosswalk or intersection, so yield and be prepared to stop.
  • Stop at the crosswalk stop line to give drivers in other lanes an opportunity to see and yield to pedestrians too.
  • Be cautious when backing up – pedestrians, especially young children, can move across your path.

It’s also important to teach children how to walk safely. Below are tips from Safe Kids Worldwide.

  • Teach kids at an early age to look left, right and left again before crossing the street. Then remind them to continue looking until safely across.
  • It’s always best to walk on sidewalks or paths and cross at street corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible. 
  • Teach kids to make eye contact with drivers before crossing the street.
  • Children under 10 need to cross the street with an adult. Every child is different, but developmentally, most kids are unable to judge the speed and distance of oncoming cars until age 10.
  • Encourage kids to be especially alert for cars that are turning or backing up.
  • Teach kids not to run or dart out into the street or cross between parked cars.
  • If kids are walking when it’s dark out, teach them to be especially alert and make sure they are visible to drivers. Have them wear light- or brightly-colored clothing and reflective gear. 

If we all follow these few simple suggestions, we can improve our individual safety while enjoying the benefits of walking and enjoying our community.


Mayor Perotte with a student

 
CRD Hedricks with a young student on his scooter  


Mayor Paula Perotte and CRD George Hedricks


City of Goleta Police Chief Lt. Rich Brittingham and Brandon Principal Sheryl Miller


Group of students and parents biking to school

Save the Date for the Goleta Holiday Parade

December 2 from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. in Old Town

Kick off the holiday season with the Goleta Old Town Holiday Parade! Join the fun as a sponsor, volunteer or participant on Saturday, December 2, 2023, from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. Learn more at https://goletaholidayparade.org/.

Dozens of local businesses and individual community groups head down Hollister Avenue from Orange Avenue to Kinman Avenue, in brightly decorated floats and vehicles. Local schools will proudly march bands along the entire route and special entries will show off their finest holiday decorations.

The City of Goleta will be there with bells on! Look for the City Council, Public Works and Goleta Valley Library on the parade route. So mark your calendars to cheer us on December 2!

The parade is presented by the Goleta Lions Club, in partnership with the City of Goleta and community sponsors.

Pictured: City of Goleta Mayor Perotte

And the Ghost Story Challenge Winner Is…

Find Out October 26

The Goleta and Santa Ynez Valley Libraries Ghost Story Challenge 2023 was a smashing success! One hundred and nineteen scary and mysterious stories related to the supernatural were submitted by adults (50), high school students (20), and middle school students (49). A panel of professional writers will be judging the entries and selecting winners from a variety of categories (see list below).

Find out the winners and celebrate the participants at a special “Final Reckoning” event in the Santa Ynez Valley on Thursday, October 26th at 6:00 pm, at the Casa Cassara Winery & Vineyard Tasting Room (607 Mission Drive, Suite 112, Solvang). We encourage the community to come hear the winning stories and enjoy refreshments. Costumes are encouraged!

Can’t make the reception? The scary stories will be made available online at a later date. You can also check the Facebook page of each library branch the evening of October 26 for a list of winners:

We can’t wait to find out the winners! Stories will be judged on the following categories: Scariest, Best Plot, Most Original, Writer’s Craft, Best Overall, Best Dialogue and Best Setting. Prizes include horror genre books, including some signed by the judges, gift certificates and more.

Happy haunting!

Creek Week Art Contest Winners Announced

Community Selects People’s Choice Award Winner

Congratulations to the 2nd Annual Creek Week Art Contest winners. More than 60 people filled the Goleta Valley Library’s multipurpose room on September 27, for an art reception held to recognize the participants and reveal the winning artwork. This year’s theme “Goleta the Goodland, Thriving Habitats” inspired 59 artists this year to create pieces of art highlighting our creeks, watersheds, and ocean. The record number of submissions included a wide array of different mediums including paint, watercolor, photography, collages, mixed media, yarn, and more.

City of Goleta Mayor Paula Perotte had the impossible job of selecting the winners. She said, “I am wowed by the incredible talent that we have here in Goleta. These colorful and creative artworks highlight how fortunate we are to live in such a beautiful place! I look forward to seeing even more participants at next year’s Creek Week Art Contest here at the Goleta Valley Library.”

The judging was based on relevance to the theme, overall appearance, and originality.

Here are the 2023 Creek Week Art Contest Winners:

Children (6th grade and below)

  • 1st Place – Aishani Mishra
  • 2nd Place – Zoe Mac Donald
  • 3rd Place – Grace Johnsen
  • Honorable Mention – Siena Vanella

Teens (7th -12th grade)

  • 1st Place – Wylder Gordon
  • 2nd Place – Ava Zhang
  • 3rd Place – Rudy Gloo

Adults (18+)

  • 1st Place – Heather Frazier
  • 2nd Place – Jana Brody
  • 3rd Place – Paulette Ley
  • Honorable Mention – Merlie Samonte

A special “People’s Choice” category was added for the community to select their favorite art piece. The winner was Wylder Gordon who also took home 1st place in the Teen category.

Thank you to everyone who participated.

Pictured above: People’s Choice AND Teen category 1st place winner Wylder Gordon


Children’s category 1st place winner Aishani Misha


Adult category 1st place winner Heather Frazier


Group Photo


District 2 Councilmember James Kyriaco voting for the People’s Choice Award

 

Housing Element Revisions Available

7-Day Public Review through October 9

The City of Goleta submitted revisions to the adopted Housing Element 2023-2031 to the State for review on August 18, 2023. Based on preliminary feedback from the State, the City has prepared additional revisions to the document. The adopted Housing Element 2023-2031 with the revisions shown in tracked changes can be viewed here. A shorter document that only includes pages where new edits are proposed can be found here. The newly proposed revisions are highlighted in blue.

This document was released for a 7-day public review on October 2 and will be available through October 9. If you have any comments on these revisions, submit them to HousingElement@cityofgoleta.org by Monday, October 9 at 5:00 p.m. Staff will consider comments received, make necessary revisions, and transmit the revisions to the State for its consideration.

More information on Goleta’s Housing Element Update is available at www.CityofGoleta.org/HousingElement.

Our Water Our World: Identify Pests Before You Spray

…Pesticides Don’t Stay Put!

Garden pests can be annoying. The City of Goleta strongly discourages the use of herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers on your home garden, as these products can degrade water quality and pollute local waterways. Fortunately, there are great methods of pest control that don’t rely on toxic chemicals that harm watersheds!

Aphids

Aphids are 1/16 to 1/8th inch in length and pear-shaped with long legs and antennae. They can be green, yellow, red or black in color. Some aphids have white or gray waxy covering. Aphids are found on new buds, leaves, stems, and undersides of leaves.

When you find aphids, remove the infested part of the plant and curled leaves with aphids inside. Wash off the plant with strong stream of water. Control ants with baits or sticky barrier. Apply insecticidal soap or oil.

Whiteflies

Adult whiteflies are about 1/8th with four white wings. The immovile nymphs have a protective cover which looks waxy, cottony, or hair like. Giant Whiteflies make long waxy strands on the underside of the leaf. Adults and larvae are found on the underside of leaves.

When you find whiteflies on your plants, remove heavily infested leaves (or plants). Replace with resistant plants. Wash Whiteflies off leaves with strong stream of water. Control ants with baits or sticky barrier. Apply insecticidal soaps or oil. Wash dust off plants.

Powdery Mildew

Powdery mildew is a fungal disease spread by airborne spores. It appears as a white, powdery growth on green parts of plant or as yellow patches with no powdery growth on artichokes, onions, peppers, and tomatoes.

To avoid mildew, plant in a sunny location with good airflow. Replace plants with resistance varieties. Remove heavily infested plant parts. Apply horiticulural oil to eradicate a mild infection.

Scales

Scales are insects under protective covers that look like small bups about 1/8th inch. They are found on stems leaves, and sometimes fruit.

When your plant has scales, remove infested plant parts. Control ants with bait or a sticky barrier. Apply horticultural oil or insecticidal soap. Wash dust off plants.

Snails & Slugs

Snails have a protective shell which slugs lack. Muscular foot on snails excretes mucus, and leaves a silvery trail when dry. Snails and slugs Hide in shady damp place during the day and feed on plants at night.

When you find snails and slugs in your garden, put a copper barrier around plants or tree trunks. Place traps or raised boards by plants and collect snails/slugs daily. Wear gloves and hand pick smails/slugs nightly until few are founds. Release predatory decollate smails under citrus and in ground cover.

Practice identifying pests below! Answers are at the bottom of the page.

 
 


Answers: 1. Whitefly, 2. Scales, 3. Aphids, 4. Powdery Mildew, 5. Snail and Slug

Learn more about identifying pests in the Healthy Garden Healthy Home brochure. Find more information on Pesticides and Water Pollution in our OWOW brochures in English and Spanish. Find more information on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in our OWOW brochure.