Author: Lea Boyd

The Carpinteria City Council will hold its next regular meeting on Monday, Feb. 10 at 5:30 p.m. Members of the public may attend the meeting at City Hall, 5775 Carpinteria Ave., or view the meeting live at https://carpinteriaca.gov/, on Government Access Television Channel 21 or by logging into the Zoom webinar. 

The following topics are highlights of the agenda. Additional details and numerous ways for the public to provide comments can be found at https://bit.ly/4hrydnB. Comments posted on social media will not be provided to council members.

• Proclaiming February 2025 as Black History Month in the City of Carpinteria.
• Closeout of Carpinteria Avenue Bridge Replacement Project: Clearing and Grubbing.
• Agreement for Joint Use of Carpinteria Unified School District Athletic Facilities.
• Approve the Measure A Five-Year Local Program of Projects for Fiscal Years 2025-26 through 2029-30.
• 2024 Annual Integrated Pest Management Report.
• Second Quarter Department Reports for the Fiscal Year 2024/25 Budget.

The City of Carpinteria is committed to improving pedestrian safety, and a new state law is helping to do just that. Assembly Bill (AB) 413, also known as the “Daylighting Law,” aims to increase pedestrian visibility at intersections. This means some changes are coming to crosswalks on City streets.

AB 413 prohibits parking within 20 feet of the approach side of a marked or unmarked crosswalk or 15 feet of any marked or unmarked crosswalk where a curb extension is present, effectively “daylighting” these areas to improve visibility for both drivers and pedestrians. The intent of AB 413 is to provide for increased pedestrian visibility in preventing accidents and creating safer crossings.

Throughout February 2025, the Code Compliance Division will conduct an educational period. During this time, violators will receive warnings. Starting on March 1, citations will be issued. In the coming weeks, our the Public Works Department will also be surveying City arterial streets such as Carpinteria Avenue among others and installing red curbs as emphasis purposes for the new state law.

Beware! Storm water is untreated rainwater that flows through the drain system into creeks, the ocean, and other waterways. Contact with storm water while swimming or surfing may increase the risk for certain types of illnesses such as rashes, fever, chills, ear infections, vomiting, and diarrhea. Also, due to increased creek flows, debris such as logs may be present in the ocean and other waterways posing an increased risk of injury to anyone entering these waters.

Rain Ready California is a project of the California Stormwater Quality Association (CASQA) to inform the public about the potential for collecting and protecting more rainwater, a valuable resource that is largely untapped. Rain Ready advocates for smart modernization of stormwater infrastructure, as well as policies and practices that keep rainwater clean and safe. Learn more at RainReadyCA.org.

The City of Carpinteria is now recruiting enthusiastic and dedicated individuals to join our team of beach and pool lifeguards. We’re looking for responsible applicants who are ready to ensure the safety of our community members and visitors.

Beach lifeguard’s will need to pass a swim tryout consisting of a 500-yard open water ocean swim in under 10 minutes. Tryouts are being held on the following Saturdays from 9 to 11:30 a.m.: Feb. 22, March 1, 8, 22, 29 or April 5. After completing the swim test, applicants can sign up for a beach certification class on March 14-16 or April 11-13.

For more information about becoming a lifeguard, visit our website: https://carpinteriaca.gov/become-a-lifeguard/

The Carpinteria Community Library will deliver another installment of its popular program Wild Things on Thursday, Feb. 6 at 6 p.m. The evening’s speaker is Carpinterian John Callender who will discuss sea level rise and how it will impact Carpinteria in years to come. The event is free and open to everyone.

A special City Council meeting will be held on Monday, Feb. 3 at 5:30 p.m. to consider several agenda items that were postponed from the Jan. 27 meeting agenda due to an internet outage. Members of the public may attend the meeting at City Hall, 5775 Carpinteria Ave., or view the meeting live at https://carpinteriaca.gov/, on Government Access Television Channel 21 or by logging into the Zoom webinar.

The following topics are highlights of the agenda. Additional details and numerous ways for the public to provide comments can be found at https://bit.ly/40TObkx.

• Consideration of appointments to City Council Advisory Groups.
• Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the Fiscal Year that ended June 30, 2024.
• Ad Hoc Harbor Seal Advisory Committee recommendations.
• Discussion and Potential Action to grant consent to the County of Santa Barbara to establish the Santa Barbara County Wine Improvement District and include the City of Carpinteria in the Established Wine Improvement District.
• An update on the City’s Live Entertainment Licensing program and Council direction to staff.

Attending the Mayors and Council Members Academy by League of California Cities, are, from left, Carpinteria City Manager Michael Ramirez, Carpinteria Councilmember Julia Mayer, Goleta City Manager Robert Nisbet and Goleta Councilmember Jennifer Smith.

At the three-day conference in Garden Grove, our City Manager and new Councilmember are diving into informative sessions that cover the legal, financial and practical fundamentals of being a city official.

Looking for a fun way to spend Saturday afternoon? AgeWell is hosting a Saturday Excursion to the Carpinteria Valley Museum of History on Feb. 1 at 1 p.m. Participants will take part in a docent-led tour and explore the rich history of Carpinteria and its surrounding areas. The museum is located at 956 Maple Ave. Questions? Call (805) 881-1279.

Due to current internet outages at City Hall, the following agenda items will be postponed to a special City Council meeting on Monday, Feb. 3:

• Appointments to Council Advisory Groups (Item #10)
• Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, FY 2023/24 (Item #13)
• Harbor Seal Advisory Committee Recommendations (Item #14)
• Wine Improvement District Establishment (Item #15)
• Live Entertainment Licensing program (Item #16)