From: Ellen Wolff
To: City Clerk Group
Subject: Gun store permit
Date: Sunday, August 16, 2026 5:06:23 PM
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As a resident of the Western Goleta community, I am horrified that the city would permit a gun store to be opened next to a day care center.
The safety of children far outweighs commercial considerations. Please reverse this outrageous decision.
Ellen Wolff
Cannon Green Drive
Goleta, CA
From: Peg Duffy
To: City Clerk Group
Subject: Goodland Guns Location
Date: Monday, August 17, 2026 9:34:59 PM
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Dear City Council, Mayor Perotte, Mayor Pro Tempore, Jennifer Smith, Council Member, Luz Reyes-Martin, Council Member, James Kyriaco, Council Member, Stuart Kasdin,
I'm still trying to wrap my head around what is happening right now in my neighborhood and how this proposed gun shop has reached this point.
I would like to understand during this two-year process involving more than 150 emails between the City and Mr. Ashton. Were those communications primarily with Peter Imhof and his staff at the Planning and Environmental Review? If so, who does Mr. Imhof report to, and
who was ultimately responsible for evaluating
whether this was an appropriate location?
More importantly, was there any meaningful pushback or consideration of whether this location was appropriate given the preschool that shares a fence with the proposed gun shop? What consideration was given to the Hollister Avenue Class I Bike/Walk/Scooter Path, which is part of our community's safe routes to school? How can this be considered safe route for children walking, biking, or scootering to and from school when a gun shop is located immediately adjacent to it? Yet Mr. Ashton has stated that, "We're operating under strictly legal guidelines." what are the guidelines have they been evaluated throughout this process? Firearms are required to be secured in locked containers when the store is closed. Were they locked up and secure back in the 2021 robbery? He also previously stated he secured an industrial location in Goleta, but the deal fell through, costing him roughly $20,000. He is now subleasing that space while pursuing this new location.
I would like the City to answer the following:
Where is the sublease location Mr. Ashton previously secured?
Why did the deal fall through?
Is that space currently being subleased, and if so, to whom and for what purpose?
Who within the City reviewed and approved the suitability of this location (Hollister)?
What if any specific consideration was given to the safety of children and families using this area every day?
What does a gun shop add to this neighborhood? It does not appear to be addressing an unmet community need or providing a needed service that this location requires.
Instead, it introduces a use that understandably raises significant concerns for families, children, pedestrians and cyclists who live, walk and attend school here.
At this point, it feels as though the City of Goleta is failing to adequately value the safety and well-being of the children and families who live in this community. You have an obligation to listen to the residents who will be directly affected by this decision.
I am asking for clear and specific answers to the questions above, as well as an explanation of how this location was determined to be appropriate.
Thank you for your time and attention. I sincerely hope this issue can be reconsidered and resolved in a way that properly addresses the concerns of the many residents, families and children who will be affected.
Margaret (Peggy) Duffy
495 Coronado Drive
Goleta, CA 93117
From: catherine vasquez
To: City Clerk Group
Subject: City Council Meeting Comment, 8/18
Date: Tuesday, August 18, 2026 10:17:20 AM
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City of Goleta,
As a parent who has a child at the Here We Grow, I feel that the location of Goodland Guns is inappropriate. I believe we can find a better location for GG so that both businesses can be successful, and one won’t be harmed.
The majority of the children at the preschool and daycare are kids that live in the neighborhood. In the morning, you will see kids scootering, being pushed in strollers and riding their bikes start their day at 7433 Hollister Ave. Here We Grow serves our neighborhood and local community.
There is a shortage of daycares and preschools in Santa Barbara County. We do not want to see a business suffer that is highly needed by our community.
We are asking for the City Of Goleta to take action and relocate the gun shop, so that both businesses can be successful.
Thank you for your attention to this matter,
Catherine Mizrahi
From: Stuart Kasdin
To: Nicholas Norman
Subject: Fwd: No Goleta Gun shop
Date: Tuesday, August 18, 2026 11:11:36 AM
Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message:
From: Deb Bergstrom <[email protected]>
Date: August 18, 2026 at 9:49:37 AM PDT
To: City Council <[email protected]>
Subject: No Goleta Gun shop
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
Attention City Council,
As a long-standing members of the Goleta community, we are shocked the Council would even consider a Goleta Gun shop invading an area designated for pre-school and elementary school routes. Not only that, but the proposed gun shop is next to a pre-school! The new bike-walk lane was specifically designed to protect children going to Elwood Elementary from the very busy Hollister Rd. traffic. With all of the National violence and school shootings, why is this even a debate.
Please consider another solution and location.
Debra and Randy
Sent from my iPhone
From: Mary Nishimoto
To: City Clerk Group
Subject: 8/18 Regular Meeting, comment letter on non-agenda item, Goodland Guns and safety Date: Tuesday, August 18, 2026 12:32:26 PM
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Dear City Clerk, Please forward to Mayor Perotte and all City Council Members. Thank you. ------------------
August 18, 2026
Re Goodland Guns, 8/18 Regular Meeting, comment letter on non-agenda item
Dear Mayor and City Council members,
As a 20-yr resident in the Ellwood School neighborhood, I am very heartened by your statements before going into closed session on August 12 declaring your commitment to take action in response to Goodland Guns receiving city approval to move into 7443 Hollister Ave without prior notification to any of you or the neighborhood.
Foremost, I continue to stand with many resident neighbors and business owners who want Goodland Guns out of their new location. Can the Council work with us on this? I look forward to City Council actions to minimize the risk of attracting firearms dealers, retailers, and manufacturers into our city in the future. Might the Council also enact, as soon as possible, stringent physical and operational security measures on the premises of any operating firearms selling business to mitigate the risks of theft and potential harm to the public?
The City Council can adopt a suite of measures that should minimally include:
Separating of firearms retail from general retail to legally remove the ability to allow firearms businesses by-right in commercial zones; Specifying zoning districts for firearms businesses (retailers, dealers, and manufacturers);
Explicitly prohibiting home-based "firearms dealer" occupation in the city of Goleta.
Requiring a Conditional Use Permit for all firearms/ammo businesses; Establishing municipal building codes and specialized police department regulations that mandate specific requirements for structural defense and theft-prevention, public safety, and zoning rules for all firearms/ammo businesses.
Theft-Prevention and Public Safety Requirements:
Municipal building codes and specialized police department regulations are needed to go above and beyond State and Federal laws to minimize security risks on firearms-selling premises. We need assurance that theft from structural and security breaches, such as the one that happened in 2021 when Goodland Guns was burglarized and authorities were unable to recover all stolen weapons, are prevented to the fullest extent possible. Measures adopted by other cities are not limited to:
Crash-rated bollards (type ASTM F2656) around exposed building perimeter to eliminate the risk of vehicle-ramming "ram-raids."
Overnight storage of all handguns and frames in highly fortified safes (type UL TL-30) that withstand continuous mechanical or electrical safecracking tool attacks for at least 30 minutes.
Ammunition inventory isolation from firearms in a designated, fire-resistant vault or locked heavy-gauge steel cabinet that requires distinct access credentials.
Motorized interlocking rolling steel shutters with impact and pry-resistant rating on ground-level windows and entrances to secure the perimeter when closed.
Redundant 24/7 Monitored Alarm Systems with dual-path communication (simultaneous encrypted internet and cellular uplinks) backed by an on-site uninterruptible power supply.
Robust security video systems with high-definition resolution for facial recognition, 24- hr interior 360o and exterior perimeter surveillance, real-time police dispatch integration, automated system-failure alerts, and fortified on-site server storage.
Minimal $1 million commercial liability insurance to ensure that the business and its insurer absorb the financial risks for city government.
A firearms business must carry the cost for ensuring that risks imposed on public health and safety by the establishment’s presence are mitigated to the greatest extent possible. The Council can ensure that regulations are enforced to safeguard the public. Firearms sellers and manufacturers must prove they meet baselines specified, no exemptions, in the City Code to obtain or maintain a local business permit.
Zoning Rules:
Goodland Guns is adjacent to a daycare-preschool facility, the bike and pedestrian path developed by the Hollister Avenue Class I Bike Path Safe Routes to Schools project, and a large, high-density multi-family zoning district. Firearms businesses must be separated from sensitive uses and specified zones by rewriting land-use definitions and mapping uses. Other cities have established rules not limited to:
Retail business subclassification of Firearms and Ammunition sales and manufacturing to legally remove their ability to open "by-right" in commercial zones.
Zoning Overlay Restrictions to confine specifically firearms retail, dealers, and manufacturers.
Sensitive Use Buffer Radii (often 500 to 1,000 feet) measured from the property line of firearms retailers, dealers, and manufacturers to any sensitive use, including:
Public or private schools, preschools, daycare facilities and learning centers Public parks, playgrounds, and recreational centers
Religious institutions and places of worship
Residential zoning districts
Pedestrian and Bike Path Buffers that extend setback boundaries to include any property immediately abutting a public trail or path used heavily by children commuting to local schools.
We appreciate there will be more conversations with you, Mayor and Council members, and opportunities for meaningful public engagement. We rely on you all to do your utmost to alleviate our worries and protect us from the increased risk of harm from Goodland Guns moving into our neighborhood and from firearms business operations in Goleta in the future.
Sincerely,
Mary Nishimoto, homeowner