Do you know about Girsh Park’s Buy-A-Brick program? It’s a way for the community to support one of our beloved parks, which is overseen by a non-profit community organization. With this program you can buy a brick that will be engraved and placed for everyone to see at Donor Plaza or the entrance to Girsh Hochman Soccer Field. For more info go to https://girshpark.org/brick-donors/.
Pictured: The Snowden Family
Popular Goleta Valley Library Event Part of Star Wars Reads Month
Star Wars Reads month may be an annual tradition at Goleta Valley Library, but this is the first year that Library staff put on a Jedi Party Celebration. Based on its success, it won’t be the last one! More than 1,400 community members, younglings and force-users passed through the library’s doors to attend the family friendly event held on Saturday, October 15, 2022.
As patrons walked into the library, they were immediately transported to a galaxy far, far away as multiple areas of the library were decorated with Star Wars memorabilia, posters, and decorations. Attendees also had the opportunity to meet and take photos with real-life Clone Troopers, Tie Pilots, and a Jawa!
Young library patrons enjoyed an afternoon of fun Star Wars-themed games including Feed the Jabba, Lightsaber Ring Toss, and Find the Baby Yoda on a Shelf for an opportunity to win Star Wars book sets, plushies, posters, water bottles, and the coveted Baby Yoda ears. The Children’s Area and Art Gallery were packed with fun craft activities such as Yoda Headbands, 3D Death Stars, Queen Amidala Costumes, and of course the make-your-own-lightsaber station.
How did Goleta Valley Library make this out-of-this-world event happen? “This was only possible thanks to our group of energetic teen volunteers, all-hands-on-deck squadron of library staff, and the indispensable support from the Friends of the Goleta Valley Library,” said Linda Hori, Library Assistant at Goleta Valley Library. “It was so great to see people of all ages stop by, from children to grandparents. We want to give a special and heartfelt thank you to the amazing members of the 501st Legion and Rebel Legion volunteer groups that graciously donated their time.”
Pictured: Photos from the October 15 Star Wars Jedi Party
November brings cooler weather, color-changing leaves, and exciting programs at your library! We’ve highlighted a few of our favorites below, but be sure to check out the Library Events Calendar for the full schedule of events for all ages this month.
Writers’ Workshop: “Speaking of Characters: Dialogue as Action”
Saturday, November 5th, 12:30 p.m.
This month, the Writers’ Workshop will discuss some fundamentals (along with some finer points) of writing compelling dialogue. The Writers’ Workshop is open to adults and teens who write in any genre, fiction or non-fiction. The workshop meets on the first Saturday of each month to share work, exchange feedback, offer mutual support and discuss the tools of the trade.
Pumpkin Centerpiece Workshop
Wednesday, November 9th, 3:00 p.m.
Bring a pumpkin and some succulents to share and trade, for this fun and easy free crafting event. This popular craft workshop will help you create a lovely living holiday centerpiece, that will last all season! Sign up at the library or call (805) 964-7878.
Mystery Book Club: “The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro”
Tuesday, November 22nd, 5:30 p.m.
Almost twenty-five years after the infamous art heist at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum—still the largest unsolved art theft in history—one of the stolen Degas paintings is delivered to the Boston studio of a young artist. Claire Roth has entered into a Faustian bargain with a powerful gallery owner by agreeing to forge the Degas in exchange for a one-woman show in his renowned gallery. But as she begins her work, she starts to suspect that this long-missing masterpiece—the very one that had been hanging at the Gardner for one hundred years—may itself be a forgery. The Art Forger is a thrilling novel about seeing—and not seeing—the secrets that lie beneath the canvas.
Goodland Yarn Works
Wednesday, November 23rd, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
This wonderful group meets every month at Goleta Valley Library to knit and crochet items for local and national charities. This group is for people that enjoy knitting, crocheting, socializing and catching up on the latest stitches! Feel free to stop by the Goleta Valley Library and see what it is all about! Upcoming meetings will be on Wednesdays November 23rd, December 7th, December 14th, and December 21st.
Coming Soon: Senior Happy Hour
First Thursday of the month starting December 1st, 2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Just in time for the holidays! Join us at Goleta Valley Library to make fun and easy holiday gift tags. You don’t have to be crafty to make this useful and beautiful paper craft. Stop by and join the fun! Upcoming Happy Hours will be held December 1st, January 5th, and February 2nd. See you there!
Live Poetry Series
Sunday, December 11th, 2:00 p.m.; Submission deadline: November 19th, 2022
Goleta Valley Library invites local poets to join the featured readers at our first semi-annual Live Poetry Series, hosted by former Santa Barbara Poet Laureate David Starkey. Our first reading will feature former Santa Barbara Poet Laureate Chryss Yost and local poet George Yatchisin. Poets are encouraged to submit three poems, up to two pages long, to be considered for the event. Full submission guidelines can be found here.
1,000 Books Before Kindergarten
Year-round
1,000 Books Before Kindergarten is an early literacy program popular at libraries across the country. It encourages parents and caregivers to read to their children, which helps prepare them for school readiness and lifelong success by building a strong foundation for later reading and writing.
At the Goleta & Santa Ynez Valley Libraries, the program is open to all families whose children are below kindergarten age. To get started, stop by the library to pick up your first reading log. As you read to your child, mark off a circle for each book you read. You can mark off a circle for each time you read the same book, too, as repetition is an important part of learning to read. When you’re finished, you and your child can bring the completed log back to the library to receive a prize and your next reading log! Once you have completed all ten logs and read 1,000 books, you will receive a free book to keep and we will contact you with an invitation to our 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten graduation party.
Buellton Bookworms Book Club
Friday, November 18th, 1:00 p.m.
Hosted in the Council Chambers inside the Buellton Library. Come and join the conversation and meet new friends. Join in the conversation in the library council chambers. The book chosen for November is Radium Girls: The Dark Story of American’s Shining Women by Kate Moore. Copies of the book are available at the library and able to requested to be put on hold at gvl.blackgold.org. See you there!
Family Folklore Cookbook
All November
Food brings us together, and whether you’re gathering with relations or found family, there are always those recipes that connect us deeply to the past and the people around us. The Buellton Library’s Family Folklore Cookbook is a blank book organized so you can write down three of these important recipes, with space for ingredients, steps, and the lore surrounding the food. All ages are invited to fill out their own custom cookbook, which will be available throughout the month of November at the front desk.
LIVE ONLINE: Solvang Library’s Book Club for Kids
Wednesday, November 16th, 4:30 p.m.
For readers 8-11 years old. Join us to explore some great new books! The November title is Coyote Tales by Thomas King. These two trickster tales from award-winning First Nations author Thomas King are set “a long time ago” “before humans and animals stopped talking to each other” and are full of cheeky humor and master storytelling. Please register to receive the link for the online meetings – the first 10 readers to register receive a free copy of the book!
All About Opossums: a Talk with Dawn Summerlin
Thursday, November 17th, 4:00 p.m.
Dawn Summerlin is known locally as the “Possum Lady” as she has been rescuing and releasing baby Opossums for the past 21 years. Join her to learn all about these fascinating marsupials and get to meet a baby opossum as well!
Dawn and her husband Jim volunteer their time and fund all expenses for their rescue and release operation except veterinary care which is funded by the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network. Dawn encourages contributions to the Network and is always in need of bedding materials like old sweatshirts, t-shirts, pillow cases, sheets, and newspapers. Sponsored by Santa Ynez Valley Natural History Society.
Dashing Through Dementia with Lauren Mahakian
Wednesday, November 30th, 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Join us for a timely presentation on How to Enjoy the Holidays with your Memory Impaired Loved One. The event will be held both in person and livestreamed via Zoom. Please register to attend in either manner.
Lauren Mahakian is a Certified Dementia Practitioner and an Elder Care Specialist, and is the founder of Family Connect Memory Care.
We hope to see you this month at the library! For full programs details, visit our website at www.GoletaValleyLibrary.org and sign up for the monthly Library Corner Newsletter to stay in-the-know on all things library.
City of Goleta Emergency Services Coordinator Michael Baris encourages you to get your flu vaccine.
Flu viruses are especially present in the winter months, and now is a good time to start thinking about getting your annual flu shot. The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department highly encourages every person aged 6 months and older to receive their vaccine, if able. A bad case of flu can result in hospitalization or even death, so people at higher risk of developing serious flu complications need to receive the vaccine in order to prevent the worst.
For everyone else, getting a flu vaccine is still a great idea. Protecting yourself from disease is always a good thing! And by preventing yourself from getting the flu, you are one less person who could potentially pass on the disease to someone who is unable to receive the vaccine and may be strongly affected. Be good to yourself and your neighbor!
To get the flu shot, check with your health care provider. You can receive your flu shot at most pharmacies, and many provide the vaccine free of charge with insurance.
Visit the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department’s Seasonal Flu webpage for more information: https://www.countyofsb.org/2702/Seasonal-Flu-2022-2023.
The City of Goleta Environmental Services Division would like to share some tips to help protect our watersheds during the rainy season. As winter approaches, let’s stop water pollution and keep our storm drains and creeks clean! Winter rains produce stormwater runoff which is rain that does not soak into the ground and flows over land and other surfaces. Stormwater runoff can carry trash and pollutants into storm drains, which flow directly to creeks, rivers, and the ocean without any treatment. The trash and chemicals in the runoff pose a threat to wildlife and water quality.
If you observe stormwater concerns such as trash, illegal dumping, or any fluid with a visible sheen, odor, or color entering the storm drain within the City of Goleta, Report water pollution within the City of Goleta to environmentalservices@cityofgoleta.org. Hazardous Materials Spills should be reported to 911. Sanitary sewer (wastewater) spills should be reported to the Goleta Sanitary District (805-967-4519) or Goleta West Sanitary District (805-968-2617) immediately.
Click here to learn more about the City’s Stormwater program.
Learn about pesticide use and disposal while protecting the health of people, pets, and our environment with these tips from the City of Goleta Environmental Services Division.
Pesticides can cause problems for our health and the environment even when applied according to label directions. Pesticides sprayed outdoors to kill insect pests or control weeds make their way into our waterways. Very small amounts of pesticides can be lethal to marine life, birds, and other life forms.
Find more information on Pesticide Use and Disposal in our OWOW brochures in English and Spanish.
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.
The work to remove the pier and caisson structures, known as PRC 421-1 and 421-2, at Haskell’s Beach is going well and is on schedule to be completed by early next year. At the end of August, the State Lands Commission in collaboration with the City of Goleta began the work which will up to six months to complete. Sections of the beach may close temporarily to keep the public safe during the operations, but the beach will remain open otherwise.
The State Lands Commission is currently in the process of dismantling the first Pier (421-1), and removal is expected in mid-November. Removal work on the second Pier (421-2), is expected to start in mid-December.
Crews are working Monday through Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Due to the surf zone location of the facilities, some work must be scheduled around low-tide cycles, which may be outside of these hours. The project requires the use of heavy equipment at the worksite and the transport of approximately 500 truckloads of material to an approved recycling and disposal facility. Crews will access the worksite via the existing gravel access road adjacent to the Ellwood Onshore Facility and along a 12’-wide easement across the Sandpiper golf course and along the cliff to the piers. Removal of the piers and caissons will require equipment access along the beach during low tides.
The Commission prepared an Environmental Impact Report and secured permits for this project in collaboration with federal, state, and local agencies. More information can be found at: www.slc.ca.gov/ceqa/prc-421-decommissioning-project.
Pictured above: Looking inside the 421-1 caisson. The caisson has been excavated down to bedrock. All of the original fill (soil, wood, steel, and concrete) has been hauled out. Some seawater has accumulated at the bottom of the caisson from the ocean waves cresting over the top of the ocean-facing wall.
421-1 Pier looking at the northwest side of the caisson. The west wall and a portion of the north wall has been partially demolished by knocking down the concrete and steel structure. The original wall height was about 15 feet from the beach. The wall height is now about 6-8 feet above the sand. 421-2 Pier can be seen in the background. Crews are preparing to start excavation in the 421-2 Caisson.
421-1 Looking at the east side of the caisson. The east wall has also been partially demolished. The concrete and steel materials from the structure has been hauled out.
The site of the future permanent supportive housing site, Buena Tierra, in Old Town Goleta is getting closer to welcoming its first residents as conversion work continues. Construction is estimated to be completed by April 2023 and start housing people by the end of that same month. The application process for the project is set to begin by the end of 2022.
The Housing Authority of the County of Santa Barbara, in partnership with the County of Santa Barbara and City of Goleta, held an in-person meeting on October 13, 2022, at the site of the project located at 6021 Hollister Avenue in Old Town. It was a great opportunity to learn about the project, see the progress made thus far and ask questions.
Approximately 50 people attended the informative meeting and site visit including community members, stakeholders, and local elected officials. Attendees included representatives from HASBARCO, the City of Goleta, SB ACT, Goleta Mayor Paula Perotte, Mayor Pro Tempore Stuart Kasdin, Councilmember James Kyriaco, Councilmember Kyle Richards, Third District Supervisor Joan Hartmann, and representatives from State Senator Monique Limón’s office.
The Permanent Supportive Housing development project will make use of all 65 rooms currently on-site. Of these rooms, 59 would become permanent supportive housing units for people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness. One unit would house the onsite property manager, and the five remaining units converted to communal spaces that will provide a series of wide-ranging services from health clinics, support services, meeting areas, and community dinners.
Nearly $16 million of the Homekey 2.0 award from the State of California goes toward the approximately $20 million total project cost. An additional $3 million in Homekey 2.0 funding will be applied to initial rental subsidies.
Under recent State law (AB 140 and AB 2162), supportive housing projects funded through the Homekey program are automatically deemed consistent and in conformity with local General Plan and zoning requirements and allowed by right as a permitted use.
Attendees at October 13, 2022, meeting
Catalytic converter thefts continue to be a crime trend. Recently, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputies arrested two suspects from the Los Angeles area for theft of catalytic converters in Goleta and recovered six stolen converters.
The deputies responded to the area of Dearborn Place and Armitos Avenue for a reported theft of a catalytic converter that had just occurred. The reporting party provided a suspect vehicle description. Approximately 7 minutes later, deputies spotted a similar vehicle on Highway 101, southbound and conducted a traffic enforcement stop near the Las Positas offramp.
The theft of catalytic converters is popular because they can be easily removed, they do not have identifying marks like serial numbers, and the components are made up of precious metals that can be resold to recyclers. There are steps that can be taken to thwart these thefts including parking inside a garage or secured yard, installing motion detector lights near parking areas, installing a catalytic converter protection device, and educating neighbors to be on the look-out for thieves.
To report suspicious activity, call 911 or the non-emergency dispatch line at 805-683-2724.
Pictured: Catalytic converters found in trunk of suspects car
Book Appointment for Free Assessment and Review Burglary Prevention Tips
The City of Goleta’s Community Resource Deputy (CRD) is now available to provide free assessments to Goleta businesses to help deter burglaries. Goleta business owners can book an appointment with CRD Ehren Rauch to receive an onsite inspection and personalized tips. Deputy Rauch will come to your business and provide tips on what the business can do to improve employee safety and prepare against burglaries and robberies.
Deputy Rauch said, “By taking preemptive measures, businesses can help prevent crime and deter would-be criminals. Our goal is to maintain an open line of communication with local businesses. The Sheriff’s Office takes the community’s safety seriously and looks forward to working together to keep Goleta safe.”
To promote this new service, the City of Goleta partnered with the Goleta Police Department to publish a brochure that provides information on how to book an assessment and includes important tips for businesses such as what to do to avoid a robbery, what to do if a robbery occurs, proper design recommendations and video surveillance advice. The brochure is available at the Sheriff’s substation at the Camino Real Marketplace (7042 Marketplace Drive), Goleta City Hall (130 Cremona Drive) and the Goleta Valley Library (500 N. Fairview Avenue).
You can view the brochure with the full list of tips here, or on our website at https://www.cityofgoleta.org/your-city/city-manager-s-office/public-safety/goleta-police-department.
For Goleta business owners who want to schedule a free assessment with CRD Rauch, call (805) 968-3878 or email goletapd@sbsheriff.org.
Thank you to the Goleta Police Department for providing this great resource.
The City of Goleta contracts with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement services.
