Author: Lea Boyd

Central Coast Community Energy is now the primary electricity provider for the City of Carpinteria. CCCE is one of 24 Community Choice Energy agencies currently serving more than 10 million customers across California. These agencies have quickly become the primary way Californians support clean energy at competitive rates. Enrollment for residents and businesses will begin in October, after which CCCE will oversee how and where customer electricity is generated while SCE will continue to deliver electricity, maintain infrastructure and provide one monthly bill that includes CCCE charges.

CCCE is holding several webinars to give residents and businesses opportunities to learn more and ask questions. A residential customer workshop will be held in SPANISH on Thursday, Sept. 9 from 6-7 p.m. A residential workshop will be held in ENGLISH on Tuesday, Sept. 14 from 6-7 p.m. Commercial and agricultural customers are invited to participate in a workshop on Tuesday, Aug. 31 from 4-5:30 p.m. Register or find out more at https://3cenergy.org/2021-enrollment/.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, eviction protections have been enacted for residential and commercial tenants who have been financially impacted. Most protections are scheduled to expire within the next couple months, but extensions could be enacted to increase the protection time frame.

Residential Eviction Protections

State law currently protects many residential tenants and property owners from eviction and foreclosure if they are suffering from economic hardship due to COVID-19. These protections will remain in place through Sept. 30, 2021, unless an extension is enacted. More information on the state’s tenant protections is available at https://housing.ca.gov/tenant/protection_guidelines.html.

Commercial Eviction Protections

Commercial tenants impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic currently are protected from eviction in the City of Carpinteria. The City’s commercial eviction protections rely on Governor Newsom’s Executive Orders suspending state laws that preempt a local agency to enact a moratorium on commercial evictions. Currently, the suspension of state law applies through Sept. 30, 2021; however, Governor Newsom may choose to extend the suspension further. After the expiration of the executive order, a commercial tenant has 180 days to pay its unpaid rent balance and remain protected from eviction. Learn more about the commercial eviction moratorium at https://carpinteriaca.gov/business/covid-19-business-info/

The Carpinteria City Council has elected to cancel its second regular August meeting, which would have been held on Monday, Aug. 23. It is tradition for the Council to take a short break in August. Regular meetings are scheduled for the second and fourth Monday of each month. The next meeting will be held on Monday, Sept. 13 at 5:30 p.m.

Ballots were mailed to Santa Barbara County voters this week for the Sept. 14 California Gubernatorial Recall Election. The vote-by-mail ballots can be returned by mail or deposited in an official drop box, one of which is located at Carpinteria City Hall, 5775 Carpinteria Ave. Vote-by-mail ballots must be dropped off or postmarked by Sept. 14 and received by Sept. 21 to be counted. Local polling places that will be open on Sept. 14 are located at Carpinteria Boys & Girls Club, 4849 Foothill Road, and Reality Church, 5251 Sixth Street. To find out more about the election, visit www.sbcvote.com.

The City of Carpinteria is thrilled to introduce the community to our new Program Manager, Olivia Uribe Mutal. Born in Mexico City, Olivia spent most of her childhood in the Santa Barbara area. She holds a political science degree from U.C. Santa Barbara, and became involved in local politics and policy after college. She founded an online media marketing business, then became certified in medical interpreting. In 2015, she moved to Carpinteria and began working as an interpreter at Cottage Health. Her diverse professional background uniquely qualifies her for our program manager position where she oversees emergency and volunteer services and neighborhood community outreach. Learn more about Olivia in English at https://bit.ly/3z0ZPK4 and in Spanish at https://bit.ly/3xYS2uT.

CUSD TO HOST VACCINE CLINIC TOMORROW

In an effort to protect our community from COVID-19, Carpinteria Unified School District will hold Pfizer vaccination clinics on Tuesday, Aug. 17 and Tuesday, Sept. 7. Both clinics will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the gymnasium at Carpinteria Middle School, 5351 Carpinteria Ave. Anyone age 12 and older may receive the vaccine, but minors (under the age of 18) must have a consent form signed by a parent or guardian. Vaccines are free, but anyone with insurance should bring their insurance card. To schedule a first dose, visit https://bit.ly/3yTke3P. To schedule a second dose, visit https://bit.ly/3gb72jg. Walk-ins are also welcome.

Girls Inc. of Carpinteria will host a Back to School & Volunteer Fair on Friday, Aug. 20 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The City of Carpinteria will join over a dozen local organizations promoting volunteer opportunities for the upcoming school year. The event will take place outside in the courtyard at Girls Inc., 5315 Foothill Road., and several COVID-19 precautions will be in place. To learn more, see attached flyer or call (805) 684-6364.

The City of Carpinteria is seeking a dedicated professional to be its new Assistant City Manager. The ideal candidate will be a sophisticated strategic thinker who serves as an organizational asset in solving problems and can be a safe sounding board for exploring new ideas and different business practices that benefit the organization and the community. Qualified candidates must be bilingual – English and Spanish are required. For details about requirements and salary, and to apply for the position, please visit https://carpinteria.applicantpro.com/jobs/1928037.html.

The Carpinteria City Council will hold a special meeting on Monday, Aug. 16 at 5:30 p.m. to consider preparation of a report analyzing the impacts and effects of a proposed ballot initiative that would designate one City-owned parcel for open space and recreation and maintain the open space and recreation designation for the other City-owned parcel. The parcels are located adjacent to the railroad tracks on the west side of Linden Avenue.

The City plans to consider the proposed Surfliner Inn project on the two City-owned parcels subject to the Initiative. The proposed Surfliner Inn project would construct an inn on a portion of the City parking lot near the Amtrak station along with a new parking lot and walking trails on the vacant lot across the railroad tracks. In addition to the Surfliner Inn project, the City’s other long-term plans for the two City-owned parcels include the installation of an underground railroad crossing.

In accordance with State guidance, the City will provide both in-person and virtual attendance and participation options for the meeting. Members of the public may attend the meeting at City Hall, 5775 Carpinteria Ave. or view the meeting live at www.carpinteria.ca.us, on Government Access Television Channel 21 or by logging into the Zoom webinar through the link in the agenda. Additional details and numerous ways for the public to provide comments can be found in the agenda: https://bit.ly/2VQAnIP.

The Carpinteria Architectural Review Board will hold its next regular webinar meeting on Thursday, Aug. 12 at 5:30 p.m. The only project under review at the meeting is the Maple Avenue Concept Residences, located at 502 Maple Ave. The Commission will conceptually review the proposal to construct five new one-bedroom units, ranging from 529 square-feet to 785 square-feet in size. The existing two one-bedroom residences would remain on-site, for a total of seven units. Six covered parking spaces and two uncovered guest parking spaces are proposed to serve the development. The maximum proposed height of the new structures is 26-feet, as measured from finished grade. The existing 3,333 square-foot storage building and 462 square-foot wooden deck would be demolished.

To minimize the potential spread of COVID-19, the meeting will be held virtually. Members of the public are encouraged to watch the meeting through Zoom and/or make comments. Additional details and numerous ways for the public to provide comments can be found at https://bit.ly/3fLJEsD. Comments posted on social media will not be provided to commissioners.