Category: News

The County of Santa Barbara is updating its Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (MJHMP) and has released a draft plan for public review at https://bit.ly/3IXwe9g. The purpose of the MJHMP Update is to improve disaster preparedness and reduce or eliminate risks to community, life and property. The MJHMP was last updated in 2017 and this update will apply beginning in 2022. The MJHMP Update will identify local hazards and mitigation measures available to reduce associated risks. “Mitigation measures” include actions or policies implemented to reduce or minimize the potential for an adverse impact, such as establishing fire safety setbacks to reduce the potential for a fire to spread.

Here are two ways for community members to participate and provide feedback.

1. Review any of the draft documents provided at  and send written feedback to J.D. Saucedo by 5 p.m. on March 15 either via email at jsaucedo@countyofsb.org or via mail to 4408 Cathedral Oaks Road, Santa Barbara, CA, 93110.
2. Attend the virtual public review and feedback workshop scheduled for Wednesday, March 9, at 5:30 p.m. No registration is necessary to attend; just use the information provided through the link above on March 9 to access a hyperlink to the virtual meeting room.

The City of Carpinteria honors women in our community, across our nation and around the world for their incredible accomplishments despite obstacles. We celebrate you!

At the recent Swim-A-Thon, members of the Carpinteria Aquatics Club raised over $15,000 toward new equipment and scholarships. The City of Carpinteria thanks our hardworking coaches for the highly successful event. Our hats are off to head coach Leilanie Silva, swim coach Armando Ramos, swim coach Sharon Otsuki, water polo coach Andrew Fedders, and an extra special shout out to swim coach Lexi Persoon who took the lead on this project.

Thanks to the support of the community, the club raised 50% more than its $10,000 goal. Our appreciation goes out to sponsors and raffle donors: City Market, Clementine’s Steak House, Food Liaison, Jacks Bagels, Carp Sports, Murrays Sports, Robitailles, A-Frame, Rincon Designs, Trader Joes, Bryn Fox of Patagonia, Odd Animals, Joni Acquistapace, and Uncle Chens. Also, a huge thank you to our volunteers, swimmers and parents for making this event possible.

The Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce will honor several outstanding Carpinterians at its 63rd Annual Carpinteria Community Awards Gala on Saturday, March 12, at Rincon Beach Club. Ahead of the event, filmmaker Larry Nimmer interviewed each Junior Carpinterian of the Year finalists and the Educators of the Year for a series of videos that can be viewed at https://bit.ly/3sMHZdd. Junior Carpinterian finalists are Sierra Mayoral, Kate Cooney and Eduardo Vences. Educator honorees are Ryan Ethington (2020), Kate Guede and Carolyn Haines. The City of Carpinteria congratulates these outstanding members of our community for their hard work and dedication. To learn more about the Community Awards Gala or to purchase tickets, visit www.sbscchamber.com/.

The California Green Business Network is hosting free info sessions for business owners and managers to learn how to access our $500 cash incentives/rebates while learning the best sustainable business practices. Join a session to find out exactly what you will need to do to qualify and get help signing up for our challenge by March 31, 2022. These grants won’t last on are limited to the first 60 enrollees — sign up today at bit.ly/SBCv22!

Calling all volunteers for the Great Migration! All items in the Carpinteria Library must have a new barcode affixed as we transition to an independent City library. There are currently 12,700 books, magazines, DVDs and more, and each one must have its Santa Barbara Public Library label blacked out, a new barcode attached, a new scan completed and the radio tag re-set. Each part of this project is simple, but it will take about 1,000 hours to do the job. We will have many hands making light work. Sign up with a friend, or make new friends during your shift!

The barcoding process will begin on March 15 and must be complete by April 15. If you have two hours to spare, we hope you will join the project, which is the single most time-consuming aspect of becoming an independent library. The volunteer shifts will begin at 8:30 a.m. and end at 4:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Volunteers must be 16 years old or older, and high school students can receive community service hours for their time.

The work will be done in the library’s adjoining multipurpose room at 5141 Carpinteria Ave. Sign-ups can be made https://bit.ly/LibraryBarcode or in person at the Library or Friends of the Library Bookstore.

At its Feb. 28 meeting, the Carpinteria City Council recognized and commended Pedro Castro Lopez for outstanding service to the Carpinteria Community. Pedro has been a Parks and Facilities crew member since 1994. The experienced painter has used his skills to beautify the City, painting fixtures, buildings and signs at every park and facility. He takes pride in his work, which he performs reliably and meticulously. Pedro’s commitment to his work has incalculable value in keeping the maintenance of city parks and facilities in good order. We are fortunate to have Pedro as a member of our team.

Local kids who want to improve their swimming skills, learn water polo or just love being in the water should give the Carpinteria Aquatics Club a try. During the week of March 7-11, the club is offering a free trial for the swim and water polo teams at Carpinteria Community Pool, 5305 Carpinteria Ave. Swimmers of all skill levels, ages 5-17, are encouraged to come sample the program. See attached flyer for details or call the pool at (805) 566-2417.

The City of Carpinteria is thrilled to introduce Jody Thomas as our new City Librarian. Hiring Jody was one great leap toward transitioning our local library from a Santa Barbara County branch library to a City of Carpinteria library. Jody has been working at a fever pitch behind the scenes to prepare for the library’s summer reopening as a community hub filled with books, magazines, digital resources, computer stations and vibrant programs for young and old. And the warm smile behind it all will be Jody’s. Learn about our new librarian in English at https://bit.ly/3vr3GkS and in Spanish at http://bit.ly/2EhALnq.