Category: News

CUSD TO HOST VACCINE CLINIC TOMORROW

In an effort to protect our community from COVID-19, Carpinteria Unified School District will hold Pfizer vaccination clinics on Tuesday, Aug. 17 and Tuesday, Sept. 7. Both clinics will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the gymnasium at Carpinteria Middle School, 5351 Carpinteria Ave. Anyone age 12 and older may receive the vaccine, but minors (under the age of 18) must have a consent form signed by a parent or guardian. Vaccines are free, but anyone with insurance should bring their insurance card. To schedule a first dose, visit https://bit.ly/3yTke3P. To schedule a second dose, visit https://bit.ly/3gb72jg. Walk-ins are also welcome.

Girls Inc. of Carpinteria will host a Back to School & Volunteer Fair on Friday, Aug. 20 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The City of Carpinteria will join over a dozen local organizations promoting volunteer opportunities for the upcoming school year. The event will take place outside in the courtyard at Girls Inc., 5315 Foothill Road., and several COVID-19 precautions will be in place. To learn more, see attached flyer or call (805) 684-6364.

The City of Carpinteria is seeking a dedicated professional to be its new Assistant City Manager. The ideal candidate will be a sophisticated strategic thinker who serves as an organizational asset in solving problems and can be a safe sounding board for exploring new ideas and different business practices that benefit the organization and the community. Qualified candidates must be bilingual – English and Spanish are required. For details about requirements and salary, and to apply for the position, please visit https://carpinteria.applicantpro.com/jobs/1928037.html.

The Carpinteria City Council will hold a special meeting on Monday, Aug. 16 at 5:30 p.m. to consider preparation of a report analyzing the impacts and effects of a proposed ballot initiative that would designate one City-owned parcel for open space and recreation and maintain the open space and recreation designation for the other City-owned parcel. The parcels are located adjacent to the railroad tracks on the west side of Linden Avenue.

The City plans to consider the proposed Surfliner Inn project on the two City-owned parcels subject to the Initiative. The proposed Surfliner Inn project would construct an inn on a portion of the City parking lot near the Amtrak station along with a new parking lot and walking trails on the vacant lot across the railroad tracks. In addition to the Surfliner Inn project, the City’s other long-term plans for the two City-owned parcels include the installation of an underground railroad crossing.

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. or 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. Additional details and numerous ways for the public to provide comments can be found in the agenda: https://bit.ly/2VQAnIP.

The Carpinteria Architectural Review Board will hold its next regular webinar meeting on Thursday, Aug. 12 at 5:30 p.m. The only project under review at the meeting is the Maple Avenue Concept Residences, located at 502 Maple Ave. The Commission will conceptually review the proposal to construct five new one-bedroom units, ranging from 529 square-feet to 785 square-feet in size. The existing two one-bedroom residences would remain on-site, for a total of seven units. Six covered parking spaces and two uncovered guest parking spaces are proposed to serve the development. The maximum proposed height of the new structures is 26-feet, as measured from finished grade. The existing 3,333 square-foot storage building and 462 square-foot wooden deck would be demolished.

To minimize the potential spread of COVID-19, the meeting will be held virtually. Members of the public are encouraged to watch the meeting through Zoom and/or make comments. Additional details and numerous ways for the public to provide comments can be found at https://bit.ly/3fLJEsD. Comments posted on social media will not be provided to commissioners.

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.

• Request from Coalition Against Gun Violence for financial support for its gun buyback event in Santa Barbara County.
• The issuance of tax-exempt bonds by Independent Cities Finance Authority to refinance and finance acquisition, operation and maintenance of the Vista de Santa Barbara Mobile Home Park located at 6180 Via Real.
• Formation of a Harbor Seal Advisory Committee
• Consultant Services Agreement between the City of Carpinteria and John Douglas, AICP, owner of JHD Planning LLC, to prepare the City’s 2023-2031 Housing Element for an amount not-to-exceed $64,680.
• Consideration of a status report on the City’s 2021 Work Plan.

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.