Goleta City Council
April 5, 2023

From: George Relles <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, April 2, 2023 3:54 PM
To: City Clerk Group
Subject: Testimony for City Council's April 5 Priority Setting meeting Dear City Clerk Lopez,
Please provide this testimony to Goleta's Mayor, City Council Members, and City manager. Thank you.

TO: Mayor Paula Perotte, Goleta Council Members, and City Manager Robert Nisbit RE: Goleta's Priority Setting Workshop on April 5
I'm writing to bring two items to your attention that I hope you will give some priority to, among what I'm sure is already a long list of priorities.

1. Priority 1, Short Term Rental (STR) Practices and Policy:

This item is important mostly to understand how many houses have been converted to short-term rentals. We must stem the loss of Goleta's permanent, residential housing supply, to people who essentially are tourists and visitors. In addition, we need to know to what degree are conversions to STRs creating commercial, hotel-like impacts in areas zoned

residential? And how much needed revenue could Goleta gain if all legitimate short term rentals registered and paid the required TOT.

I'm sure you saw that the City of Santa Barbara is conducting its own audit. If it cracks down on STRs, that will create a greater demand and incentive than already exists to create

STRs in nearby places such as Goleta. Action now will head off a great increase of STRs in Goleta residential areas.

There are two actions that I encourage you to commence simultaneously:

A. Practices: You should quickly begin an "audit" of what's going on in Goleta regarding short term rentals. It should include at least the following:
 How many short term rental facilities/houses are being rented in Goleta?  Of the total, what number or STRs are registered and paying Goleta TOT and what number are not?
 How much TOT revenue is being lost through non-registration?  How many STRs are not owner-occupied?
 Similarly, how many STR owners own multiple STRs in Goleta? 1  How many STRs exist in ADU units, contrary to Goleta's policies?  How many STRs are in Goleta's Coastal zone and what's the impact of California Coastal Commission's restrictions on regulating them?
B. Policies: Simultaneously, it would be most useful to do a survey now of STR rules and regulations on Santa Barbara County's South Coast. In this way Goleta would be poised to adopt best practices shortly after the above audit is completed, analyzed, and needed changes are identified.

Starting a survey of existing best practices NOW would minimize delays in changing Goleta's regulations that are identified in your audit.

2. Priority 2, The road on the Los Carneros Dam and the path from the Road to Stow House must be fixed.

A. The asphalt road that starts at La Patera: As you know, Lake Los Carneros is one of the most used recreational sports in Goleta, bicyclists, walkers (and their pets,) joggers, birders, people fishing and kayaking, picnickers, photographers, etc. It is also the location of the Dam Dinner.

This asphalt road is bumpy, patched, and in some places potholed. It is both inconvenient and dangerous.

Why should this be a priority?
 You don't need an EIR, a Master Plan, Community Workshops, or new technology.

All you need is funding for asphalt and that just takes funding.  This is easy and relatively inexpensive and should take precedence over replacing the bridge at Lake Los Carneros and even precedence over executing the Stow Grove Master Plan. Stow Grove Park is neither dangerous nor is insuch disrepair.  Lake Los Carneros is used so much more than any park I know of and there is something for all ages and because it's free, thus inclusive for people of all economic levels.
 The road is the gatewa
y to Stow House (and vice versa) an organization we want to support by providing easy, safe, alternative access there, especially special events.  This can be accomplished before rains come again in the fall. Now is the time.

B. The path from the asphalt road to Stow House. It currently is a jumble of ruts and stones. It should be "fixed" for the following reasons:
 It should not be very expensive. It probably just needs some grading and some decomposed granite.
 All of the points above regarding the dam's asphalt road about how heavily this path is used apply.
2  The Stow House parking lot is relatively small and can't accommodate very many cars at special events, public or private. Fixing this path enables people to have alternative parking at La Patera and just walk in from there.

CONCLUSION
I know it can be challenging to choose priorities among the many needs and wants you are facing. I believe that these two priorities meet some of the criteria you will be using in making your determinations:

1. These projects are strategic, like stemming the loss of valuable residential housing.

2. These projects will bring in more revenue and improve the living situation here.

3. These projects can provide the greatest benefits to the most people at the lowest cost.

4. These projects will consume the fewest precious staff resources and/or be led by a consultant.

I believe the recommendations above meet all the key criteria to rise in priority and I hope you will give them your most careful consideration.
3 P.O. Box 6737
Santa Barbara, CA 93160
www.SantaBarbaraAudubon.org
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4 From: Brian Trautwein <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, April 4, 2023 12:35 PM
To: City Clerk Group
Cc: Melissa Nelson
Subject: Public Works Department Priority Setting and Annual Work Program Dear Mayor Perotte, Mayor Pro‐Tem Kasdin, and Councilmembers, The EDC wishes to take this opportunity to remind the Council that the community cares deeply about our creeks and watersheds as exemplified by the City’s prioritization of the Creek and Watershed Management Plan (“CWMP”) and passage of Measure B. Creeks and watersheds provide clean water for our groundwater basins and beaches, areas for public recreation and nature appreciation, habitat for multitudes of wildlife species, including threatened and endangered steelhead and California red‐legged frogs, and areas for students of all ages to learn natural sciences.

Slide 31 in your staff presentation (staff report page 81) lists Solid Waste and Environmental Services Division Projects, including, “City‐wide Infiltration and Water Reuse Projects.” We are writing to emphasize that stormwater infiltration projects and wastewater recycling, including indirect potable reuse are important projects in furtherance of the CWMP and could provide significant benefits to the community. Further study of the potential benefits, including (1) a more sustainable water supply, (2) water quality enhancement, and (3) improved stream flows to provide habitat for rare species and rehydrate riparian areas to increase wildfire resiliency is warranted.

We request that Council and staff coordinate with the Goleta Water District and Goleta Sanitary District to move these projects forward for the benefit of Goleta residents.

Thank you,
BRIAN TRAUTWEIN (he, him, his)
Senior Analyst / Watershed Program Director
Environmental Defense Center
(805)963-1622 ext. 108
www.EnvironmentalDefenseCenter.org
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTE: The information contained in this communication may be confidential, is intended only for the use of the recipient named above, and may be legally privileged. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, or copying of this communication, or any of its contents, is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please re-send this communication to the sender and delete the original message and any copy of it from your computer system. Thank you.
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