2022

Please join the Community Remembrance Event of the 1/9 Debris Flow. We will be holding space to come together to remember all that was lost and the progress we have made toward making our community safer.

The Olive Mill Roundabout will improve traffic flow at the intersection of Olive Mill Road, Coast Village Road, North Jameson Lane, the northbound Highway 101 off-ramp at Olive Mill Road, and the southbound Highway 101 on-ramp at Olive Mill Road. Construction is anticipated from January through the summer of 2023. Project information, including maps and a timeline, is available at www.SBROADS.com.

With holiday travel, it is important to remember to please drive safely through the corridor and to Slow for the Cone Zone. The speed limit is reduced to 55 mph for safety throughout the construction areas. Two freeway lanes remain open in each direction during daytime hours.

All volunteers are required to attend a virtual training session. In this 1-hour session, you will learn more about the importance of the count, review canvassing best practices, explore the PIT survey tool, FAQs, and more! To make this training as accessible as possible, the online training is at varied days and times between January 16 – 20. Only one training is required.

The PIT count is only possible with a community-wide effort through the incredible support of many volunteers and partners. Your help is important in capturing this crucial community data.

As the current Chair of SBCAG, I am proud to see projects moving forward and gaining funding. We head into a New Year with the Unanimous Coastal Development Permit approval and seven projects approved by the SBCAG Board of Directors.

UNANIMOUS COASTAL DEVELOPMENT PERMIT APPROVAL

The County Planning Commission unanimously approved the coastal development permit for the Highway 101: Montecito segment at their meeting this week. This is a critical milestone to start construction in the Montecito segment by next summer, 2023. This means that only one coastal development permit remains for the Highway 101 project; much of the work to get to this point of construction-ready is thanks to advance funding through Measure A, local transportation sales tax.

SEVEN PROJECTS A-SWIMMING

The SBCAG Board of Directors approved a suite of seven projects to include in SBCAG’s Regional Early Action Planning (REAP 2.0) Grant Dec. 31 application to the state. A total of 24 applications were considered representing $33 million of the available $5.3 million for transformative housing and sustainable transportation projects. Overall, slightly more than 80 percent of the funding has been identified to go directly to implement and construct projects, with 61 percent being in the north county, 29 percent in the south coast, and 10 percent countywide. Projects selected include:

1. Permit Ready Accessory Dwelling Unit Program for the City of Lompoc to expedite the permitting process and reduce pre-construction fees for housing
2. Santa Barbara County Active Transportation Data Dashboard to provide regional bicycle and pedestrian data and maps countywide to inform future bike, walking, safety and accessibility plans
3. City of Santa Maria Downtown Revitalization Infrastructure Improvements to increase sewer capacity and multimodal improvements in downtown Santa Maria including a bus rapid transit station and traffic calming improvements
4. Jacaranda Court project by the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara to fund soft architectural costs for a 63-unit middle-income housing development to replace a parking lot downtown Santa Barbara
5. Prototype 3D Printed Affordable Home House by the Housing Trust Fund of Santa Barbara County to build the first 3D-printed affordable housing unit in Santa Barbara County as a demonstration of the concept.
6. EV Charging Infrastructure and Alternative Transit Incentives for the Perkins Place Project by the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Barbara in New Cuyama
7. San Jose Creek Multipurpose Path in the City of Goleta to support a 1.5-mile Class 1 bikeway connecting Calle Real, Old Town Goleta, UCSB, and the Coast Route

Current SBC District 1 Commissioner Vacancies:

• County Riding and Hiking Trails Advisory Committee
• Air Pollution Control District Community Advisory Council
• Human Services Commission

For more information on each commission visit and to apply, visit:

Santa Barbara County Boards and Commissions

Please contact Esme Estrada in my office if you have any questions

Direct line: 805-568-2155

Email: esestrada@countyofsb.org