Author: Lea Boyd

The City of Carpinteria wishes you and your loved ones a wonderful Thanksgiving! To celebrate the holiday, our staff is looking forward to some rest, relaxation and time with family. 

That means brief closures of some City facilities. City Hall, Carpinteria Community Pool and AgeWell programs will close on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 28 and 29. Carpinteria Community Library will be closed on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Nov. 28-30, as well as its normal Sunday closure. The Carpinteria Community Tennis and Pickleball Courts will be open for free play throughout the week of Thanksgiving, Nov. 25-29.

We appreciate your patience with our scheduling changes while our staff enjoys the holida

Construction of the Winter Protection Berm began this week and will continue next week between the hours of 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. as weather and tides permit.

For public safety, beach users are advised to avoid the area while tractor work is underway. The berm is built annually at City Beach to protect private and public properties from potentially damaging winter storms. Its cost is shared between the City and the homeowners on Sandyland.

The bulldozer work will not close access to properties or emergency vehicles. To learn more, please contact the Public Works Department at (805) 755-4431 or tiffanys@carpinteriaca.gov

The Carpinteria City Council will hold its next regular meeting on Monday, Nov. 25 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/4eGo8B5. Comments posted on social media will not be provided to council members.

• Presentation in honor of members of the Boys & Girls Club who have achieved Gold Card status.
• Proclamations recognizing Carpinteria Seal Watch, Robitaille’s Fine Candies and The Palms Restaurant
• Introduction of new employee Claire Hobika, Recreation Leader.
• Annual Report of the Development Impact Fee Program and updating the Capital Improvement Plan. 
• Consider a City ordinance to amend sections of the Carpinteria Municipal Code related to Development Impact Mitigation Fees and Parks and Recreation Facilities Dedication and Fees. 
• Consider Zoning Amendments for the 2023-2031 Housing Element: An introduction and first reading of ordinances for a new Residential/ Mixed Use zone district, Objective Design Standards and rezone sites. 
• Response to the 2024 Santa Barbara County Civil Grand Jury Report on “Homeless Encampments in Santa Barbara County, Becoming Part of the Community Again.”

We are thrilled to introduce Claire Hobika as our new Recreation Leader in the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department. Hobika is enthusiastic about contributing her energy and ideas to the City’s recreational programs.

Originally from Colorado, Hobika has worked as a groom for professional polo players and managed polo barns from California to Florida. Her passion for horses brought her to Carpinteria in 2016, where she has since made her home.

When she’s not working, she enjoys spending time with her dogs, Lira and Rumi, and running her own small business, Colorada Tack Boutique. Just a few weeks into her new position, Hobika is already contributing to the City of Carpinteria and making a positive impact on the community.

With Seal Watch season just around the corner, the local organization will hold its Annual Orientation on Thursday, Dec. 5 at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 5775 Carpinteria Ave.

The evening meeting will include an introduction to Seal Watch, sign-up opportunities, pizza and training for volunteers.

Seal Watch is a dedicated team of volunteers that watches after Carpinteria’s harbor seal colony during the pupping season. Volunteers spend two-hour shifts on the Carpinteria Bluffs overlooking the rookery.

Learn more by calling (805) 364-3194 emailing carpsealwatch@gmail.com or visiting https://carpinteriasealwatch.org/

The Surfiliner Inn project is scheduled for preliminary review by the City’s Architectural Review Board (ARB) on Thursday, Dec. 12. The ARB will review the project’s architectural and landscape design in conformance with the City’s development standards and design policies, and will provide feedback to the project applicant and Community Development Department staff. The ARB will also provide a recommendation and comments to the Planning Commission and City Council for their consideration of the project.

Story poles will be installed to represent the project’s general siting, massing and scale in compliance with the City’s Story Pole Guidelines in advance of the Dec. 12 ARB meeting. Due to the location of the project occupying a portion of City Parking Lot #3 (at the intersection of Fifth Street and Linden Avenue), the story pole installation will require partial closure of the parking lot beginning on Nov. 25.  Perimeter fencing will be installed surrounding the story pole installation to ensure the safety of the public. The story poles will be removed and the parking lot will reopen by Jan. 9, 2025.

Environmental review of the project will commence after feedback is provided by the ARB. A hearing date for consideration of the project by the Planning Commission will be determined after the environmental review has been completed, which is anticipated to take several months.

Public noticing for both the ARB meeting and the environmental review process will be forthcoming, and the public can track the progress of the Community Development Department’s review of the project application by visiting the City’s webpage at: https://carpinteriaca.gov/city-hall/community-development/linden-inn-project/

The City of Carpinteria is currently recruiting for a part-time Literacy Coordinator.

Our new Literacy Coordinator will support the planning, implementation and monitoring of library literacy programs at the Carpinteria Community Library. This individual will play a key role in fostering literacy and lifelong learning in the community by coordinating all literacy-related programs, addressing inquiries and supporting tutors and students.

The deadline to apply is Sunday, Dec. 1. Learn more and apply at https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/carpinteriaca/jobs/4721795/literacy-coordinator?pagetype=jobOpportunitiesJobs

At its meeting on Thursday, Nov. 14, the Carpinteria Architectural Review Board will hold a final review for a new mixed use building at 4675 Carpinteria Ave. Plans will be reviewed for a two-story 2,784 square foot mixed use building with a 494-square-foot ground floor commercial space and two upstairs one-bedroom apartment units that are 880 square feet each.

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. Additional details and numerous ways for the public to provide comments can be found at https://bit.ly/48Lqzkr.

The City of Carpinteria thanks all of our veterans whose service and bravery have helped to protect our rights and freedoms. In honor of Veterans Day, Nov. 11, City Hall and the Carpinteria Community Pool will be closed, and AgeWell programs will not take place that day. The City Council meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 12 due to the holiday.

Carpinteria Community Library, however, will be open regular hours, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., on Veterans Day and invites the community to come by for a special Pajama Day! Since schools are closed Nov. 11, the library aims to provide a fun and educational place for kids and families to hang out. Come by and enjoy special pajama storytime, crafts, hot chocolate, a movie and more.