Category: News

At its Sept. 9 meeting, the Carpinteria City Council awarded a proclamation designating September 8 – 14 as Celebrate Community Week to recognize the hardworking efforts Carpinteria service organizations provide the community. In recognition of Celebrate Community Week, local service organizations are planning to partner on projects related to health and wellness, food insecurity and hunger, education and literacy, and the environment. As pictured here, Carpinteria Rotary Club representatives attended the Council meeting and accepted the proclamation.

We are thrilled to welcome Ryan Benson as the City of Carpinteria’s new Management Analyst. Ryan has been a valuable part of our team for the past six months, working as a Management Intern. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from University of California, Los Angeles and recently completed his Master’s degree in Business Administration from California Lutheran University. Before his internship at the City, he worked as a Systems Engineer for the Department of the Navy. Outside of work, Ryan enjoys cooking, swimming, and playing the guitar.

A multi-year effort to restore native pollinator habitat on Santa Monica Trail will continue on Saturday, Sept. 14.

Volunteers are asked to pitch in and join the Pollinator Habitat Project and the City of Carpinteria with weeding, planting and prepping the area around the trail.

Work will take place between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., and volunteers may drop by 4405 El Carro Lane at any point in the day and stay for as long as they want.

The Carpinteria City Council will hold its next regular meeting on Monday, Sept. 9 at 5:30 p.m. Members of the public may attend the 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.

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/47g0Sb0. Comments posted on social media will not be provided to council members.

• Proclamation Declaring September 15 to October 15 as Hispanic Heritage Month.
• Proclamation Proclaiming September 2024 as Suicide Prevention Month.
• Proclamation Designating the Week of September 8 – 14 as Celebrate Community Week.
• Introduction of new employee Ryan Benson, Limited-Term Management Analyst.
• Introduction of new Chief of Police, Lieutenant Rich Brittingham with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department.
• First Amendment to Agreement Between Carpinteria Skate Foundation and the City of Carpinteria for Skate Park Youth Services.
• Annual Report on Law Enforcement Services.

We’re looking for a new Parks & Facilities Attendant. Would this be a good fit for you or someone you know?

The Parks and Facilities Attendant will primarily assist with facility rentals and provide customer support during events at the City’s Veterans Memorial Building and other special event locations. This role involves ensuring that facilities are clean, set up according to event specifications, and that any issues are promptly addressed.

Learn more about the position and how to apply at https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/carpinteriaca/jobs/4634793/parks-facilities-attendant?pagetype=jobOpportunitiesJobs

Tips to beat the heat

Drink plenty of cool, non-alcoholic beverages, especially those without sugar or caffeine. Do not wait until you are thirsty to drink. If you have fluid restrictions from your doctor, ask to see how much you should drink while the weather is hot.

Take care of those who might not be aware of high temperature dangers or be able to react accordingly – especially the elderly, young children, and pets. Check on your neighbors.

Limit outdoor activity. Try to schedule outdoor activities during the cooler parts of the day, like morning and evening hours. Be sure to wear sunscreen and rest often.

For those who work outside, be sure to take frequent rest breaks in a shaded area or air-conditioned room, if possible. Stay hydrated and take action by moving to a cooler space if you feel signs of heat exhaustion.

Take regular breaks in the shade or in an air-conditioned room. A few hours in air conditioning can help your body stay cooler. Taking a cool shower or bath can help too.

If you do not have air‐conditioning, consider arranging to spend at least parts of the day at another space that is cool. Electric fans may provide comfort, but when the temperature is in the high 90s, they will not prevent heat-related illness.

Wear appropriate clothing. Lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing works best.

Know the signs of heat exhaustion. If someone becomes dizzy, nauseated, or sweats heavily, find a cooler location for him or her immediately.

Know the signs of heat stroke. Heat stroke is much more serious than heat exhaustion. The symptoms are similar to heat exhaustion, but also include hot, flushed skin. With heat stroke, the person often stops sweating and the skin will be unusually dry. If heat stroke is a possibility, call 911 immediately. Heat stroke is life threatening!

Do not leave children (or pets) unattended in vehicles. It only takes a matter of minutes on a relatively mild day for a vehicle to reach deadly temperatures.

The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for parts of Santa Barbara County due to strong sundowner winds, low humidity, and high temperatures. This Warning is effective Thursday through Saturday, Sept. 5-7. Hot and windy conditions greatly increase the risk for dangerous wildfires. Avoid hazardous activities that may cause sparks or start a wildfire.

Detailed weather forecasts are available at https://www.weather.gov/lox/

Damaging winds could blow down large objects such as trees and outdoor furniture. Unplanned power outages are possible.

Learn all about Cottage Virtual Care through this webinar on Wednesday, Sept. 4 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. The webinar will be in Spanish with simultaneous English translation.

Key points that will be covered:

• Use your phone or computer to enter symptoms and get treated virtually.
• Virtual Care is available for common conditions like colds or stomachaches.
• Spanish-speaking providers and translation services are available 24/7.
• A Cottage Health provider will respond with a treatment plan within minutes.
• If medication is needed, prescriptions are electronically sent to the pharmacy of your choice.
• Introduction of Community Parish Nurse – Laura Balbuena, RN.

To register call Ana Maya at (805) 869-3303.

On Aug. 15, the Community Development Department issued a Determination of Application Completeness letter for the Surfliner Inn project, which means the City now has all of the information necessary to begin formal review and processing of the project application. The Surfliner Inn project is a proposal to construct a 36-room hotel on a portion of the City parking lot at the Amtrak station. A new public parking lot is proposed for the ocean-side of the railroad tracks as part of the project.

The next steps for the project will be to commence environmental review pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and to refer the project to the Architectural Review Board (ARB) for preliminary review. Initially, the preliminary review was tentatively targeting the Sept. 26 ARB meeting, but the decision was made to postpone the review until later this year. Once the ARB meeting date is set, both the meeting and the timeframe during which story poles will be up will be shared with the public. Story poles will be erected approximately two weeks prior to the ARB meeting.

Copies of project application materials and application completeness letters can be found on the project information page at  https://carpinteriaca.gov/city-hall/community-development/linden-inn-project/