If you are interested in Carpinteria’s harbor seal population and developing recommendations for its future, you may be the right fit for the City of Carpinteria’s new Ad Hoc Harbor Seal Advisory Committee. At the Oct. 23 meeting, the Carpinteria City Council reformed the Committee, which will be composed of councilmembers Mónica Solórzano and Natalia Alarcon and five members of the public.

The Committee is responsible for making recommendations to the City Council concerning developing an understanding of the local harbor seal population, including causes of recent trends in births and haul-out numbers, and advancing the recommendations from the 2023 Harbor Seal Rookery report to mitigate habitat degradation and incidents of harassment.

Anyone who is interested in serving on the reformed committee can fill out the City’s application at: https://carpinteriaca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/All-Boards-and-Commissions-Application-Rev-6-15-22.pdf. The completed application can be scanned and emailed to brianb@carpinteriaca.gov, or mailed or dropped off at Carpinteria City Hall, 5775 Carpinteria Avenue, Carpinteria, CA 93013. Once a sufficient number of applications are received, the City Council will consider making appointments to fill the five public members positions on the Committee.

This year, the City of Carpinteria is offering an opportunity to smash your way to reducing, reusing and recycling. Instead of trashing your pumpkin after Halloween, come out to the Community Garden on Saturday, Nov. 4 between 9 a.m. and noon for our Pumpkin Smash Event that will turn jack o’lanterns into compost for a local farm. Please be sure to remove candles and any decorations from your pumpkin. All ages are welcome, and we request that you RSVP by visiting tinyurl.COM/YEN7C9F8. If you have any questions, please email sustainability@carpinteriaca.gov

The City of Carpinteria’s Architectural Review Board will review revised plans for a new mixed use development on Thursday, Oct. 26 at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall, 5775 Carpinteria Ave. The proposal calls for removing all structures at the site, located at 4745 Carpinteria Ave. and currently occupied by Sun Coast Rentals.

Proposed plans are for the construction of a three-story building that includes 4,202 square feet of commercial space, 24 apartment units (4 one-bedroom units and 20 two-bedroom units), and a 53-space ground level parking garage. Total project square footage would be approximately 57,188 square feet and reach a maximum height of approximately 36 feet.

The first image above is a rendering of the project from the Carpinteria Avenue vantage point, and the second image is from the vantage point of 9th Street.

The project seeks to utilize state density bonus provisions in exchange for setting aside a percentage of the apartment units for low-income affordable housing. Details about the project and how to participate in the review can be found at https://bit.ly/3Qo0Yqk

Local merchants in the Downtown “T” will be stocked up on treats and ready to welcome little trick-or-treaters on Friday, Oct. 27 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. The Safe Trick-or-Treating in the Downtown “T” event is free and open to the public. Merchants with orange pumpkin signs in the front window of their business will be handing out goodies, members of the City’s HOST program will meet and greet from the Seal Fountain kiosk, and our Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputies will pass out treats alongside a patrol car parked in the courtyard of the Lynda Fairly Carpinteria Arts Center!

At 5 p.m., the Arts Center will hold a costume contest co-hosted by Girls Inc. of Carpinteria, ProDeo Foundation, Carpinteria Education Foundation, The Alcazar Theatre, Boys and Girls Club, The Food Liaison, Women Making Change, and Crissman California Islands Center. Prizes will be awarded to the crowd favorite in each of the following categories: Best Group; Best Homemade; Funniest; Scariest and Most Creative.

Artesania para la Familia’s annual Dia de los Muertos event will be held on Sunday, Oct. 22 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Carpinteria Cemetery, 1501 Cravens Lane. The event, which has become a well loved local tradition, is free and attendees will enjoy live music, dancing, food trucks, children’s activities and, of course, an opportunity to commemorate loved ones lost. Dia de los Muertos, which translates to the Day of the Dead, is a holiday widely observed in Mexico that celebrates death and life and reunites the living with their loved ones who have passed.

Millions of people around the country will take part in drills or other opportunities to improve their earthquake preparedness during the Great ShakeOut on October 19. If you feel shaking or get an earthquake alert, it is critical to drop, cover, and hold on or, for people in wheelchairs, first lock the wheels, cover, and hold on.

• DROP where you are, onto your hands and knees. This position protects you from being knocked down and reduces your chances of being hit by falling or flying objects.
• COVER your head and neck with one arm and hand. If a sturdy table or desk is nearby, crawl underneath for shelter. If no shelter is nearby, crawl next to an interior wall. Stay on your knees; bend over to protect vital organs.
• HOLD ON until the shaking stops. Under shelter: hold on to it with one hand; be ready to move with your shelter if it shifts. No shelter: hold on to your head and neck with both arms and hands.

Starting on Oct. 23, free lunches will be served to seniors Monday through Friday at 12:30 p.m. at the Carpinteria Veteran’s Hall, 941 Walnut Ave. The Central Coast Commission for Senior Citizens will provide healthy lunches to anyone age 60 or older. Reservations are required at least three days in advance by calling (805) 925-9554 or emailinMeals@CentralCoastSeniors.org

Carpinteria Community Library’s calendar is jam-packed with fun and educational activities. Join us for new workshops and classes complementing our ongoing programs. Details about all of our events can be found at https://carpinterialibrary.org/

Download our new app. The Aspen LiDA app allows you to explore Carpinteria Community Library to find new books, movies, magazines, games, or your old favorites! Quickly search the entire catalog, including eContent, and place holds, check due dates and renew eligible titles. The app is free and available on the App Store.

Make crafts for Dia De Los Muertos. On Saturday, October 28, at 10:30 a.m., we will hold a free craft-making event for all ages. Join us to make calaveras, papel picado, paper flowers and more.

Test for Mensa. If you think you might have a Mensa-level IQ, come take the test at the library. Mensa Testing will take place on Saturday, Oct. 21 at 10:15 a.m. Participants must preregister for this free event by Oct. 19.

Attend a free outdoor screening. Over the Garden Wall, an animated series about the forest adventures of two brothers, will be screened on Tuesday, Oct. 24 at 6 p.m. in the Veteran’s Hall courtyard, 941 Walnut Ave. Confections will be served.

Get it Done SB! will host a free Advance Care Planning workshop on Oct. 18 and 25 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at Carpinteria Woman’s Club, 1059 Vallecito Road. Advance Care Planning allows you to complete an important legal form (Advance Directive) that helps your medical team and loved ones know and respect your health care decisions in the event you have a medical emergency or are seriously ill and cannot speak for yourself. Mi Regalo, which is Hospice of Santa Barbara’s Spanish ACP initiative, offers one-on-one help from trained volunteers to answer individual questions to help you complete the form in its entirety. A notary will be present during Part 2 of the workshop series to legalize the document, free of charge, to all participants. Raffle prizes and a free notary are available for all participating attendees. Call or text Adriana Marroquin to RSVP at (805) 705-4846.

The City of Carpinteria is seeking animal-loving community members who have the time and interest to provide care for stray pets. Currently we have two adult dogs available for adoption. Stella is a young female American terrier mix who would make a wonderful addition to the right family. Charlie is a handsome husky-labrador mix who is looking for his forever home. In addition to adoption potential, the City has opportunities for residents to foster stray pets and walk dogs who are waiting to find homes. If you have a big heart for animals and a little time to spare, we could use your help when opportunities arise. The first step is to fill out our volunteer form HERE.