ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND REVITALIZATION
STANDING COMMITTEE MEETING
September 22, 2026
3:30-5:00 PM
City Hall – Conference Room 1
130 Cremona Drive, Suite B
Goleta, California
Councilmember Luz Reyes-Martín
Councilmember James Kyriaco
Robert Nisbet, City Manager
Jaime Valdez, Assistant City Manager
Shannon Kirn, Assistant to the City Manager
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AGENDA
(5 Minutes)
(20 Minutes)
(30 Minutes)
I. Public Comment
II. FY 2026-27 Economic Development Strategic Plan Initiatives Continued
III. Brainstorm the Future of Economic Development
IV. Next Committee Meeting – October 13, 2026 at 3:30pm (5 Minutes) Americans with Disabilities Act: In compliance with the ADA, if assistance is needed to participate in a City Council meeting (including assisted listening devices), please contact the City Clerk's office at (805) 961-7505. Notification at least 72 hours prior to the meeting helps to ensure that reasonable arrangements can be made to provide accessibility to the meeting.
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: September 22, 2026
TO: Economic Development & Revitalization Standing Committee FROM: Robert Nisbet, City Manager
CONTACT: Shannon Kirn, Assistant to the City Manager
SUBJECT: September 22, 2026, Economic Development & Revitalization Standing Committee Meeting
ITEM I. Public Comment (5 Minutes)
ITEM II. FY 2026-27 Economic Development Strategic Plan Initiatives (20 Minutes) Continued
RECOMMENDATION
Provide feedback on the proposed Economic Development Strategic Plan initiatives for Fiscal Year 2026-27.
BACKGROUND
At its July 14, 2026 meeting, the Committee reviewed the proposed FY 2026-27 economic development initiatives and requested that staff return with additional information regarding the South Coast Chamber of Commerce's (Chamber) data analysis proposal and an updated funding allocation.
The Committee also discussed establishing a process to review available funding and economic development priorities approximately three months before the end of each fiscal year.
DISCUSSION
The table below summarizes the proposed FY 2026-27 allocation. Changes from the previous meeting are shown in italics. Provided in Attachment 1 is the Chamber’s full proposal containing additional details on the new Economic Development Foundation as well as each of their proposed budget items.
Table 1. FY 2026-27 Proposed Allocation Summary
Imperative and Initiative July 2026
$ Estimate
Sept 2026
$ Estimate
Potential
Partner(s)
Old Town and Community Activation:
Meet Me in Old Town $45,000 $45,000 Chamber
Technology and Innovation:
TechTopia $15,000 $17,000 Chamber
Technology and Innovation:
Equity investment fund - needs
assessment and research
$10,000 $40,000* Finance,
Consultant
Supporting Local Businesses:
User fee/permitting process review $20,000 $20,000 Finance, PW, NS,PER Depts Partnerships and Entrepreneur
Support:
Coordination with local partners to
improve support to new firms and
entrepreneurs
Staff Time Staff Time Chamber, UCSB
Quantitative measures and software:
Data analysis, Online Business Directory $40,000 $28,000 Chamber, BluDot Strategic Opportunities Staff Time Staff Time
Chamber, Visit
Santa Barbara,
UCSB, BEAM,
REACH
Contingency 20,000 -
Total $150,000 $150,000
*Based on proposals received. See discussion below.
Technology and Innovation – TechTopia
Staff will continue partnering with the Chamber on the TechTopia campaign and related outreach efforts intended to strengthen Goleta's reputation as a center for innovation and technology. Recent discussions have focused on increasing awareness of local career opportunities and strengthening connections between local employers, educational institutions, and the future workforce. The preliminary September estimate is $18,000, compared with $15,000 presented in July.
Technology and Innovation – Equity Investment Fund
In August 2026, staff issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for consultant assistance to conduct a needs assessment and research related to a publicly backed equity investment fund for the local startup ecosystem. The initial phase would assess the local market and determine
whether a gap exists that could be addressed through such a fund. Two proposals were received, with preliminary prices ranging from approximately $35,000 to $55,000 for the needs assessment. While these proposals are higher than the $10,000 placeholder identified at the last meeting, the placeholder was developed initially for the legal costs associated with setting up an entity and prior to having an estimate of the potential cost of the needs assessment.
Given this, the Committee may provide feedback on whether staff should proceed with the RFP process, refine the scope or seek additional proposals, or defer the work to a future fiscal year.
Quantitative measures and software – Online Business Directory Staff will continue the City's existing online business directory. Following completion of the user fee/permitting process review, staff may also explore a customer relationship management (CRM) system and other process improvements related to business license communications and ongoing engagement with local businesses.
Quantitative measures and software – Data analysis
At the last meeting, the Chamber presented a new data analysis proposal through its newly formed Economic Development Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The Chamber's full proposal is included as Attachment 1.
The data analysis component proposes a $25,000 partnership to develop and maintain a shared baseline of timely and reliable economic data to help Goleta and other South Coast cities track economic trends, inform priorities, and support policy decisions. For Goleta, the proposal would include monthly coordination with City staff to review and analyze relevant economic data, as well as participation in Committee meetings to present and discuss key trends. Instead of purchasing its own subscription to Buxton, the City would have access to similar reports and analysis through this agreement with the Chamber.
NEXT STEPS
Staff welcomes the Committee's feedback on the proposed FY 2026-27 work efforts. Staff will use this feedback to guide implementation of the Plan during the upcoming fiscal year and continue to provide periodic updates as implementation progresses.
ITEM III. Brainstorm the Future of Economic Development (30 Minutes) This item provides an opportunity for the Committee to discuss short- and long-term approaches the City could pursue to support businesses in Goleta. Staff has recently heard concerns from businesses regarding rising rents, potential relocation, and challenges associated with finding suitable locations for new businesses. The discussion will provide an opportunity to explore the role the City can reasonably play in addressing these and other economic development challenges, both in the short-term and over the longer term.
ITEM IV. Next Committee Meeting – October 13, 2026, at 3:30pm (5 Minutes) ATTACHMENTS:
1. Chamber’s Economic Development Proposal
ATTACHMENT 1
Chamber’s Economic Development Proposal
Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce
Proposed Implementation Strategy for City of Goleta Economic Development Strategic Plan FY 26-27
Opening paragraph:
The Santa Barbara Economic Development Foundation was launched to create a mechanism for the first public-private partnership to address economic development on the South Coast of Santa Barbara County. The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) and is integral to the Chamber's 2026-2030 Strategic Plan builds upon the current TechTopia initiative, attract grants and philanthropic investment, and strengthens public-private partnerships to support regional growth.
Our local economy has changed significantly over the past 40 years, and the pace of that change has only accelerated recently. Meeting this moment requires a level of public-private partnership and economic development activity the South Coast hasn't undertaken before.
The Foundation's model is built on formal contracts with each of the three cities we serve - Goleta, Santa Barbara, and Carpinteria. While programs already exist with each city individually, we're moving toward a more comprehensive contract structure with each partner, enabling consistent, connected work that creates economic impact throughout the South Coast.
These contracts are what create a true public-private partnership: each city can hold a seat on the board, with governance structured to serve the work and the people it's meant to benefit.
An October 1st start date is critical to keeping this contract on track. With the July 1st fiscal year, we continue to execute contracts mid-year and we are eager to start this important work. October 1st gives an opportunity to make real progress before the holidays. This timing gives us a solid stretch of Q4 to get the data-oriented portion of the work underway. We're asking all three cities for contracts that start by October 1st.
Background
On June 27, 2023, the Goleta City Council unanimously adopted the new, five-year Economic Development Strategic Plan. This plan provides a roadmap to guide the City’s efforts to support the business community and create a sustainable Goleta economy for all. The Plan was developed by key community and business leaders in response to a more than a yearlong robust community and stakeholder engagement process.
This 5-year plan was meant to be executed through the end of 2028. The Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce and other members of the core planning team, which helped to shape the plan, have expressed our concerns regarding executing the plans various imperatives and strategies within the 5-year timeframe.
Below is the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber’s proposal for a FY26-27 economic development budget aimed at accelerating the implementation of the Economic Development Strategic Plan.
Item Funding
Amount
Imperative Strategy
Meet Me in Old Town $45,000 Enhance the
experience of
Goleta for both
residents and
visitors by
leveraging Old
Town’s unique
historical and
cultural identity and
investing in district
placemaking.
Activating Old Town Goleta
through community events
and partnerships
Innovation and
Technology Branding –
continue improving local
awareness of the value of
the technology industry in
Goleta
$25,000 Amplify the
reputation of Goleta
as a world-class
center of innovation
and technology.
Support marketing and
branding campaigns
designed to position Goleta
as a technology and
innovation hub.
Workforce Pipeline and
Industry/Education
program
- Industry/Education
Internship Program
- Career fair
- Workforce
Connection Dinner
- BEAM
$25,000 City financial
support for the
Chamber’s
workforce
development
efforts to support
career pathway
opportunities (in
these industries) for
historically
marginalized
populations would
lead to more Goleta
residents achieving
careers that lead
directly to a living
wage in our region.
Improve access to
economic opportunity by
increasing the availability of
livable-wage jobs and
enhancing support for local
BIPOC and women-owned
small businesses and
entrepreneurs.
Data Research
Management and
Coordination
$25,000 The Foundations
goal to have
reliable, up-to-date
data is foundational
to several of the
City’s Strategic
Plan's core
imperatives,
including amplifying
Goleta's reputation
as a center of
innovation and
technology, to
improving access to
economic
opportunity for
BIPOC and womenowned businesses,
to strengthening
City government's
support for local
businesses and
economic
development
stakeholders.
Without consistent data
collection and reporting,
the City lacks the tools to
measure progress against
these imperatives,
benchmark outcomes, and
make the kind of informed,
targeted investments the
Economic Development
Strategic Plan calls for.
Item Narratives
• Meet Me in Old Town – Partner with the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce to continue the serious of Meet Me in Old Town summer events in 2027. These events work to enhance the experience of Goleta for both residents and visitors by leveraging Old Town’s unique historical and cultural identity by having a regularly occurring branded event centered around Old Town. Events will be scheduled in summer 2027, potentially coinciding with the Women’s World Cup.
• Innovation and Technology Branding – To support marketing and branding campaigns designed to position Goleta as the premier technology and innovation hub under the Chamber’s TechTopia brand which covers the entire South Coast region. Funding would be used for educational and promotional videos that highlight the nascent startup community and nationally competitive technology and innovation sectors (such as photonics, infrared, quantum computing, bio-med, software, nanotech, and defense/space) that Goleta is home to. This proposal would continue a plan for targeted Council and staff tours of a Goleta business, laboratory, research space, etc. all aimed at providing the City Council and staff a first-hand experience at what some of the businesses create and the wide variety of jobs and economic impact they have. City of Goleta would be recognized as a presenting sponsor of the 2027 TechTopia Summit.
Deliverables:
o City Presenting Sponsor of 2027 TechTopia Summit
o Four (4) Council Tours FY 26-27
• Workforce Pipeline and Industry/Education program – Convene and connect local industry to education for the purpose of creating a workforce pipeline for underserved communities into growing industries in our region. Funding would support an annual workforce connection dinner, the research and planning for the first South Coast Career Fair, industry internship programs and support of BEAM (Business Empowerment and Mentorship). The Chamber will continue to work closely with Partners in Education on connecting industry and education.
Deliverables:
o Promo code for Goleta Business License holders to attend BEAM workshops for free o Presenting Sponsor of Workforce Connection Dinner 2027 • Data and Research – The Foundation's plan is to gather timely, relevant, and high-quality business and economic data. One opportunity with Goleta could be co-managing the City's current Buxton subscription and working alongside its sales tax consultant to translate that data into a digestible format that helps drive policy decisions. While each City has unique highs and lows in their economy and different industry sectors that drive their local economy they do all have a common need for baseline economic data from which to measure forward progress or not. Up to now, various groups and agencies provide data points according to their perspective and availability, but the foundations goal to have the public-private partnership own a set of baseline data from which to create strategy, decide on priorities and improve the public narrative. Working closely with City staff to watch for signals in our shared data will be critical to helping business in Goleta.
Deliverables:
o Monthly meeting with City staff to gather and analyze key data points as they relate to the City of Goleta
o Participation in each City of Goleta Economic Development Subcommittee meeting to help present and discuss relevant data
Payment
The Foundation is proposing a shift from the past project-by-project payment structure to a onetime payment schedule. This approach provides the working capital needed to mobilize the nonprofit-led project team and sustain implementation, while still preserving monthly transparency, City review, and audit rights. As an alternative, we could structure payments across two installments — one in October and one in January.