Carpinteria Community Library and Girls Inc. of Carpinteria have joined forces with members of our community to host an interactive Youth Mental Health Panel. Join us!

The Carpinteria Emergency Response Team (CERT) is thrilled to bring back its emergency preparedness training program, offering local residents the opportunity to acquire essential skills for individual and neighborhood safety in the event of a disaster. This collaborative initiative, led by the City of Carpinteria, Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District (CSFPD), and the CERT Collaborative, is designed to empower community members to effectively respond during emergencies.

The training will take place over eight weeks, starting on May 13, 2025, and will be held every Tuesday evening from 6:00 PM to 8:45 PM at Veterans Hall in Carpinteria. The program will conclude with a final hands-on emergency response drill on July 1. This in-person classroom training will cover essential skills such as basic first aid, fire safety, light search and rescue, and other disaster response techniques.

The program is free of charge and available to all adult residents. To receive CERT certification, participants must attend all eight sessions. Space is limited to 30 participants, with priority given to Carpinteria residents.

Through CERT, participants will gain valuable skills to assist their families, neighbors, and the community in the critical moments following an emergency when outside help may not be immediately available. The program plays a key role in enhancing local preparedness and building a more resilient Carpinteria.

Anyone interested in attending the course is encouraged to sign up early to secure their spot. Registration can be completed by visiting carpinteriaca.gov/cert or by emailing julizab@carpinteriaca.gov for more information.

Pam Greer is our new Finance Manager, and we’re thrilled to welcome her to our City Hall team. Pam brings more than 29 years of financial accounting and reporting experience, including over 16 years in local government.

Throughout her career, Pam has served in leadership roles with the Cities of Ojai, Oxnard, Ventura, and Ventura County Fire. Her professional experience includes implementation of financial systems and process improvements. Her educational accomplishments include a bachelor’s degree from U.C. Santa Barbara, a Master’s in Accounting and Financial Management, and a graduate-level certificate in accounting.

Pam brings great energy to our team, and we’re excited to have her on board. She enjoys a variety of hobbies, with painting—especially landscapes and flowers—being a current favorite.

Explore Carpinteria’s natural beauty! With freely accessible parks and trails, our community thrives on nature for health and wellbeing.

At its April 25 meeting, the City Council designated April as “Healthy People Healthy Trails Month” and acknowledged the importance of getting out in nature to support our mental and physical health.

Along with Santa Barbara County Trails Council and numerous other nonprofits and public health agencies, the City of Carpinteria encourages residents to stay active and connected to our stunning coast, mountains and rich history.

The Carpinteria Planning Commission will consider the Chevron Oil and Gas Processing Facility Decommissioning project at its next monthly meeting on Monday, May 5 at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at Carpinteria City Hall.

The decommissioning project would remove the defunct oil and gas processing facilities, including above-ground and below-grade equipment and improvements, and remediate the site. The Proposed Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) prepared for the project has recently been released and is available for review on the City website at https://bit.ly/decommissioningEIR.

Members of the public may attend the Planning Commission 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 in the meeting agenda at https://bit.ly/PCMay2025. Comments posted on social media will not be provided to council members.

Summer is almost here, and that means swim lesson season at Carpinteria Community Pool! Registration for our summer swim lessons opens on Thursday, May 1 at 6 p.m.

Working with certified instructors, kiddos will learn basic swim and water safety skills in an encouraging and fun environment. Class dates and times are currently listed online for planning purposes and starting May 1 for registration at https://carpinteria.recdesk.com/Community/Program.

Group swim lessons are 30 minutes long and held Monday through Friday for two week sessions. Sessions begin after Memorial Day and wrap up in mid-August. Our classes are designed for ages 3 to 12.

The City of Carpinteria is currently recruiting for two part-time Recreation Leader positions within the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department.

• One position supports equipment rentals at the Ash Avenue Beach Boat House.
• One position leads activities and crafts for youth participants in the Carpinteria Community Library’s Summer Reading Program

Applications are due by Sunday, May 4. The full job announcement: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/carpinteriaca/jobs/4907393/recreation-leader?pagetype=jobOpportunitiesJobs

Carp Reads, Carpinteria Community Library’s annual program aimed at creating a community conversation around a specific book, is picking up steam with many free copies of this year’s reading selection, “Solito,” already provided to the public in English and Spanish. The book is also available in digital formats, both ebook and audiobook with a library card.

The author of “Solito,” Javier Zamora, will be the featured speaker at an event on Thursday, May 1 at 6 p.m. at the Veterans Hall, 941 Walnut Ave. After his talk, Zamora will sign copies of his book.

Two book discussions, one in English and one in Spanish, will take place at the Community Library, 5141 Carpinteria Ave. The Spanish language event is Wednesday, May 7 at 5:30 p.m. and the English language event is Monday, May 19 at 4 p.m.

A panel discussion with Carpinterians who are immigrants sharing their stories of coming to the United States will be held on Thursday, May 15 at 6 p.m. at the Alcazar Theater, 4948 Carpinteria Ave. Carp Reads events are no cost thanks to the support of the Alcazar Theater and the Friends of the Carpinteria Library.

The City of Carpinteria is delighted to introduce our new team member, Darrell Brown. Darrell has joined us as a Facilities Attendant and is already embracing the opportunity to connect with Carpinteria locals.

Darrell brings a wealth of experience in facilities management and maintenance to his new role. His background includes positions as an engineering assistant, maintenance worker and facilities manager. Most recently, he has served as the Maintenance Coordinator for The United Boys & Girls Clubs and the Facilities Coordinator for Girls Inc. of Carpinteria.

Outside of his work, Darrell enjoys spending quality time with his many family members who love to visit. A fun fact about Darrell is that he loves movies from the Marvel Universe.

Help us shape the future of our library!

We want to know what you love and what you think could be improved. To help guide the library’s strategic plan, please consider completing a short online survey in English or Spanish at https://bit.ly/3YW9gJJ.

We will also open the doors of the library for a community discussion on Tuesday, April 29 from 6 to 7 p.m. at 5141 Carpinteria Ave. where members of the public will be encouraged to share their vision for the library.

The library is a community resource that serves everyone, so please take the time to contribute your ideas!