In an effort to support local businesses and promote health and safety, the City of Carpinteria has prepared new signage to announce the indoor mask mandate that goes into effect today, Aug. 6, at 5 p.m. Large signs will be placed on sidewalks throughout the downtown area, and flyers are available to local businesses. The digital version of the flyer is available at https://bit.ly/3ChS2tz, and printed copies can be picked up at City Hall, 5775 Carpinteria Ave.
The Carpinteria City Council will hold its next regular meeting on Monday, Aug. 9 at 5:30 p.m. 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. In accordance with the Santa Barbara County Health Officer Order, masks are required for both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. Members of the public may also 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 below.
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/37ohtLw. Comments posted on social media will not be provided to council members.
The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department has issued a Health Officer Order which requires the use of masks in indoor public settings. This order requires all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, to wear face coverings when indoors in public settings, with limited exceptions, starting at 5 p.m. on Friday, August 6, 2021
The Delta variant has been present in Santa Barbara County since April and is highly transmissible. While the risk for COVID-19 infection is highest among unvaccinated people, the incidence of infection among fully vaccinated people is increasing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed in preliminary data that fully vaccinated people who do become infected with the Delta variant can be infectious and can spread the virus to others.
“Hospitalizations have increased, primarily among unvaccinated people. The County of Santa Barbara is also seeing a concerning increase in cases among staff and residents in long-term care facilities and in other congregate living settings,” said Public Health Director Dr. Van Do-Reynoso. “Over the past two weeks, the County’s active COVID-19 cases have increased significantly with a case rate of 12.4 per 100,000 and a test positive of 6.8% which would have placed Santa Barbara County in the Purple Tier if the tier system were still active,” says Do- Reynoso.
“Requiring indoor masking is the least disruptive strategy and can make an immediate impact on limiting the spread of COVID-19, specifically the Delta variant,” said Public Health Officer, Dr. Henning Ansorg. “This Health Officer Order is intended to protect everyone to the greatest extent possible, from the substantial spread of the virus being seen now in our community. In addition, the order is intended to support the continued operations of local businesses, activities and schools,” says Ansorg.
The current Health Officer Order is consistent with the guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the California Department of Public Health, which recommend that fully vaccinated people wear masks while in indoor public settings. The full Health Officer Order can be read here: https://publichealthsbc.org/health-officer-orders/.
Visit https://publichealthsbc.org/vaccine to learn where you can find a vaccination site near you or call 2-1-1. If you missed your second dose, please find a vaccination clinic near you.
In the four years that have passed since the Carpinteria Community Garden opened, the 0.7-acre space on Fifth Street has grown into itself beautifully–with splashes of colorful blooms, buzzing bees, fluttering butterflies and a yearround harvest of organic fruits and veggies. To Wendy Robins’ delight, this is the City park space that has been entrusted to her care.
Robins, who was hired to be the garden coordinator late last spring, has over a decade of experience as a garden educator. The longtime Santa Barbara resident most recently worked fostering a love of gardening in young people with Explore Ecology.
She is thrilled with her new position and says that she has seen few community gardens that were designed as thoughtfully. The garden includes 104 separate plots, and membership priority is granted to Carpinteria residents that have limited or no outdoor space of their own for gardening.
Though community-building activities such as classes and volunteer days were put on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic, Wendy looks forward to getting these back on the garden calendar soon.
Wendy’s position is part-time, and she plans on being at the garden all day on Mondays and Wednesdays and half-day on Saturdays. So far, she’s enjoyed getting to know the garden members and making new discoveries in the garden daily.
Outside of the garden, Wendy fills her spare time with beach volleyball, knitting, crocheting, baking and spending time with her husband and three sons.
When it comes to her new position, Wendy most looks forward to getting her hands in the dirt. She credits former garden coordinator Alena Steen for creating a thriving garden and a positive culture among members that Wendy will continue to nurture.
The Santa Barbara County Registrar of Voters office is seeking volunteers to serve as poll workers for the Sept. 14 California Gubernatorial Recall Election. Community participation is always essential to staffing the precincts and polling places for the election. With this election taking place on such a short schedule, the Elections Office has less time than usual to recruit poll workers. With just a little over a month before poll worker training begins, the Elections Office still needs to recruit an additional 200 poll workers. Poll workers who work at a polling place receive a stipend of $180 to $240 for Election Day and to attend training. To learn more about the poll worker program and training process, visit countyofsb.org/care/elections/officers/information.sbc.
Local representatives from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office will host a National Night Out gathering on Tuesday, Aug. 3 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Seal Fountain on the 800 block of Linden Avenue. National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live. It provides a great opportunity to bring police and neighbors together under positive circumstances. Millions of neighbors take part in National Night Out across thousands of communities in the US. The Tuesday night event is free and open to all members of the public.
This repost from Santa Barbara County Public Health Department shows a concerning rise in local COVID-19 cases due to unvaccinated people falling ill and spreading it to others. Protect your people by getting vaccinated! Find a vaccination site at publichealthsbc.org/vaccine/ or by texting your zip code to GETVAX (438829) or VACUNA (822862).
As progress continues on the Highway 101: Carpinteria to Santa Barbara project, which will add a new carpool lane in each direction, Caltrans and SBCAG continue to provide updates to residents. The following are closures announced in the most recent email update. To learn more about the project or sign up to receive updates, visit www.SBROADS.com, call (805) 845-5112, or email info@sbroads.com.
Northbound Highway 101
* Please note that consecutive ramps in the same direction will not be closed at the same time.
Southbound Highway 101
Santa Claus Lane Undercrossing
CITY COUNCIL TO MEET JULY 26
The Carpinteria City Council will hold its next regular meeting on Monday, July 26 at 5:30 p.m. 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. Masks are strongly recommended for everyone who attends in person, and required for unvaccinated individuals. Members of the public may also 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 below.
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/3xYJEwz.
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) will assist the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department with mobile, pop-up and on-site vaccinations throughout the County. Effective Aug. 1, the state’s program will be able to supplement the efforts of the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department with on-site vaccinations to schools, employers, community-based organizations, and faith-based organizations. Any organization interested in organizing a mobile or pop-up clinic can complete the intake form by going to https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/mobilevaccination or send inquiries to: mobilevaccinesites@cdph.ca.gov.
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