Agenda 2026-09-28 CC
AGENDA
SOLVANG CITY COUNCIL
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 28, 2026
6:30 PM REGULAR MEETING
City Council: 1644 Oak Street, Solvang, CA 93463
David Brown Mayor Virtual & in Council Chamber
Mark Infanti District 1
Claudia Orona District 2
Louise Smith District 3
Elizabeth Orona District 4
AGENDA AND SUPPORTING MATERIALS – Available for viewing 8:00a.m.-5:00p.m. at City Hall, 1644 Oak Street, Solvang, and on the City’s website https://www.cityofsolvang.com/593/2026-to-Current-Agenda-Minutes Additional writings distributed to a majority of the City Council after the posting of the agenda will be made available at City Hall and on the City’s website.
AGENDA POSTING NOTIFICATION - Subscribe to receive email or text message notifications when agendas are posted online through “Notify Me” at: https://www.cityofsolvang.com/List.aspx PUBLIC COMMENT - The public is encouraged to address the City Council in-person, virtually, or in-writing on agenda and non-agenda items. If provided in writing, comments must be submitted to the City Clerk at [email protected] by 5:00 p.m. on the Friday before the meeting to be considered. Your comment will be recorded and distributed appropriately. Comments on agenda items will be heard at the time each item is considered, including non-agenda items. In-person speakers will be invited to make public comments first. Virtual speakers will follow.
CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION DISCLOSURE - Pursuant to Government Code Section 84308, any party to a City proceeding must disclose on the record any campaign contributions made to a member of the City Council [or commission] in excess of $500 in the past 12 months. This disclosure requirement includes contributions by the party’s agent and aggregated contributions from persons or entities related to the party. Please make the disclosure as soon as possible, but not later than the beginning of the proceeding.
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CALL TO ORDER
6:30 PM REGULAR MEETING
ROLL CALL
Agenda 2026-09-28 CC
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
1. PROCLAMATIONS, COMMENDATIONS, AND CEREMONIAL ITEMS:
2. PRESENTATIONS:
a. Visit Santa Ynez Valley 2025 Annual Report Presentation
3. PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS - NON - AGENDA AND CONSENT ITEMS This section is intended to provide members of the public with the opportunity to address the Council on items not on the Agenda and on Consent. This section is limited to 30 minutes. Each speaker will be afforded three minutes and may speak only once. State law does not allow the Council to discuss or act on issues not on the agenda, except to briefly respond or ask Staff to follow up on such items.
4. CITY MANAGER REPORT AND ADVANCE CALENDER
5. GC SECTION 53232.3(d) (aka AB 1234) and GC SECTION 84308 (aka SB 1439) REPORT OUT,
COUNCIL COMMENTS, REQUESTS
Reports of meetings attended, contributions made or received, and Comments and requests from City Council Members.
6. CONSENT ITEMS
Consent is designed for routine; administrative city matters and is approved by roll call vote with one motion. These items are discussed only at the request of council members. Members of the public were afforded an opportunity to speak on Consent items during the Public Communications portion of this agenda. a. Approve order of Agenda as presented
b. Approve City Council Minutes of September 14, 2026
c. SYVT Monthly Ridership Report, Aug. 2026 - Receive and File
7. PUBLIC HEARINGS
8. DISCUSSION ITEMS
a. Development of Policies and Standards for Construction Site Governance b. Resolution Opposing Proposition 43 and Joining the No on Prop 43 Coalition
9. COUNCIL CLOSING COMMENTS
10. ADJOURNMENT
AFFIDAVIT OF POSTING
I, Annamarie Porter, City Clerk for the City of Solvang, California, DO HEREBY CERTIFY under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California, that the foregoing revised notice was posted at the City of Solvang City Hall bulletin board at 1644 Oak Street, Solvang, CA and on the City of Solvang website not less than 72 hours prior to the meeting, per Government Code 54954.2.
Dated September 24, 2026.
CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
AGENDA ITEM: 2.a
MEETING DATE: September 28, 2026
SUBJECT: Visit Santa Ynez Valley 2025 Annual Report Presentation PREPARED BY: Olivia Uribe-Mutal, Assistant to the City Manager DISCUSSION:
Recommended Motion:
ALTERNATIVES:
FISCAL IMPACT:
ATTACHMENTS:
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Annual report for 2025 of the Santa Ynez Valley Hotel Association (dba Visit the Santa Ynez Valley) – Submitted 6/30/26. VisitSYV is reporting activity for 2025. This report is submitted to the City of Solvang, the City of Buellton, and the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors in fulfillment of the provisions of the SYV TBID.
Financial
Beginning balance on January 1, 2025: $176,344
2025 Income
TBID Funding received 1/1/25 through 12/31/25: $1,208,739 Membership income: $44,804
County Grant: $6,942
TasteSYV: $83,472
IPW Reimbursement: $18,153
Total Income received 2025: $1,362,110
Expenses
Advertising/Marketing: $774,202
Grants/Special Projects: $90,693
Travel & Conventions: $116,348
Personnel Costs: $488,962
Contract Services: $33,236
Facilities/Equipment: $5,788
Operations: $52,937
Other Types of Expenses: $34,367
Total expenses 2025: $1,596,534
Operating balance as of December 31, 2025: $58,080
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Membership
We receive TBID funding from 37 lodging properties and currently have 250 members, who pay a basic membership fee of $250, a nonprofit fee of $125, and trade members, for whom services are traded for membership, such as wine, catering, and photography. We held 2 networking receptions that were well attended.
Annual Meeting
We held our annual meeting at Santa Ynez Valley Marriott on June 3, 2025, with over 100 residents of the Santa Ynez Valley, community leaders, media representatives, and VisitSYV members in attendance. Shelby Sim presented a recap of 2024, highlighted key points from January 2025 to date, and introduced the 2025 – 2026 term Board of Directors. Nika Jajali from data partner, Datafy, presented key insights on visitors utilizing credit card and cell phone data.
Winter Networking Reception and 2026 Destination Guide Launch On Thursday, December 4, 2025, we hosted a winter reception to network and debut our 2026 print Santa Ynez Valley Destination Guide at Sunstone Winery, with over 100 partners, community leaders, and Visit SYV members in attendance.
Marketing (January 1, 2025– December 31, 2025)
Creative
Visit SYV continued the Perfectly campaign in 2025. It continues to share space with contentforward Facebook and native ads.
The Perfectly campaign centers around the idea that everyone’s idea of the perfect getaway isn’t the same. Some people are happy to sip a glass of pinot by the pool while others would rather put down some miles on the nearest hiking trail. Sometimes both. But when you spend time in the Santa Ynez Valley, you’re sure to find your perfect escape. The perfect getaway does exist, and it’s Perfectly SYV.
Digital Key Takeaways
Overall, 2025 clicks-to-book were up 2.3% year-over-year.
Our programmatic campaign is doing very well and has led to a $3.5 million economic impact and an 87.6x return on ad spend.
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Digital Targeting
Target Markets
Los Angeles
San Francisco
Palm Springs
San Bernardino
San Luis Obispo
San Francisco
Bakersfield
San Francisco
Phoenix
Las Vegas
Portland
Seattle
Demographic Targeting
On Meta, we are targeting lookalike audiences of people based on past web visitors and people who clicked to book on the site. We don’t set strict targeting parameters on these audiences, as we want to give Meta more freedom in finding the best-performing users.
Programmatic uses similar audiences based on people who have traveled to SYV. Datafy is now our location partner for this.
Google Search
*CTR was more than double last year.
Benchmark CTR: 4.68%
Benchmark CPC: $1.53
Impressions: 341,874
Clicks: 34,065
CTR: 9.96%
CPC: $0.98
Paid Facebook - Out-of-state
Performance looks great and has remained fairly level compared to the previous last year. 4 4 | P a g e
Impressions: 3,445,009
Link Clicks: 2,981
CTR: 1.75%
CPC: $0.53
Paid Facebook - In-state
Performance has been consistently strong for in-state.
Impressions: 2,707,005
Link Clicks: 47,709
CTR: 1.76%
CPC: $0.42
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Paid Facebook - Retargeting
Retargeting CTR improved 29.7% with the new retargeting GIFs.
Impressions: 1,323,191
Link Clicks: 23,539
CTR: 1.78%
CPC: $0.47
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Programmatic - Native & Display via Datafy
Datafy does see a higher CPC, but it drives a very strong return on ad spend.
Impressions: 3,449,626
Link Clicks: 12,472
CTR: 0.36%
Programmatic - Datafy Attribution Performance
Through a partnership with Datafy, we’re able to report on programmatic advertising attribution.
Report Dates: March-December, 2025
Media Costs: $40,244
Total Trips: 13,072
Economic Impact: $3,525,446
Return-on-ad-spend: 87.6x
Key Website Takeaways
In 2025, VisitSYV.com received 619,000 pageviews from 325,000 visitors. The site has also seen 27,000 clicks to book for VisitSYV lodging properties. The most popular pages on the site were as follows: (1) Homepage (2) Where to Stay (3) Horseback Riding Blog.
Clicks to Book
Compared to 2024
Paid search and Paid Meta led to a huge chunk of this overall increase. 7 7 | P a g e
BookDirect Searches: 20,558 (up 19.3% vs ‘24)
Book Your Stay Outbound Clicks: 10,379 booking searches (down 20.3% vs ‘24) Combined: Up 2.3% vs ‘24
Clicks to book includes clicks off the lodging page, Book Direct booking bar searches, and clicks to the Book Direct lodging page from the advertising campaign landing pages.
Public Relations Key Takeaway
Editorial coverage for 2025 included more than 1,100 stories/mentions, with a combined value of $7.43m. This represents a 9% YoY increase, which is an all-time high and particularly notable in light of the boost in coverage we saw in 2024 related to the Sideways 20th anniversary. 2025 Year-End Metrics
• Total number of stories mentioning the Santa Ynez Valley in 2025 = 1,116 • Total reach/circulation/UVPM of editorial coverage in 2025 = 13.8b • Total value of public relations media coverage for Q4 = $7.43m *PR value is calculated by multiplying the advertising rate times the size of the story, and then doubling that number to reflect the added value of editorial coverage 2025 Press Releases & Content:
• MWMC & Restaurant Weeks Press Release (541 recipients; 44% open rate) • 2025 What’s New Press Release (564 recipients; 36% open rate) • International Women’s Day Press Release (572 recipients; 42% open rate) • Spring Media Invitation (26 recipients; 54% open rate) • Draft & submit Sunset Travel Awards entries for Cultural Heritage and Solvang • Draft & submit Sideways PR case study for U.S. Travel’s ESTO Awards • Sustainability Press Release (668 recipients; 42% open rate) • Direct Flight Markets Press Release (301 recipients; 36% open rate) • Meetings & Retreats Press Release (119 recipients; 34% open rate) • Taste SYV Tickets Press Release (408 recipients; 38% open rate) • Media kit update/refresh for new website pressroom
• Wellness Press Release (549 recipients; 36% open rate) • Outdoors Press Release (347 recipients; 29% open rate) • Fall Media Invitation
• Visit California Trade News Submission
• Visit California Poppy Awards Submission – Sideways PR 8 8 | P a g e
• Non-Alcohol Press Release (604 recipients; 38% open rate) • Holidays Press Release (393 recipients; 26% open rate) 2025 Media Visits:
• Amber Turpin, San Jose Mercury News – Jan. 9-12
• Visit California Nordics FAM – Jan. 13-14
• Cheryl Crabtree, Fodor’s Travel – Feb. 20-21
• International Women’s Day FAM – March 7-9
o Jessie Evans
o Camly Nguyen
o Maria Haase, San Diego Explorer
• Pam & Gary Baker, LuxeBeat & Wine Traveler – April 6-9 • Brianne Manz, Stroller In The City (Visit CA collab) – April 15-16 • Sharon McDonnell, Punch Magazine – May 22-23
• Carrie Bell, Forbes Travel Guide – June 26-27
• Cleo Glyde, Travel+Luxury and AmEx Essentials – Aug. 6-8 • Amber Turpin, 7x7 – Sept. 14-17
• Nick Troutman/Emily Jackson, Great Family Adventure & PBS – Aug. 25-26 • Jessie Beck, Where’s Jessie B and AFAR Magazine – Sept. 17-20 • Sean Thomas, The Spectator – Oct. 6-7
• Jack Whitaker, The Times of London – Nov. 3-6
• Sophie Morgan, The Telegraph – Dec. 21-24
Notable 2025 Media Coverage:
• People – Joe Biden flew directly to this Calif. hotspot from the inauguration • Sunset – Plan a Romantic Valentine’s Day Road Trip
• San Jose Mercury News – Back in the Land of Sideways
• People – Sideways Turns 21
• Daily Mail (UK) – California’s ‘Denmark of America’ is becoming the new Napa Valley • CBS News LA – Family Spring Break Getaways in SoCal
• Forbes – What you need to know about the Sta. Rita Hills • USA Today 10Best – Solvang 10Best Awards
• National Geographic – 5 Lesser-Known CA Wine Regions Worth Exploring • AAA – European Destination Dupes (Solvang)
• LuxeBeat Magazine – 3 Days In Wine Country Bliss: The Santa Ynez Valley • USA Today – 10 Best Things To Do In The Santa Ynez Valley (Besides Wine) • NBC4 Los Angeles – California Live: Spotlight on the Santa Ynez Valley 9 9 | P a g e
• Visit California – Partner Spotlight: Visit the Santa Ynez Valley • Islands – California’s ‘New Napa’
• Pride Journeys – Wellness & Wine in California’s Santa Ynez Valley • Sunset Magazine – Sunset Travel Awards (x6) notable links here:
o Best Wine Country Destination – Solvang
o Best Immersive Experience – Santa Ynez Chumash Museum & Cultural Center • AmEx Essentials – The Perfect Vine to Glass Getaway
• The Australian – Dane in the Valley
• 7x7 – Modern Guide to Los Olivos: Small Town Charm in the SYV • PUNCH – Sweet Solvang
• AFAR – These Are The Places We’d Go Back To In A Heartbeat • Travel + Leisure – The Most Underrated Destinations in California 2025 Santa Ynez Valley Destination Guide
70,000 Destination Guides were printed, with monthly
distribution taking place via the Solvang Visitors Center, the Buellton Visitors Center, the Santa Barbara Visitors Center, the Santa Barbara Airport and Santa Barbara area hotels.
The guides are also distributed monthly to Santa Ynez
Valley hotels, museums, and popular restaurants and
retailers.
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VisitSYV Promotions
Santa Ynez Valley Restaurant Weeks (January 19 – February 1, 2025) is an annual VisitSYV promotion. Over the course of 10+ years, the promotion has developed a strong following, with residents and drive market visitors treating the 2-week promotion as a major celebration. The promotion features 3 course menus for $30, $40 and $50 from participating
restaurants and two-for-one tastings and bottle discounts at participating wineries and tasting rooms. In 2025 we had 31 participating restaurants and 32 participating tasting rooms.
We provide a full list of participating restaurants and tasting rooms on a branded landing page at DineSYV.com.
VisitSYV’s Restaurant Weeks advertising campaign reached consumers via paid Facebook, Instagram, and Meta distribution, and printed poster and postcard distribution. Restaurant Weeks presents an opportunity for increased engagement and visitation for our website and acts as a great opportunity to showcase our members and show appreciation. Please see additional stats below.
Paid Facebook - Restaurant Weeks January 2025
Performance was very level with last year.
Impressions: 294,946
Link Clicks: 8,924
CTR: 3.03%
CPC: $0.11
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The Place to Be Midweek returned for its fifth year as a Q1 promotion. To entice visitors to stay midweek during the shoulder season, our Midweek Membership Club promotion puts a spotlight on the benefits of a midweek trip. This year the offer provided $100 cash for guests to enjoy locally during their midweek stay.
Visitors simply had to book a minimum two-night stay at any one of our Santa Ynez Valley hotels, Sunday through Thursday to receive a $100 cash during check-in. All promotional details, rules, and regulations were featured on a branded landing page on the Visit the Santa Ynez Valley website: www.visitsyv.com/midweek/.
2025 Midweek Promotion Stats
• 76 redemptions
• 173 room nights booked
• $42,875 in room sales
See below for sample ads and stats from the campaign.
Paid Facebook -Midweek Full Campaign - Jan 12 - Apr 9
475 booking searches happened on the Midweek page (vs 448 last year). 343 were directly from this campaign (vs 270 last year). 12 12 | P a g e
Impressions: 460,774
Link Clicks: 10,216
CTR: 2.22%
CPC: $0.29
Taste of the Santa Ynez Valley (TasteSYV), a multi-day, six-town event, returned October 2 - 5, 2025, with Sunset Magazine returning as our presenting media sponsor. Running over four days, TasteSYV featured multi-course dinners prepared by chefs from Santa Ynez Valley restaurants in Los Alamos, Los Olivos, Solvang and Santa Ynez. Daytime events spanned all six of our Santa Ynez Valley towns, highlighting the food, wine, cultural, and outdoor offerings each of our unique communities has to offer. The goal was to provide a “taste” that would encourage attendees to return and spend more time. A comprehensive marketing campaign, along with its accompanying assets, was developed. Total ticket revenue was $81,160 with 746 tickets sold.
See below for stats from the Sunset magazine ad campaign.
Sunset Campaign
Sunset drove very high-quality traffic to the site, with an average session duration of 26 seconds. These Sunset stats are for all of 2025 (July through December). 13 13 | P a g e
Display
Impressions: 212,051
Clicks: 356
CTR: 0.17%
E-Newsletter:
Delivered: 368,670
Opened: 114,990
Open Rate: 31.2%
Clicks: 585
CTR: 0.51%
Custom Social
Delivered: 291,537
Clicks: 5,805
CTR: 1.9%
Asset Development
New Website
VisitSYV contracted with Madden Media to
redesign our website, which launched in July
2025. Our objectives were to create a website
that serves as a primary source of inspiration
that is as inviting as the Santa Ynez Valley, and
balance attention-grabbing visuals, engaging
storytelling, and intuitive navigation to
showcase the valley’s unique mix of laid-back
charm and refined experiences. The Santa Ynez
Valley website represents a successful evolution
from an information directory into an interactive
and inspiring marketing and booking tool. This
site goes beyond a standard travel website,
offering personalized discovery paths and
curated itineraries that guide users from inspiration to action. The site doesn't just look better, it functions more effectively for both potential visitors looking to discover the region and book travel and also allows for VSYV members to be more easily involved. 14 14 | P a g e
@VisitSYV Social Media Stats
• Facebook: 22,406 (8% YOY increase)
• Instagram: 19,961 (21% YOY increase)
Verdin Marketing
VisitSYV continues to work with Central Coast-based marketing agency Verdin Marketing on our organic social media. Under VisitSYV’s guidance and marketing pillars, Verdin produces and schedules organic social content utilizing a combination of VisitSYV assets and user generated content.
Print Advertising
2025 California Visitors Guide & Central Coast Insert
VisitSYV partnered with the California Central Coast Tourism Council for an insert listing and a directory listing in the Official 2025 California Visitors Guide (500,000 copies printed).
Distribution takes place via newsstand copies, Visit California and Sunset events, direct mailings to qualified consumers, and targeted distribution via auto clubs, rental car agencies, visitor centers, and more. The co-op partnership allowed for both a featured listing in the insert, and a featured listing in the guide’s directory, doubling VisitSYV’s coverage within the guide.
Los Olivos Chamber of Commerce Map
VisitSYV placed a 3.66" x5" ad in the Los Olivos Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Visitors Map, with 15,000 copies distributed to visitors via Santa Ynez Valley hotels, Los Olivos kiosks, and Santa Barbara area hotels.
California Road Trips Guide
An annual print publication produced by Visit California, VisitSYV purchased a listing as part of the Central Coast Tourism Council’s Co-Op within the guide. The print publication has a 1 million circulation through the following distribution points: Parent Magazine (200,000 – California, Phoenix/Scottsdale, Nevada, Washington; Travel + Leisure (75,000 – California, Phoenix/Scottsdale); Exposure on VisitCalifornia.com through Nxtbook Media digital edition which includes a link to VisitSYV.com; 400,000 direct to consumers, fulfillment upon request, at key destinations. Distribution locations include California Welcome Centers, CVBs and Visitor Centers.
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Central Coast Tourism Council Map
VisitSYV purchased a listing in the Central Coast Tourism Council (CCTC) map. 200,000 full color Central Coast Visitors Maps are published annually in partnership with Certified Folder Display and distributed at key points as well as digital exposure through CCTC's website, TheOriginalRoadTrip.com
Sunset Magazine
As part of our annual Taste of the Santa Ynez Valley
partnership with Sunset magazine, we placed a full-page print ad in the Oct/Nov Travel Awards Issue.
Trade Shows
Go West Summit
Cynthia Gonzalez attended the Go West Summit in Palm
Springs, California January 6 -9, 2025.
IMM – A TravMedia Event
Shelby Sim and Danielle Laudon Ruse attended IMM in New York, January 20 – 24, 2025. TravMedia's International Media Marketplace (IMM) is the leading global networking event connecting the travel industry with editors, journalists, broadcasters, and influencers. Staff had a full book of prescheduled meetings with media, pitching a year's worth of stories, FAM trips, and features.
Visit California Canada Reverse Mission
Cynthia Gonzalez attended Visit California’s Canada Reverse Mission in San Diego, February 10 – 12, 2025. Cynthia met with travel buyers from Canada, getting a pulse on current travel demand and encouraging future bookings with Santa Ynez Valley hotels.
California Cup
Visit the Santa Ynez Valley hosted the annual California Cup. The California Cup is an event that leads up to IPW, typically taking advantage of buyers already flying to the United States for the U.S.’s largest travel show. Shelby Sim attended the annual 4-day California Cup in the Santa Ynez Valley June 8 - 12, 2025, where he strengthened relationships with international tour 16 16 | P a g e
operators. Cynthia Gonzalez and Danielle Laudon Ruse attended events during the Cup, also strengthening our relationships with buyers and Visit California’s international offices.
IPW
VisitSYV, in partnership with the City of Solvang
and Discover Buellton, executed 3 days of
intensive in-person travel buyer & media
appointments at IPW in Chicago, Illinois, June 14 -
19, 2025. IPW is the travel industry's premier
international marketplace and the largest
generator of travel to the U.S. In just three days of
pre-scheduled business appointments, thousands
of delegates representing U.S. travel organizations
from every region of the USA and international
and domestic buyers and media from 70+
countries meet face-to-face to conduct future
travel business to the USA.
Buyers & media received sales and media kits featuring Santa Ynez Valley lodging options, press releases, itineraries, story ideas and photography for their catalogues. Cynthia Gonzalez, City of Solvang employee Candice Libera, and Discover Buellton Executive Director Kathy Vreeland, held over 40 appointments on the showroom floor while Shelby Sim took 20+ appointments in the media marketplace, meeting with travel journalists from around the globe.
Destination California
Cynthia Gonzalez attended Destination California, the leading hosted-buyer event for elite meetings and incentive professionals looking to book business in California, September 7 – 9, 2025 in San Diego.
Brand USA Travel Week
Shelby Sim attended the annual Brand USA Travel Week on the media circuit in London October 20 – 24, 2025. Shelby met one on one with 25 journalists. The event brings together U.S.
Exhibitors and U.K. & European buyers and media for a week of B2B meetings, networking, and enrichment.
Small & Boutique Meetings
Cynthia Gonzalez attended Small & Boutique Meetings, a travel trade show Oct 26 – 28, 2025 in 17 17 | P a g e
Park City, Utah. Cynthia met with over 20 meeting planners encouraging future meetings and events to be held in the Santa Ynez Valley.
Staff, Board and Member Development
Visit California Travel Outlook Forum
Shelby Sim, Cynthia Gonzalez and Danielle Laudon Ruse attended the Visit California Travel Outlook Forum in Los Angeles, March 2 -5, 2025. Staff networked with Visit California’s international representatives and fostered new and existing relationships while learning about current travel trends and strategies.
One West Tourism Alliance Leadership Summit
Shelby Sim attended One West Tourism Alliance’s Annual Leadership Summit in Park City, July 28 – 30, 2025. Sim met with destination leaders from Destination Marketing Organizations from across the Western United States, sharing ideas, strategies and best practices among the industry. Sim secured the Santa Ynez Valley as the destination for the 2026 Leadership Summit.
Destinations International
VisitSYV President & CEO, Shelby Sim, attended Destinations International, July 8, 2025, in Chicago, Illinois. Tourism and destination marketers from a dozen countries participated at the in-person event to discuss tourism trends and the latest technology.
Grants and Special Projects
The purpose of our grants program remains to support publicity and outreach for valley events that promote overnight stays. Primary consideration is given to events that occur mid-week (Sunday to Thursday) and/or during the off-season. Special projects include charitable donations and community improvement.
Funds awarded in 2025:
Cal Coast Sports Ventures SB/SY Winter Showdown 2025 5,000.00 805 Lacrosse Project SB/SY Shootout 2025 5,000.00
Garagiste Events, Inc. Grant for The Garagiste Festival 3,250.00 Buellton Chamber of Commerce Wine & Chili Festival Glass Sponsor 4,000.00 Women Winemakers & Culinarians Foundation Women Winemakers & Culinarians Celebration 4,000.00 18 18 | P a g e
Solvang Chamber of Commerce 2025 Silver Sponsorship of Solvang Chamber Events 2,500.00 Solvang Rotary Foundation Solvang Rotary Fundraising Event 300.00 Los Olivos Rotary Club Foundation Los Olivos Rotary for Jazz & Olive Festival 3,000.00 Viking Charities, Inc. Annual Viking Car Show 1,000.00
California Natural Art Museum Troll Sponsorship 5,000.00 Santa Ynez Valley Pride Pride Events 1,500.00
Santa Ynez Chamber Annual Events 2,041.20
Elverhoj Museum Summer Solstice 1,000.00
Santa Ynez Valley Western Heritage
Foundation Santa Ynez Rodeo 3 Day Event 3,000.00
Arthritis Foundation 2025 CCC Bike Tour Sponsorship 3,000.00 Solvang Danish Days Foundation Danish Days 2025 5,000.00 Santa Barbara Vintners 2025 Vintners Festival 4,310.00
Santa Ynez Valley Foundation Voice for the Valley Awards 500.00 Centro Corazon Comunitario Hispanic Heritage Community Celebration 1,000.00 Los Olivos Chamber of Commerce Day in the Country and Olde Fashioned Christmas 4,000.00 SYV People Helping People Donation for Building Project 2,000.00 Solvang Theaterfest 2025 Music Program 10,000.00
Los Alamos Theater Group Holiday Theater Production 850.00 City of Solvang Julefest 5,000.00
SYV Botanic Garden SYV Holiday Lights Festival 4,000.00 En Fuego Events Buellton Fall Fest 2,000.00
Islay Events Annual Windmill Lights Julefest Décor 5,690.75 One West Tourism Alliance Foundation donation 132.30
Econ Alliance Sponsorship of Econ Alliance Forum 600.00 Total amount awarded in 2025: 88,674.25
California Hotel & Lodging Association
VisitSYV renewed its annual contract with CH&LA, the California Hotel and Lodging Association.
VisitSYV provides each of our hotel members with a CH&LA Membership. CH&LA provides our members with legislative advocacy, educational training, communication, and cost-saving programs. They also support strategic alliances to promote the value of California travel and tourism.
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Collaborations with Santa Barbara County DMOs and other organizations VisitSYV collaborates actively with other county destination marketing organizations, City of Solvang, Buellton Visitor Bureau, the Santa Barbara Vintners Association, the Buellton, Solvang, Los Olivos, and Santa Ynez Chambers as well as the Los Alamos Business Association, the Chumash Foundation, Visit Santa Barbara, Go Goleta, Explore Lompoc, Santa Maria Valley, and the Santa Barbra County Association of Governments.
Public comment
Members of the board and the President continue to be called upon to make written and/or verbal public comments on several hotel and tourism-related issues. Each question is raised on a board agenda and voted upon by the board or authorized by the Chairman before comment is made. Hearings and correspondence as needed by President Shelby Sim, and, when needed, Linda Johansen, Chairperson.
Organization
Jonathan Rosenson sold his Solvang Hotel and stepped down from the board in October. He was replaced by Camden Wyrick, Director of Sales for Highway West (The Vinland and Winston Hotels), representing a Solvang Hotelier. The board meets monthly, generally on the second Thursday at 9:00 a.m. at The Landsby in Solvang. The board consists of nine individuals, seven of whom are from the hotel industry, and the other two represent the at-large membership base.
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Staff & Board of Directors
President & CEO - Shelby Sim
Vice President of Marketing - Danielle Laudon Ruse
Director of Sales – Cynthia Gonzales
Website & Membership Administrator – Brenda Ball
The board members are:
Chairperson – Linda Johansen, Owner, Pea Soup Andersen’s Inn, Buellton Vice Chairperson – Greer Araujo, Director of Marketing, Fess Parker Wine Country Inn, Los Olivos
Secretary – Stormie Strickland, Director of Sales, Hotel Corque, Solvang Treasurer – Kristopher McLaughlin, General Manager, The Genevieve Hotel, Santa Ynez Jim Flagg, Owner, Hampton Inn & Suites, Buellton
Kathleen Cochran, General Manager, Alisal Ranch, Solvang Jeff Hartman, Owner/Operator, Highline Adventures, Buellton Will Henry, Owner, PICO Restaurant, Los Alamos
Camden Wyrick, Director of Sales, Highwest Vacations, Solvang Respectfully submitted by:
Shelby Sim, President & CEO
Santa Ynez Valley Hotel Association, dba Visit the Santa Ynez Valley [email protected]
PO Box 633, Solvang, CA 93464
www.visitsyv.com, 805-451-6038
21 V I S I T T H E S A N TA Y N E Z VA L L EY
A N N UA L P R E S E N TAT I O N
Presented by President & CEO Shelby Sim
22 OUR TEAM
Visit the Santa Ynez Valley
Shelby Sim
President & CEO
Danielle Laudon Ruse
Vice President & Chief Marketing
Officer
Brenda Ball
Website & Membership
Administrator
23 ABOUT US
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Chair Linda Johansen • Vice Chair Greer Araujo • Treasurer Camden Wyrick • Secretary Stormie Strickland Gretchen Baldwin • Kathleen Cochran • Josh Lujan • Jeff Hartman • Will Henry 24
A BRIEF HISTORY
• DESTINATION MARKETING ORGANIZATION
• FORMED IN 2010 BY THE HOTELS
• FUNDED BY THE VISITOR
• VISITORS PAY $3/NIGHT WHEN STAYING OVERNIGHT
• HOTEL & VISITORS ASSOCIATIONS MERGED IN 2013 TO
BECOME VISIT THE SANTA YNEZ VALLEY
Visit the Santa Ynez Valley
25 WHAT IS A DESTINATION MARKETING ORGANIZATION (DMO)?
• Think of a DMO as an organization whose main job is to promote a specific place, like a city, region, or country, to tourists and visitors.
• Their goal is to attract people to visit that place by showcasing its attractions, activities, events, and unique features. • DMOs often work with local businesses, government agencies, and other organizations to boost tourism and make the place more appealing to visitors.
Visit the Santa Ynez Valley
26 OUR MISSION
Visit the Santa Ynez Valley (VisitSYV) promotes the
Santa Ynez Valley region as a diverse destination for everyone to experience, which creates prosperous and sustainable outcomes and overnight stays for businesses in Buellton, Ballard, Los Alamos, Los Olivos, Santa Ynez, and Solvang.
Visit the Santa Ynez Valley
27 HOW DO WE ACHIEVE OUR MISSION?
• PARTNERSHIPS
• ROBUST MARKETING CAMPAIGN
• GRANT PROGRAM & SPONSORSHIPS
• TRAVEL TRADE
• PR & MEDIA RELATIONS
• EVENT PROGRAMMING
Visit the Santa Ynez Valley
28 Visit the Santa Ynez Valley
PA RTNERS
29 2025: A YEAR OF MEASURABLE IMPACT
STRONGER ATTRIBUTION • A NEW WEBSITE • RECORD PR VALUE • DESTINATION-BUILDING PROGRAMS 30 FINANCIAL OVERVIEW
2025 REVENUE
VisitSYV began 2025 with an operating balance of $176,344 and received $1,362,110 in total income. • TBID funding $1,208,739
• Membership $44,804
• County grant $6,942
• TasteSYV $83,472
• IPW reimbursement $18,153
• TOTAL INCOME $1,362,110
31 FINANCIAL OVERVIEW
2025 EXPENSES
VisitSYV invested $1,596,534 across marketing, programs, personnel, trade, operations and community support. • Advertising & marketing $774,202
• Personnel $488,962
• Travel & conventions $116,348
• Grants & special projects $90,693
• All other expenses $126,329
• YEAR-END OPERATING BALANCE $58,080
32 MEMBERSHIP
A STRONG VALLEY-WIDE NETWORK
VisitSYV received TBID funding from 37 lodging properties and served 250 members across lodging, hospitality, nonprofit and trade categories.
2025 CONNECTION POINTS
• 2 networking receptions
• Annual meeting: 100+ attendees
• Winter reception and 2026 Destination Guide launch: 100+ attendees 33 Visit the Santa Ynez Valley's 2025 marketing strategy built on the following strategic objectives:
OVERALL STRATEGY
• Continue to build awareness and positive perception of the region among highly qualified potential visitors ⚬ Utilize paid digital advertising that broadens our audience, expands our reach and provides tangible attribution metrics to measure against our efforts
⚬ Utilize public relations efforts that go beyond our paid marketing geographic markets ⚬ Grow organic website visitation via greater awareness, but also through improved search engine optimization
• Drive visitation increases during shoulder seasons from markets that data shows will stay longer and spend more
⚬ Drive and flight markets that show up in website visits, booking conversions, in-market visitation, and spend
⚬ Promote shoulder season events including Restaurant Weeks, Midweek Promotion and Taste • Grow use of attribution-based advertising channels to help communicate the value of tourism marketing dollars via, a return on ad spend (ROAS) from marketing spend to hotel and broader economic value to the community.
34 TARGET MARKETS | PAID DIGITAL
35 PR - 2025 MARKETS
36 PERFECTLY SANTA YNEZ VALLEY
CAMPAIGN:
Overall, 2025 clicks-to-book were up 2.3% year-over-year.
Our programmatic campaign led to a $2.4 million economic impact and an 87.6x return on ad spend.
37 DIGITAL PERFORMANCE
PAID MEDIA
Search exceeded benchmark; Meta delivered efficient traffic.
METRICS • Google: 341,874 impressions
34,065 clicks, 9.96% CTR
$0.98 CPC
• Meta in-state: 2.71M impressions • 47,709 clicks, 1.76% CTR $0.42 CPC • Meta retargeting: 1.32M impressions
23,539 clicks, 1.78% CTR
$0.47 CPC
38 CAMPAIGN:
This year’s promotion featured 3 course menus for $30, $40 and $50 from 31 restaurants and two-for-one tastings and bottle discounts at 32 tasting rooms
SANTA YNEZ VALLEY RESTAURANT WEEKS
39 CAMPAIGN:
THE PLACE TO BE MIDWEEK (JANUARY 12TH – APRIL 30TH)
Guests who booked an eligible consecutive two-night, Sunday – Thursday hotel stay in the Santa Ynez Valley received a $100 through the Midweek Membership Club
RESULTS
• 76 redemptions
• 173 room nights booked
• $43,000 in room sales
• 20 hotels
40 2025 Annual Attribution Campaign Overview
Goal and Measurement of Success: Drive visitation to the destination from key markets and measure attribution along with traditional KPIs: Impressions, CTR and VCR 20 Display Creative
DIGITAL PERFORMANCE
41 Campaign Creatives
Online Videos
● Brand Awareness:
42 Sample Video
43 Sample Video
44 V
Sample Video
45 Campaign Creatives
Native Placements
46 ● Seen in Santa Ynez Valley
● Past Visitors from 1/1/2022
● 50+ Miles in select MSAs:
○ Los Angeles-Long Beach
○ San Diego
○ Palm Springs/Riverside
○ San Bernardino/Ontario
○ San Fran/San Jose/East Bay/ Monterey
○ Sacramento
○ Central Valleys: Fresno, Sac, Bakersfield
○ Oxnard-Thousand Oaks
○ San Luis Obispo
● Out of State MSAs:
○ Phoenix
○ Las Vegas
○ Denver
Past Visitor ReEngagement
Audience Targeting:
● 50+ Miles from Santa Ynez in select MSAs:
○ Los Angeles-Long Beach
○ San Diego
○ Palm Springs/Riverside
○ San Bernardino/Ontario
○ San Fran/San Jose/East Bay/ Monterey
○ Sacramento
○ Central Valleys: Fresno, Sac, Bakersfield
● Out of State MSAs:
○ Phoenix
○ Las Vegas
○ Denver
● Ages 35+
● HHI $100K
● Known Traveler and/or Restaurants, Plus Hotels
Look a Like
2025 Annual Campaign
47 Key Performance Indicators
Report Period: 3.15.25 - 3.31.26 | Attribution Reflects Visitation Between 3.22.25-3.31.26 Market Spend per Visitor: $211.19 | ADR: $216.00 - CoStar 2025 48 2025 Annual Campaign Results
11,605
Total Trips Taken to Santa Ynez Valley
By Ad Exposed Visitors who Live
50+ miles away
Los Angeles
Top Attribution Market
55% of Ad Exposed Trips came from
Los Angeles DMA
$2,450,860
Estimated Campaign Impact
Based on Spend Per Visitor of $211.19
2.3 Days
Lodging Avg Length of Stay
Ad Exposed visitors seen in lodging
properties had a higher avg length of stay
$59 : $1
Return On Ad Spend*
ROAS based on raw, impacted visitation
7,048
Estimated Room Nights
By Ad Exposed Visitors who Live
50+ miles away
Report Period: 3.15.25 - 3.31.26 | Attribution Reflects Visitation Between 3.22.25-3.31.26 Market Spend per Visitor: $211.19 | ADR: $216.00 - CoStar 2025 Campaigns Run Dates:
Spring 3.15.25-4.30.25 | Summer: 5/16.25-9/30/25 | Winter 10.10.25-12.31.25 49 Visit the Santa Ynez Valley
PRINT & DISTRIBUTION
EXTENDING OUR REACH
70,000 Destination Guides distributed across the Valley and Santa Barbara region • California Visitors Guide: 500,000 copies • California Road Trips Guide: 1 million circulation • Central Coast visitor map: 200,000 copies • Los Olivos visitor map: 15,000 copies • Full-page Sunset Travel Awards issue ad. 50 Visit the Santa Ynez Valley
SOCIAL MEDIA
COMMUNITY GROWTH
Organic content produced with Verdin Marketing helped grow audiences while highlighting members, experiences and user-generated content.
Facebook: 22,406 followers (+8% YOY)
Instagram: 19,961 followers (+21% YOY)
51 52
53 54
55 56
57 58
59 60
Visit the Santa Ynez Valley
MEDIA RELATIONS
2025 OUTREACH & HOSTING
VisitSYV distributed 14 press releases and media invitations, refreshed the website pressroom, hosted 17 media visits/FAMs, attended IMM New York, and met with journalists at Brand USA Travel Week in London. 61 Visit the Santa Ynez Valley
MEDIA RELATIONS
IMM 2025, NEW YORK, Jan 21 - 23, 2025
Visit the Santa Ynez Valley attended the 2025
International Media Marketplace (IMM) USA in New York
City, an event that connects top travel and lifestyle media with tourism partners through one-on-one appointments.
In partnership with Visit California, we hosted the official opening reception, welcoming approximately 500 media
and industry professionals with an unforgettable evening featuring SYV wines and hospitality.
Team members Shelby and Danielle also took part in Visit California’s NYC Media Mission, beginning with a
networking breakfast at Dotdash Meredith. There, they
met with editors from People, Parents, Food & Wine,
Brides, Real Simple, and Travel + Leisure, sharing the story of the Santa Ynez Valley as a premier wine, culinary, and outdoor destination.
62 MEDIA RELATIONS
Visit the Santa Ynez Valley
Brand USA Travel Week • London • October 20–24, 2025
Shelby Sim represented the Santa Ynez Valley on the media circuit, meeting one-on-one with 25 journalists from the U.K. and Europe.
63 LIVING UP TO THE HYPE | RECORD PR RESULTS
2025
• 1,116 stories and mentions
• 13.8 billion combined reach/circulation/UVPM
• $7.43 million editorial coverage value
Editorial coverage value increased 9% year over year—an all-time high, even against 2024’s Sideways anniversary boost.
64 SUNSET TRAVEL AWARDS
Best Wine Country Destination: Solvang
Best Bakeries: Bob’s Well Bread
Best Immersive Experience: Santa Ynez Chumash Museum &
Cultural Center
Best California Cuisine: Hitching Post 2
Best Luxury Ranch: Alisal Ranch
Best Food & Wine : Alma Rosa Winery
Best Adventures : Fess Parker Ranch Horseback Adventures Sept. 3, 2025
Reach = 1.6m
Value = $43,0855
Seven Sunset Travel Awards winners from
the Santa Ynez Valley.
65 Public Relations – Notable Coverage
June 18, 2025
Reach = 154k
Value = $6,215
66 Public Relations – Notable Coverage
June 1, 2025
Reach = 109,643
Value = $5,615
Result of Pam & Gary Baker’s recent
visit.
67 Public Relations – Notable Coverage
June 26, 2025
Reach = 470k
Value = $24,346
Result of Lesley Balla’s visit.
68 March 26, 2025
Reach = 27,731
Value = $4,992
Public Relations – Notable Coverage
69 March 2025
Reach = 3.4m
Value = $386,400
Public Relations – Notable Coverage
70 Public Relations – Notable Coverage
March 2, 2025
Reach = 63.3m
Value = $573,208
71 Public Relations – Notable Coverage
March 6, 2025
Reach = 2.1m
Value = $9,694
72 March 24, 2024
Reach = 68.2m
Value = $154,280
Also posted to the KCAL News YouTube
page, and syndicated to Yahoo! News and
NewsBreak.
Public Relations – Notable Coverage
73 Sept. 5, 2025
Reach = 268k
Value = $7,938
Feature coverage of the Santa Ynez
Valley, focusing on sustainable wines
and wine tours.
Public Relations – Notable Coverage
74 Sept. 25, 2025
Reach = 217k
Value = $6,003
Shelby & Budi appear on SB morning
news to promote Taste of the Santa
Ynez Valley.
Public Relations – Notable Coverage
75 Dec. 30, 2025
Reach = 10.4m
Value = $18,393
Another Santa Ynez Valley mention
in Travel + Leisure from Chelsee
Lowe.
Public Relations – Notable Coverage
76 Dec. 19, 2025
Reach = 973k
Value = $12,844
SYV named one of 15 worldwide
destinations (and one of only two in
the U.S.) that AFAR editors would
return to in a heartbeat. Chosen by
Jessie Beck as a result of her recent
visit.
Public Relations – Notable Coverage
77 Visit the Santa Ynez Valley
TASTE OF THE SANTA YNEZ VALLEY
The four-day, six town celebration of food, wine, and more takes place in the fall across the towns of Solvang, Santa Ynez, Los Alamos, Los Olivos, Ballard, and Buellton.
78 Ticket Sales
• 746 TICKETS SOLD
• $81,160 TICKET REVENUE
• Greater Los Angeles
• Central Coast
• Santa Ynez Valley
• Out of State
⚬ Arizona, Washington, Louisiana, Kansas,
Michigan, Colorado, New Jersey
Top Geos
TASTE OF THE SANTA YNEZ VALLEY
79 80
Visit the Santa Ynez Valley
2025 GRANTS & SPECIAL PROJECTS: $88,674.25
GRANTS & SPONSORSHIPS
The purpose of our grants program is to assist with publicity and outreach for valley events which encourage overnight stays.
Primary consideration goes to events which occur mid-week (Sunday to Thursday) and/or in off-season. Special projects and sponsorships include charitable donations and community improvement. 81 TRAVEL TRADE
Visit the Santa Ynez Valley
Go West Summit – Palm Springs, CA - January 7-10, 2025
Go West Summit connects global tourism buyers and media with niche suppliers from the American West, focusing exclusively on productive B2B networking and business appointments. Cynthia held 60 appointments over the 2-day appointment marketplaces.
82 TRAVEL TRADE
Visit the Santa Ynez Valley
VisitCA Canada Reverse Mission, San Diego, CA
February 10-12, 2025
The mission was a 2.5-day with 20 journalists, media, and 18 tour operators and airline representatives.
Post FAM, Santa Ynez Valley, CA
February 12-13, 2025
VisitSYV hosted a small group from Canada for a FAM post the reverse Canada mission. It included 3 tour operators, 3 media and 1 Visit CA rep/tour leader. The fam spent a day and overnight in Solvang and had an opportunity to participate in various Santa Ynez Valley experiences.
83 TRAVEL TRADE
IPW CHICAGO • JUNE 14–19, 2025
VisitSYV partnered with the City of Solvang and Discover Buellton for three days of intensive buyer and media appointments. Cynthia Gonzalez, Candice Libera and Kathy Vreeland held 40+ appointments on the show floor; Shelby Sim held 20+ media marketplace appointments.
84 Visit the Santa Ynez Valley
TRAVEL TRADE
MORE 2025 MARKETPLACES
California Cup • Destination California • Small & Boutique Meetings VisitSYV built relationships with international tour operators, elite meeting professionals and 20+ meeting planners—while hosting California Cup in the Santa Ynez Valley. 85 86
Visit the Santa Ynez Valley
INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP
LEARNING, SHARING & HOSTING
Staff participated in Visit California’s Travel Outlook Forum, Destinations International and the One West Tourism Alliance Leadership Summit. VisitSYV secured the Santa Ynez Valley as host of the 2026 One West Leadership Summit.
87 2026: THE STORY CONTINUES
RESTAURANT WEEKS, MIDWEEK PROMOTION, PR SUCCESSES, STRONG ATTRIBUTION Across the first half of 2026, VisitSYV delivered strong results despite reduced advertising budgets, with paid search consistently outperforming industry benchmarks and Q1’s Datafy campaign generating an impressive 63.1x ROAS. Earned media is another standout, generating 601 stories and mentions, 7.19 billion in combined reach, and $3.56 million in media value, with Q2 media value increasing 71% year over year. We received covered via Visit California’s FIFA campaign and hosted the One West Tourism Alliance’s CEO Summit. 88 THANK YOU
89 Agenda Forecast
10/12/2026
Item Title Task Owners
PROCLAMATIONS, COMMENDATIONS, AND CEREMONIAL ITEMS:
SBCAG 60th Anniversary Proclamation Annamarie Porter
PRESENTATIONS:
Santa Barbara County Fire Department quarterly report Olivia Uribe-Mutal
CONSENT ITEMS
10/26/2026
Item Title Task Owners
PRESENTATIONS:
PG&E Presentation - State of the Utility by Eric Daniels Olivia Uribe-Mutal
CONSENT ITEMS
Council Goals - Quarterly Update Randy Murphy
SYVT Monthly Ridership Report, Sept. 2026 - Receive and File Bridget Paris Receive and File Quarterly Financial Report for July-September 2026 Wendy Berry Third Quarter Marketing Reports Candice Libera
PUBLIC HEARINGS
Public hearing to consider adoption for 1st Reading an amendment to Sign Regulations Chapter 13, Title 11 of the Solvang Municipal Code Rafael Castillo 11/9/2026
Item Title Task Owners
CONSENT ITEMS
Stormwater Management Program Annual Report Bridget Paris 11/23/2026
12/14/2026
Item Title Task Owners
CONSENT ITEMS
Approve 2027 City Council Meeting Calendar Annamarie Porter
DISCUSSION ITEMS
Council action regarding:
1. Designation of Mayor pro tem for 2027
2. Establishing Council seating arrangements
3. Councilmember appointments to Outside Agency Boards and Committees.
On-Street Parking Restrictions Policy Direction Bridget Paris 1 CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
AGENDA ITEM: 6.a
MEETING DATE: September 28, 2026
SUBJECT: Approve order of Agenda as presented
PREPARED BY: Annamarie Porter, City Clerk
1 CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
AGENDA ITEM: 6.b
MEETING DATE: September 28, 2026
SUBJECT: Approve City Council Minutes of September 14, 2026 PREPARED BY: Annamarie Porter, City Clerk
1 M 2026-09-14 CC
5:30 PM SPECIAL CLOSED SESSION
CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Brown called the Special Closed Session meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chamber, 1644 Oak Street, Solvang, California.
ROLL CALL
Present: Mayor David Brown, Mayor pro tem Louise Smith, Councilmembers Mark Infanti, Claudia Orona, Elizabeth Orona
Absent: None
Staff: City Manager Randy Murphy, City Attorney Chelsea O’Sullivan, Assistant City Attorney Dave Fleishman, City Clerk Annamarie Porter
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Mike Mathews led in the Pledge of Allegiance.
1. PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS ON CLOSED SESSION ONLY
Candice Libera, Jennifer Calbillo, Christian Wright, Johnathan Flynn, Cole Phillips, Jeff Lee, Cliff Reynolds
2. RECESS TO CLOSED SESSION
Mayor Brown recessed to Closed Session at 5:45 p.m.
a. Conference with Labor Negotiators – pursuant to Government Code Section 54957.6 Agency Designated Representative: Dave Fleishman, Assistant City Attorney Employee Organization: Teamsters Union Local 986
b. Conference with Legal Counsel – Existing Litigation – pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.8(d)(1)
Name of Case: Edward St. George v. City of Solvang et al., Case No. 25-cv-07234
RECONVENE TO OPEN SESSION 6:32
MINUTES
SOLVANG CITY COUNCIL
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2026
SPECIAL CLOSED AND REGULAR MEETING
2 M 2026-09-14 CC
ANNOUNCEMENT OF CLOSED SESSION ACTIONS
City Attorney O’Sullivan announced that there was no reportable action.
3. ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Brown adjourned the Closed Session at 6:33 p.m.
6:30 PM REGULAR MEETING
CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Brown called the Regular meeting to order at 6:36 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chamber, 1644 Oak Street, Solvang, California.
ROLL CALL
Present: Mayor David Brown, Mayor pro tem Louise Smith, Councilmembers Mark Infanti, Claudia Orona, Elizabeth Orona
Absent: None
Staff: City Manager Randy Murphy, City Attorney Chelsea O’Sullivan, City Clerk Annamarie Porter, Community Development Director Rafael Castillo, Administrative Services Director Wendy Berry, Public Works Director Bridget Paris, Parks & Recreation Director Jenny McClurg, Utilities Director Jose Acosta
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Lt Henderson led in the Pledge of Allegiance.
1. PROCLAMATIONS, COMMENDATIONS AND CEREMONIAL ITEMS: None
2. PRESENTATIONS
a. Sales and Use Tax Reporting Presentation
3. PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS – NON-AGENDA AND CONSENT ITEMS Steven Gerard Sidlovsky, Denise El Amin, Sue Turner Cray
4. CITY MANAGER REPORT AND ADVANCE CALENDAR
5. GC SECTION 53232.3(d) (aka AB 1234) and GC SECTION 84308 (aka SB 1439)
REPORT OUT, EX-PARTE COMMUNICATIONS, COUNCIL COMMENTS, REQUESTS Councilmember Infanti attended the Rotary Alan Hancock Prop H meeting, Aquatics Valley Highschool Pool, State of the City, Friends of the Library, SBCAG SY River trail project, Parks & Recreation Master plan meetings.
Councilmember C Orona attended the Parks & Rec Master plan meeting. 3 M 2026-09-14 CC
Councilmember E Orona attended the State of the City, Rotary Alan Hancock Bond proposal, Joint use Aquatics, Parks & Rec master plan, two DRC meetings, Planning and DRC Joint meetings.
Councilmember Smith attended the Senior Center Celebration, PAWS SYV Humane Society fundraiser, State of the City and DRC Meetings.
Mayor Brown attended the Parks & Recreation Master plan, SBCAG, State of the City, Neil Taylor Nature Center, CRCC Coast Rail Coordinating Council, SY Association of Realtors shred day, Elverhoy Danish Delights Sisterhood events.
Councilmember E Orona asked for the camera surveillance policy to come back for review.
6. CONSENT ITEMS
a. Approve Order of Agenda as Presented
b. Approve City Council Minutes August 11, 2026 and State of the City August 27, 2026 c. Approve August Warrants
d. SYVT Monthly Ridership Report, July 2026 - Receive and File e. 2026 Santa Ynez Valley Transit Asset Management Plan f. Receive and File Budget Book for Fiscal Years 2026/27 and 2027/28. g. Receive and File Correspondence Consistent with City Council Legislative Platform h. Second Reading and Adoption of Ordinance No. 26-0396 Adding Section 9 to Chapter 3 (Street and Sidewalk Obstruction) of Title 8 (Public Ways and Property) of the Solvang Municipal Code to Regulate Busking
i. Second Reading and Adoption of Ordinance No. 26-0397 Regulating Use of Potable Water for Irrigation of Nonfunctional Turf
Motion by Mayor Brown, seconded by Councilmember E Orona to approve Consent, carried 5/0
7. PUBLIC HEARINGS
a. Public Hearing to Consider Adoption of Resolution 26-1334, Imposing the City’s Last, Best, Final Offer, (LBFO) Effective September 21, 2026.
Report by Assistant City Attorney Fleishman
Mayor Brown Opened the Public hearing
Public Comment: Candice Libera, Jeff Lee
Mayor Brown closed the Public Hearing
Motion by Mayor Brown, seconded by Councilmember Infanti to Adopt Resolution 26-1334 imposing the City’s Last, Best, Final Offer, (LBFO) Effective September 21, 2026. carried 5-0.
8. DISCUSSION ITEMS
Approve Agreement with Harris & Associates, Inc. for a Development Impact Fee Nexus Study and Fee Update, Authorize the Mayor to execute such Agreement, and approve the corresponding budget 4 M 2026-09-14 CC
adjustment.
Administrative Services Director Berry provided the report Public Comment: None
a. Motion by Councilmember Infanti, seconded by Councilmember C Orona to Approve Agreement with Harris & Associates, Inc. for a Development Impact Fee Nexus Study and Fee Update, Authorize the Mayor to execute such Agreement, and approve the corresponding budget adjustment.
9. COUNCIL CLOSING COMMENTS
10. ADJOURNMENT – 8:08 p.m. in memory of Joanie Jamieson Respectfully submitted,
Annamarie Porter, MMC, City Clerk
5 CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
AGENDA ITEM: 6.c
MEETING DATE: September 28, 2026
SUBJECT: SYVT Monthly Ridership Report, Aug. 2026 - Receive and File PREPARED BY: Bridget Paris, Public Works Director / City Engineer ATTACHMENTS:
A. SYVT Monthly Summary Letter Aug 2026
B. SYVT DAR Ridership and Productivity Aug 2026
C. SYVT Fixed Route Ridership and Productivity Aug 2026 1 Roadrunner Management Services, Inc.
240 S Glenn Drive
Camarillo, CA 93010
(805) 389-8196
Randy Murphy August 31, 2026
City Manager
City of Solvang
411 Second St.
Solvang, CA. 93463
Subject: August 2026 Monthly Report
Dear Randy,
During the month of August, the On-Time Performance for the SYVT Fixed Route System was 96%, Los Olivos loop 100%, and the Dial-a-Ride Service had an On-Time Performance of 97.2%. As for the ridership, the Fixed Route had 4054 riders in the month of August with a total of 212 transfers, 136 bikes and 0 wheelchair lift assists. Los Olivos loop had 59 transfers, 44 bikes and 0 wheelchair lift assist. Dial-aRide had 106 Solvang passengers, 73 Buellton Passengers, and 32 County passengers totaling 211 passengers with 60 wheelchair lift assists.
In comparing prior month’s ridership and year to year
SYVT Ridership
Fixed Route Dial-A-Ride
July 2026 3861 165
August 2026 4054 211
August 2025 3588 214
There were no accidents in the month of August involving an SYVT vehicle. During the month we had no employee separations, and no new drivers were hired. Roadrunner Management Services emphasizes providing outstanding customer service along with safe and reliable transportation to the residents in the Santa Ynez Valley.
Sincerely,
Arcelia Partida
General Manager
Roadrunner Management Services, Inc.
2 Ridership
Current Month Current Quarter FY 26-27
S-Cash 43 77 77
S-Ticket/Pass 40 75 75
S-Free 23 39 39
Solvang Passengers 106 191 191
S W/C Lift Deployment 38 75 75
B-Cash 29 43 43
B-Ticket/Pass 34 71 71
B-Free 10 19 19
Buellton Passengers 73 133 133
B W/C Lift Deployment 16 31 31
C-Cash 6 11 11
C-Ticket/Pass 25 40 40
C-Free 1 1 1
County Passengers 32 52 52
C W/C Lift Deployment 6 10 10
Ridership Totals
Total Revenue Passengers 211 376 376
Total W/C Lift Deployment 60 116 116
Miles and Hours
Total Billed Revenue Hours 203.00 385.00 385.00
Total Deadhead Hours 24.20 44.27 44.27
Total Hours 227.20 429.27 429.27
Total Revenue Miles 897 1,538 1,538
Total Deadhead Miles 286 530 530
Total Miles 1,183 2,068 2,068
SYVT DAR Performance Indicators
DAR Passengers per RVS Mile 0.24 0.25 0.24
DAR Passengers per RVS Hour 1.04 0.97 0.98
On-Time Performance 97.20% 98.30% 98.30%
SYVT
Dial-A-Ride Data Analysis Report
Aug-26
29 Service Days
# LIMITED SHARING
3 Aug-26
Week 1 2 3 4 5
Start Aug-1 Aug-3 Aug-10 Aug-17 Aug-24 Total
End Aug-2 Aug-9 Aug-16 Aug-23 Aug-31
Cash 11 15 27 15 10 78
Pass 10 24 27 20 18 99
Free 8 8 6 6 6 34
Passenger Totals 29 47 60 41 34 211
W/C Lift Deployments 10 10 12 16 12 60
Day Mondays Tuesdays Wednesdays Thursdays Fridays Saturdays Sundays Total Cash 9 6 4 4 32 9 14 78
Pass 15 21 22 0 19 14 8 99
Free 2 0 0 0 30 2 0 34
Passenger Totals 26 27 26 4 81 25 22 211
W/C Lift Deployments 6 6 4 0 30 6 8 60
Cash Pass Free Total W/C Lift
37% 47% 16% 100% 14%
0.24 1.04
All Dial-A-Ride (Ridership Distribution Report)
Dial-A-Ride Performance Indicators August 2026
Passengers Per RVS Mile
Passengers Per RVS Hour
# LIMITED SHARING
4 Aug-26
Week 1 2 3 4 5
Start Aug-1 Aug-3 Aug-10 Aug-17 Aug-24 Total
End Aug-2 Aug-9 Aug-16 Aug-23 Aug-31
Cash 6 10 15 6 6 43
Pass 4 10 11 7 8 40
Free 5 6 4 4 4 23
Passenger Totals 15 26 30 17 18 106
W/C Lift Deployments 6 6 9 9 8 38
Day Mondays Tuesdays Wednesdays Thursdays Fridays Saturdays Sundays Total Cash 5 4 2 1 20 5 6 43
Pass 8 9 7 0 4 9 3 40
Free 2 0 0 0 20 1 0 23
Passenger Totals 15 13 9 1 44 15 9 106
W/C Lift Deployments 3 5 2 0 20 4 4 38
Cash Pass Free Total W/C Lift
41% 38% 22% 100% 18%
Solvang Dial-A-Ride (Ridership Distribution Report)
# LIMITED SHARING
5 Aug-26
Week 1 2 3 4 5
Start Aug-1 Aug-3 Aug-10 Aug-17 Aug-24 Total
End Aug-2 Aug-9 Aug-16 Aug-23 Aug-31
Cash 4 4 11 7 3 29
Pass 3 9 12 4 6 34
Free 2 2 2 2 2 10
Passenger Totals 9 15 25 13 11 73
W/C Lift Deployments 3 4 2 3 4 16
Day Mondays Tuesdays Wednesdays Thursdays Fridays Saturdays Sundays Total Cash 4 1 1 2 12 3 6 29
Pass 3 8 12 0 6 2 3 34
Free 0 0 0 0 10 0 0 10
Passenger Totals 7 9 13 2 28 5 9 73
W/C Lift Deployments 2 1 1 0 10 0 2 16
Cash Pass Free Total W/C Lift
40% 47% 14% 100% 11%
Buellton Dial-A-Ride (Ridership Distribution Report)
# LIMITED SHARING
6 Aug-26
Week 1 2 3 4 5
Start Aug-1 Aug-3 Aug-10 Aug-17 Aug-24 Total
End Aug-2 Aug-9 Aug-16 Aug-23 Aug-31
Cash 1 1 1 2 1 6
Pass 3 5 4 9 4 25
Free 1 0 0 0 0 1
Passenger Totals 5 6 5 11 5 32
W/C Lift Deployments 1 0 1 4 0 6
Day Mondays Tuesdays Wednesdays Thursdays Fridays Saturdays Sundays Total Cash 0 1 1 1 0 1 2 6
Pass 4 4 3 0 9 3 2 25
Free 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
Passenger Totals 4 5 4 1 9 5 4 32
W/C Lift Deployments 1 0 1 0 0 2 2 6
Cash Pass Free Total W/C Lift
19% 78% 3% 100% 9%
County Dial-A-Ride (Ridership Distribution Report)
# LIMITED SHARING
7 #REF!
Week 1 2 3 4 5
Start Aug-1 Aug-3 Aug-10 Aug-17 Aug-24 Total
End Aug-2 Aug-9 Aug-16 Aug-23 Aug-31
Service Days 1 7 7 7 7 29
Average Revenue Vehicle Service Hours 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 Billed Revenue Vehicle Service Hours 7.00 49.00 49.00 49.00 49.00 203.00 Deadhead Hours 0.97 6.00 5.42 6.23 5.58 24.20
Total Vehicle Hours 7.97 55.00 54.42 55.23 54.58 227.20 Average Revenue Vehicle Service Miles 54 21 34 38 28 31 Billed Revenue Vehicle Service Miles 54 146 237 263 197 897 Deadhead Miles 5 63 78 79 61 286
Total Vehicle Miles 59 209 315 342 258 1,183
Day Mondays Tuesdays Wednesdays Thursdays Fridays Saturdays Sundays Total Service Days 5 4 4 4 4 3 5 29
Average Revenue Vehicle Service Hours 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 Billed Revenue Vehicle Service Hours 35.00 28.00 28.00 28.00 28.00 21.00 35.00 203.00 Deadhead Hours 2.87 4.73 3.18 3.47 5.10 0.73 4.12 24.20 Total Vehicle Hours 37.87 32.73 31.18 31.47 33.10 21.73 39.12 227.20 Average Revenue Vehicle Service Miles 15 24 33 37 38 4 57 31 Billed Revenue Vehicle Service Miles 75 94 130 147 152 12 287 897 Deadhead Miles 35 67 41 49 51 12 31 286
Total Vehicle Miles 110 161 171 196 203 24 318 1,183
SYVT Dial-A-Ride (Miles and Hours Report)
Aug-26
Dial-A-Ride
# LIMITED SHARING
8 SYVT Dial-A-Ride Aug-26
DAR
203.00
$54.45
$11,053.35
$281.05
2.54%
SYVT Dial-A-Ride (Revenue Report) Aug-26
Week Week Ending DAR Passes -
Ticket Sales
DAR Fares
Cash Collected
Total
Collected/
Actual Bank
Deposits
Projected
DAR Fares
Cash
Projected
Cash v. Actual
Cash Variance
1 August 9 $17.50 $38.50 $56.00 $24.25 $14.25
2 August 16 $35.00 $48.05 $83.05 $30.75 $17.30
3 August 23 $17.50 $41.00 $58.50 $50.75 -$9.75
4 August 30 $35.00 $31.00 $66.00 $29.25 $1.75
5 August 31 $17.50 $0.00 $17.50 $17.50 -$17.50
Totals $122.50 $158.55 $281.05 $152.50 $6.05
Aug 2026 DAR Passes -
Ticket Sales
DAR Fares
Cash Collected Total
DAR Revenue 44% 56% 100%
Farebox Recovery Ratio
Pass Sales + Fares
Monthly Totals
Revenue Hours
Per Hour Cost
Total Cost this Month
Fare Box Revenue
# LIMITED SHARING
9 Aug-26
Week Ending Mon -Sat
Senior/ADA Cash
Sun
General Cash Total Projected
1 August 9
Passengers 1 10 11
Fare Value $1.75 $2.25
Projected Deposit $1.75 $22.50 $24.25
2 August 16
Passengers 6 9 15
Fare Value $1.75 $2.25
Projected Deposit $10.50 $20.25 $30.75
3 August 23
Passengers 20 7 27
Fare Value $1.75 $2.25
Projected Deposit $35.00 $15.75 $50.75
4 August 30
Passengers 9 6 15
Fare Value $1.75 $2.25
Projected Deposit $15.75 $13.50 $29.25
5 August 31
Passengers 10 0 10
Fare Value $1.75 $2.25
Projected Deposit $17.50 $0.00 $17.50
Totals $80.50 $72.00 $152.50
Ridership/Fare Break-Up
Cash Pass-Tickets Free Total
DAR Passenger Counts 78 99 34 211
% Ridership 37% 47% 16% 100%
203.00
$54.45
$11,053.35
$152.50
Projected DAR Pass/Tickets $173.25
2.95%
Projected Cash Fare Deposits
Projected Farebox Recovery Ratio
Projected DAR Fares
Projected Farebox Recovery
Revenue Vehicle Hours
Per Revenue Vehicle Hour Cost
Total Cost This Month
# LIMITED SHARING
10 Ridership Totals
EXPRESS
LOS
OLIVOS
LOOP
Current
Month Current QTR FY YTD
General Fare Cash 955 136 1,091 2,176 2,176
Senior Cash 792 154 946 1,954 1,954
ADA Certified Cash 757 50 807 1,312 1,312
Pass Adult 174 50 224 503 503
Pass Senior / ADA Cert 135 18 153 318 318
Monthly Pass Reg 50 17 67 139 139
Monthly Pass Snr 161 9 170 377 377
Monthly Pass ADA 171 98 269 541 541
NEW Summer Youth Pass 1 0 1 1 1
Transfers 212 59 271 479 479
Free < 5 35 12 47 103 103
Free PA 8 0 8 12 12
Passengers 3,451 603 4,054 7,915 7,915
Bikes 136 44 180 383 383
Lifts 0 0 0 3 3
W/C 0 0 0 0 0
Accessibile Service 0 0 0 3 3
Miles and Hours
Total Billed RVSH 694.50 234.97 929.47 1,854.92 1,854.92 Total Non-Revenue Hours 41.55 41.63 83 171 171
Total Hours 736.05 276.6 1,012.65 2,026.37 2,026.10
Total Revenue Miles 10,795 3,632 14,427 28,708 28,708
Total Non-Revenue Miles 176 84 260 525 525
Total Miles 10970.91 3716 14,687 29,233 29233
Performance Indicators
Passengers per RVS Mile 0.32 0.17 0.28 0.28 0.28
Passengers per RVS Hour 4.97 2.57 4.36 4.27 4.27
On-Time Performance 96% 100% 98% 0.99 99%
Fares EXP Cash LOL Cash Total On Route Pass Sales Total Revenue August 2026 $3,227.09 $556.59 $3,783.68 $868.50 $4,652.18
ALL FIXED ROUTES TOTAL
SYVT
Fixed Route Data Analysis Report
Aug-26
26 Service Days
# LIMITED SHARING
11 Aug-26
Week 1 2 3 4 5 All
Start Aug 1 Aug 3 Aug 10 Aug17 Aug 24 Service
End Aug 2 Aug 9 Aug 16 Aug 23 Aug 31 Total
General Fare Cash 29 260 266 276 260 1091
Senior Cash 23 251 219 225 228 946
ADA Certified Cash 7 101 218 212 269 807
Pass Adult 6 60 48 51 59 224
Pass Senior / ADA Cert 5 30 43 28 47 153
Monthly Pass Reg 4 13 16 11 23 67
Monthly Pass Snr 3 48 37 46 36 170
Monthly Pass ADA 15 47 74 60 73 269
NEW Summer Youth Pass 0 0 0 1 0 1
Transfers 3 77 61 64 66 271
Free < 5 3 22 12 5 5 47
Free PA 0 1 2 4 1 8
Passenger Totals 98 910 996 983 1067 4,054
Bikes 17 41 43 40 39 180
Lifts 0 0 0 0 0 0
W/C 0 0 0 0 0 0
Accessible Service 0 0 0 0 0 0
Service Days 2 6 6 6 6 26
Average Revenue Vehicle Service Hours 17.88 35.87 35.85 35.81 41.43 35.75 Billed Revenue Vehicle Service Hours 35.76 215.20 215.08 214.83 248.60 929.47 Deadhead Hours 3.18 19.95 17.87 19.32 22.87 83.18
Total Vehicle Hours 38.95 235.15 232.95 234.15 271.46 1012.65 Average Revenue Vehicle Service Miles 282 571 540 546 654 555 Billed Revenue Vehicle Service Miles 563 3426 3239 3276 3923 14,427 Deadhead Miles 10 63 56 56 75 260
Total Vehicle Miles 573 3,489 3,295 3,332 3,998 14,687
Day Mondays Tuesdays Wednesdays Thursdays Fridays Saturdays Total General Fare Cash 192 209 169 188 156 177 1091
Senior Cash 185 156 185 139 119 162 946
ADA Certified Cash 157 129 141 127 174 79 807
Pass Adult 35 46 34 39 41 29 224
Pass Senior / ADA Cert 22 21 20 28 34 28 153
Monthly Pass Reg 17 9 13 8 10 10 67
Monthly Pass Snr 45 20 28 16 36 25 170
Monthly Pass ADA 65 36 49 33 40 46 269
NEW Summer Youth Pass 0 0 0 1 0 0 1
Transfers 46 58 35 50 49 33 271
Free < 5 6 12 6 15 4 4 47
Free PA 0 4 2 0 0 2 8
Passenger Totals 770 700 682 644 663 595 4,054
Bikes 36 29 34 32 26 23 180
Lifts 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
W/C 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Accessible Service 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Service Days 5 4 4 4 4 5 26
Average Revenue Vehicle Service Hours 35.45 35.83 35.79 35.83 35.84 35.81 35.75 Billed Revenue Vehicle Service Hours 177.25 143.32 143.15 143.32 143.35 179.07 929.47 Deadhead Hours 15.45 12.62 12.85 13.22 13.18 15.87 83.18 Total Vehicle Hours 192.70 155.94 156.00 156.54 156.54 194.93 1012.65 Average Revenue Vehicle Service Miles 517 567 566 560 559 567 555 Billed Revenue Vehicle Service Miles 2586 2268 2263 2241 2235 2834 14,427 Deadhead Miles 49 38 38 37 42 56 260
Total Vehicle Miles 2,635 2,306 2,301 2,278 2,277 2,890 14,687 Ridership Distribution Report - All Routes (Express / Los Olivos Loop) # LIMITED SHARING
12 Aug-26
Week 1 2 3 4 5 Express
Start Aug 1 Aug 3 Aug 10 Aug17 Aug 24 Service
End Aug 2 Aug 9 Aug 16 Aug 23 Aug 31 Total
General Fare Cash 28 223 229 243 232 955
Senior Cash 22 222 173 178 197 792
ADA Certified Cash 7 98 201 195 256 757
Pass Adult 5 44 38 40 47 174
Pass Senior / ADA Cert 3 29 35 25 43 135
Monthly Pass Reg 2 9 12 9 18 50
Monthly Pass Snr 3 44 34 44 36 161
Monthly Pass ADA 9 28 45 40 49 171
NEW Summer Youth Pass 0 0 0 1 0 1
Transfers 2 62 46 48 54 212
Free < 5 3 14 9 4 5 35
Free PA 0 1 2 4 1 8
Passenger Totals 84 774 824 831 938 3,451
Bikes 17 30 31 30 28 136
6 29 30 37 34
Lifts 0 0 0 0 0 0
W/C 0 0 0 0 0 0
Accessible Service 0 0 0 0 0 0
Service Days 2 6 6 6 6 26
Average Revenue Vehicle Service Hours 13.36 26.79 26.79 26.74 30.97 26.71 Billed Revenue Vehicle Service Hours 26.72 160.76 160.72 160.46 185.84 694.50 Deadhead Hours 1.53 10.07 9.35 9.73 10.87 41.55
Total Vehicle Hours 28.26 170.82 170.07 170.19 196.71 736.05 Average Revenue Vehicle Service Miles 213 429 400 408 492 415 Billed Revenue Vehicle Service Miles 425 2573 2402 2446 2949 10,795 Deadhead Miles 7 44 38 36 51 176
Total Vehicle Miles 432 2,617 2,440 2,482 3,000 10,971
Day Mondays Tuesdays Wednesdays Thursdays Fridays Saturdays Total General Fare Cash 158 190 154 166 131 156 955
Senior Cash 160 131 150 118 94 139 792
ADA Certified Cash 150 120 131 120 157 79 757
Pass Adult 28 38 25 32 30 21 174
Pass Senior / ADA Cert 20 20 19 28 27 21 135
Monthly Pass Reg 12 7 9 7 8 7 50
Monthly Pass Snr 43 18 26 16 36 22 161
Monthly Pass ADA 39 25 31 19 26 31 171
NEW Summer Youth Pass 0 0 0 1 0 0 1
Transfers 42 49 25 36 38 22 212
Free < 5 5 12 4 7 4 3 35
Free PA 0 4 2 0 0 2 8
Passenger Totals 657 614 576 550 551 503 3,451
Bikes 23 22 25 24 21 21 136
Lifts 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
W/C 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Accessible Service 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Service Days 5 4 4 4 4 5 26
Average Revenue Vehicle Service Hours 26.50 26.79 26.73 26.78 26.77 26.75 26.71 Billed Revenue Vehicle Service Hours 132.48 107.16 106.91 107.11 107.09 133.75 694.50 Deadhead Hours 7.48 6.48 6.48 6.72 6.58 7.80 41.55
Total Vehicle Hours 139.96 113.64 113.39 113.83 113.68 141.55 736.05 Average Revenue Vehicle Service Miles 378 427 426 420 420 427 415 Billed Revenue Vehicle Service Miles 1890 1709 1704 1679 1680 2133 10,795 Deadhead Miles 33 26 28 24 28 37 176
Total Vehicle Miles 1,923 1,735 1,732 1,703 1,708 2,170 10,971 Ridership Distribution Report - Express Routes AM/PM
# LIMITED SHARING
13 Aug-26
Week
Start Service
End Total
Express Buellton Solvang County Buellton Solvang County Buellton Solvang County Buellton Solvang County Buellton Solvang County Buellton
Total
Solvang
Total
County
Total
General Fare Cash 5 13 10 87 106 30 93 101 35 86 116 41 77 105 50 348 441 166 955 Senior Cash 6 11 5 75 99 48 61 80 32 67 84 27 67 90 40 276 364 152 792 ADA Certified Cash 3 1 3 37 46 15 97 72 32 89 75 31 103 110 43 329 304 124 757 Pass Adult 0 3 2 18 21 5 13 19 6 16 17 7 17 20 10 64 80 30 174 Pass Senior / ADA Cert 2 1 0 10 12 7 12 14 9 6 13 6 13 12 18 43 52 40 135 Monthly Pass Reg 2 0 0 1 5 3 3 8 1 2 2 5 10 5 3 18 20 12 50 Monthly Pass Snr 3 0 0 19 11 14 12 10 12 18 13 13 12 14 10 64 48 49 161 Monthly Pass ADA 5 3 1 13 11 4 20 20 5 17 18 5 14 27 8 69 79 23 171 NEW Summer Youth Pass 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 Transfers 0 2 0 0 62 0 0 46 0 0 48 0 0 54 0 0 212 0 212 Free < 5 0 2 1 11 3 0 3 3 3 3 1 0 3 1 1 20 10 5 35
Free PA 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 2 0 2 1 0 0 5 1 2 8
Passenger Totals 26 36 22 272 376 126 315 374 135 306 388 137 317 438 183 1236 1612 603 3,451 Bikes 2 2 2 15 9 5 15 9 6 18 14 5 12 13 7 62 47 25 134
Lifts 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
W/C 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Accessible Service 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Day Buellton Solvang County
Buellton Solvang County Buellton Solvang County Buellton Solvang County Buellton Solvang County Buellton Solvang County Buellton Solvang County Total Total Total General Fare Cash 51 80 27 68 89 33 62 74 18 63 74 29 51 60 20 53 64 39 348 441 166 955 Senior Cash 61 65 34 56 48 27 45 77 28 35 67 16 31 46 17 48 61 30 276 364 152 792 ADA Certified Cash 66 52 32 54 48 18 51 57 23 44 60 16 71 62 24 43 25 11 329 304 124 757 Pass Adult 12 12 4 17 14 7 6 13 6 11 15 6 11 14 5 7 12 2 64 80 30 174 Pass Senior / ADA Cert 2 9 9 4 8 8 6 7 6 12 10 6 10 9 8 9 9 3 43 52 40 135 Monthly Pass Reg 5 5 2 3 3 1 3 4 2 1 4 2 3 3 2 3 1 3 18 20 12 50 Monthly Pass Snr 14 16 13 5 5 8 14 6 6 3 7 6 14 11 11 14 3 5 64 48 49 161 Monthly Pass ADA 15 19 5 9 13 3 11 16 4 8 6 5 9 13 4 17 12 2 69 79 23 171 NEW Summer Youth Pass 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 Transfers 0 42 0 0 49 0 0 25 0 0 36 0 0 38 0 0 22 0 0 212 0 212 Free < 5 3 2 0 8 3 1 0 1 3 7 0 0 2 2 0 0 2 1 20 10 5 35 Free PA 0 0 0 4 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 5 1 2 8
Passenger Totals 229 302 126 228 280 106 199 281 96 184 280 86 202 258 91 194 211 98 1236 1612 603 3,451 Bikes 9 9 5 9 7 6 12 8 5 12 9 3 11 7 3 9 9 3 62 49 25 136 Lifts 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
W/C 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Accessible Service 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
EXPRESS
Saturdays
Total
1 Aug 1
Mondays Tuesdays Wednesdays Thursdays Fridays
Aug 2 Aug 9 Aug 16 Aug 23
Boarding Cities Ridership Distribution Report - EXPRESS 2 3 4 5
Aug 31
Aug 3 Aug 10 Aug 17 Aug 24
# LIMITED SHARING
14 Monthly Totals
694.50
$ 54.45
$ 37,815.53
$ 4,095.59
10.83%
Projected Fares + Pass Sales
WK Ending Pass Sales Farebox
Cash Fares Total
Projected Total
Cash Fares
(based on
ridership)
Variance Cash
Projected v.
Actual
1 2-Aug $190.00 $788.65 $978.65 $74.75 $713.90
2 9-Aug $140.00 $787.62 $927.62 $685.50 $102.12
3 16-Aug $56.50 $792.72 $849.22 $710.50 $82.22
4 23-Aug $277.50 $741.65 $1,019.15 $733.25 $8.40
5 31-Aug $204.50 $116.45 $320.95 $786.25 -$669.80
Totals $868.50 $3,227.09 $4,095.59 $2,990.25 $236.84
Actual Recovery Ratio
SYVT Express Routes (Revenue Report)
SYVT Express Routes (Recovery Ratio)
Aug-26
Express Fares
Revenue Hours
Per Hour Cost
Total Cost this Month
Express Revenue
# LIMITED SHARING
15 Aug-26
Week 1 2 3 4 5 0 Express
Start Aug 1 Aug 3 Aug 10 Aug17 Aug 24 Jan 0 Service
End Aug 2 Aug 9 Aug 16 Aug 23 Aug 31 Jan 0 Total
General Fare Cash 1 37 37 33 28 136
Senior Cash 1 29 46 47 31 154
ADA Certified Cash 0 3 17 17 13 50
Pass Adult 1 16 10 11 12 50
Pass Senior / ADA Cert 2 1 8 3 4 18
Monthly Pass Reg 2 4 4 2 5 17
Monthly Pass Snr 0 4 3 2 0 9
Monthly Pass ADA 6 19 29 20 24 98
NEW Summer Youth Pass 0 0 0 0 0 0
Transfers 1 15 15 16 12 59
Free < 5 0 8 3 1 0 12
Free PA 0 0 0 0 0 0
Passenger Totals 14 136 172 152 129 603
Bikes 0 11 12 10 11 44
Lifts 0 0 0 0 0 0
W/C 0 0 0 0 0 0
Accessible Service 0 0 0 0 0 0
Service Days 1 6 6 6 7 26
Average Revenue Vehicle Service Hours 9.04 9.07 9.06 9.06 8.97 9.04 Billed Revenue Vehicle Service Hours 9.04 54.44 54.36 54.37 62.76 234.97 Deadhead Hours 1.65 9.88 8.52 9.58 12.00 41.63
Total Vehicle Hours 10.69 64.32 62.87 63.96 74.76 276.60 Average Revenue Vehicle Service Miles 138 142 140 138 139 140 Billed Revenue Vehicle Service Miles 138 853 837 830 974 3,632 Deadhead Miles 3 19 18 20 24 84
Total Vehicle Miles 141 872 855 850 998 3,716
Day Mondays Tuesdays Wednesdays Thursdays Fridays Saturdays Total General Fare Cash 34 19 15 22 25 21 136
Senior Cash 25 25 35 21 25 23 154
ADA Certified Cash 7 9 10 7 17 0 50
Pass Adult 7 8 9 7 11 8 50
Pass Senior / ADA Cert 2 1 1 0 7 7 18
Monthly Pass Reg 5 2 4 1 2 3 17
Monthly Pass Snr 2 2 2 0 0 3 9
Monthly Pass ADA 26 11 18 14 14 15 98
NEW Summer Youth Pass 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Transfers 4 9 10 14 11 11 59
Free < 5 1 0 2 8 0 1 12
Free PA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Passenger Totals 113 86 106 94 112 92 603
Bikes 13 7 9 8 5 2 44
Lifts 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
W/C 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Accessible Service 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Service Days 5 4 4 4 4 5 26
Average Revenue Vehicle Service Hours 8.96 9.04 9.06 9.05 9.07 9.06 9.04 Billed Revenue Vehicle Service Hours 44.78 36.16 36.24 36.21 36.26 45.32 234.97 Deadhead Hours 7.97 6.13 6.37 6.50 6.60 8.07 41.63
Total Vehicle Hours 52.74 42.29 42.61 42.71 42.86 53.38 276.60 Average Revenue Vehicle Service Miles 139 140 140 141 139 140 140 Billed Revenue Vehicle Service Miles 696 559 559 562 555 701 3,632 Deadhead Miles 16 12 10 13 14 19 84
Total Vehicle Miles 712 571 569 575 569 720 3,716
Ridership Distribution Report - Los Olivos Loop
# LIMITED SHARING
16 Aug-26
Week
Start Service
End Total
Express Buellton Solvang County Buellton Solvang County Buellton Solvang County Buellton Solvang County Buellton Solvang County Buellton
Total
Solvang
Total
County
Total
General Fare Cash 0 0 1 0 22 15 0 25 12 0 21 12 0 18 10 0 86 50 136 Senior Cash 0 0 1 0 13 16 0 21 25 0 18 29 0 10 21 0 62 92 154 ADA Certified Cash 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 6 11 0 7 10 0 5 8 0 18 32 50 Pass Adult 0 0 1 0 8 8 0 5 5 0 6 5 0 6 6 0 25 25 50
Pass Senior / ADA Cert 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 4 4 0 1 2 0 1 3 0 8 10 18 Monthly Pass Reg 0 1 1 0 1 3 0 4 0 0 2 0 0 2 3 0 10 7 17 Monthly Pass Snr 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 2 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 6 3 9
Monthly Pass ADA 0 2 4 0 10 9 0 14 15 0 14 6 0 13 11 0 53 45 98 NEW Summer Youth Pass 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Transfers 0 1 0 0 15 0 0 15 0 0 16 0 0 12 0 0 59 0 59
Free < 5 0 0 0 0 8 0 0 3 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 12 0 12
Free PA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Passenger Totals 0 6 8 0 79 57 0 99 73 0 88 64 0 67 62 0 339 264 603 Bikes 0 0 0 0 5 6 0 6 6 0 6 4 0 3 6 0 20 22 42
Lifts 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
W/C 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Accessible Service 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Day Buellton Solvang County
Buellton Solvang County Buellton Solvang County Buellton Solvang County Buellton Solvang County Buellton Solvang County Buellton Solvang County Total Total Total General Fare Cash 0 21 13 0 10 9 0 10 5 0 14 8 0 13 7 0 18 8 0 86 50 136 Senior Cash 0 11 14 0 16 9 0 12 23 0 8 13 0 7 11 0 8 22 0 62 92 154 ADA Certified Cash 0 1 6 0 6 3 0 2 8 0 1 6 0 5 8 0 3 1 0 18 32 50 Pass Adult 0 6 1 0 6 2 0 3 6 0 2 5 0 5 4 0 3 7 0 25 25 50 Pass Senior / ADA Cert 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 5 5 0 8 10 18 Monthly Pass Reg 0 3 2 0 0 2 0 2 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 3 1 0 10 7 17 Monthly Pass Snr 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 6 3 9 Monthly Pass ADA 0 12 14 0 8 3 0 9 9 0 9 5 0 6 4 0 9 10 0 53 45 98 NEW Summer Youth Pass 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Transfers 0 4 0 0 9 0 0 10 0 0 14 0 0 8 0 0 14 0 0 59 0 59 Free < 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 8 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 12 0 12
Free PA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Passenger Totals 0 62 51 0 57 29 0 51 55 0 57 37 0 47 36 0 65 56 0 339 264 603 Bikes 0 6 7 0 5 2 0 3 6 0 3 5 0 2 1 0 3 1 0 22 22 44
Lifts 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
W/C 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Accessible Service 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
LOS OLIVOS EXPRESS
Saturdays
Total
1 Aug 1
Mondays Tuesdays Wednesdays Thursdays Fridays
Aug 2 Aug 9 Aug 16 Aug 23
Boarding Cities Ridership Distribution Report - LOS OLIVOS EXPRESS 2 3 4 5
Aug 31
Aug 3 Aug 10 Aug 17 Aug 24
# LIMITED SHARING
17 Monthly Totals
234.97
$ 54.45
$ 12,794.12
$ 556.59
4.35%
Projected Fares + Pass Sales
WK Ending Farebox
Cash Fares Total
Projected Total
Cash Fares
(based on
ridership)
Variance Cash
Projected v.
Actual
1 2-Aug $118.90 $118.90 $2.75 $116.15
2 9-Aug $149.05 $149.05 $94.00 $55.05
3 16-Aug $154.09 $154.09 $125.75 $28.34
4 23-Aug $108.25 $108.25 $121.00 -$12.75
5 31-Aug $26.30 $26.30 $90.50 -$64.20
Totals $556.59 $556.59 $434.00 $122.59
Actual Recovery Ratio
SYVT Los Olivos Loop Routes (Revenue Report)
SYVT Los Olivos Loop Routes (Recovery Ratio)
Aug-26
Express Fares
Revenue Hours
Per Hour Cost
Total Cost this Month
Express Revenue
# LIMITED SHARING
18 Aug-26
Express Route AM 6:30-7:30 7:30-8:30 8:30-9:30 9:30-10:30 10:30-11:30 11:30-12:30 Total Passengers 436 294 329 0 377 316 1752
Express Route PM 12:30-13:30 13:30-14:30 14:30-15:30 15:30-16:30 16:30-17:30 17:30-18:30 18:30-19:00 Total Passengers 273 271 406 189 176 188 196 1699
LOL 7:00 8:00 9:00 11:00 12:00 14:30 15:30 17:30 Total Total Passengers 53 130 68 57 60 83 0 152 603 4054
EXPRESS ROUTES - Ridership Counts By Hour
# LIMITED SHARING
19 CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
AGENDA ITEM: 8.a
MEETING DATE: September 28, 2026
SUBJECT: Development of Policies and Standards for Construction Site Governance
PREPARED BY: Rafael Castillo, Community Development Director DISCUSSION:
Background
The City has currently 12 active “major” projects which include new residential units, new ADUs, and a commercial development over 500 square feet. Some of these construction sites are highly visible from major streets and/or within the Village, while others are in residential neighborhoods. Over the last year or so, several major construction projects have faced significant delays for a variety of reasons. There are also additional construction projects in various stages of plan review, including several that staff anticipates will commence construction in the next few months.
Due to the number of ongoing construction projects here in the City, the Council requested staff to bring project site governance forward for Council consideration. Site governance is defined as rules and standards regarding the condition, appearance, activity, and duration of construction activities on a private property site. Historically, the city has relied on “Conditions of Approval” for site governance on a site-by-site basis.
Current Regulations
The City of Solvang Municipal Code does not have one singular section dedicated to “site governance”.
Instead, existing regulations address the following:
• Property maintenance and nuisance conditions, including conditions associated with prolonged or unfinished construction (Solvang Municipal Code Section 5-3-2) • Construction hours (Solvang Municipal Code Section 11-11-8) Solvang Municipal Code Section 5-3-2 (Attachment A) addresses property maintenance and identifies certain conditions that may constitute a nuisance. Under these provisions, an unfinished building or structure that has remained under construction for 18 months or more may be considered in an unreasonable state of partial construction when its appearance or condition substantially detracts from surrounding properties or reduces surrounding property values. These provisions provide the City with an existing mechanism to address prolonged construction, however, the applicability of Chapter 5-3, is limited by the definitions contained within that chapter and does not function as a comprehensive citywide construction-duration standard. Additionally, an unfinished structure that has remained under construction for 18 months or more is not automatically considered a nuisance solely because of its duration.
The Zoning Regulations have only one section that discusses active construction. Section 11-11-8 generally limits construction activity to 7:30 a.m. through 5:30 p.m. on weekdays and prohibits construction on Saturdays, Sundays, and state or national holidays unless written authorization is 1 provided by the Community Development Director or designee, or an emergency exists (Attachment B). Limited additional hours are provided for individual property owners or tenants performing work themselves. These regulations primarily address the effects of construction activity on neighboring properties rather than the overall appearance or length of time that a construction site may be ongoing. Further, an unintended consequence of limited construction hours is prolonged construction periods. This is compounded the fact that it is now rare for residential construction to be completed as an “owner builder”. The hours of construction have not been modified since its adoption in 2004 and are the most restrictive on the central coast. Most jurisdictions typically allow construction from 7 am to 7 pm Monday through Friday, and either at the same time on Saturday or with a slightly later start.
Construction is not usually allowed on Sundays or, if allowed, the allowable time period is heavily modified.
Collectively, these provisions provide the City with an enforcement mechanism once construction conditions become sufficiently detrimental as to be a nuisance but provide limited standards for proactively regulating the appearance and maintenance of construction sites before reaching the nuisance threshold. However, the existing standards do not establish a comprehensive citywide framework governing the ongoing visual condition of active construction sites or construction timelines.
The increasing number of construction projects on the horizon, along with an emphasis on infill development, presents the City with an opportunity to consider more comprehensive standards for site appearance, maintenance, screening to minimize impacts to neighboring properties, and keep appearances in critical areas.
Potential Site Governance Regulations
City staff reviewed site governance regulations from various jurisdictions. Like Solvang, some jurisdictions rely on a nuisance ordinance for site governance. Other jurisdictions have more stringent site standards for construction, including fencing, debris, and signage. Due to the potential for more projects, particularly in the Village and outlying residential areas, the Council may consider developing additional site governance regulations. Such regulations could include:
• Construction Site Appearance. Establishing a requirement that, for all building permits involving substantial exterior construction, demolition, grading, or new construction on sites visible from a public street, the site be maintained in an orderly condition, including fencing/screening, organized material storage, contained dumpsters, appropriately located portable toilets, debris removal, weed control, dust control, clean sidewalks/streets and maintenance of temporary improvements. This requirement would apply citywide.
• Established Construction Time-Limits. Establishing reasonable construction time limits that are tiered based on project complexity. Other municipalities, such as the Town of Atherton and the City of Mill Valley, have established construction completion time limits that vary based on square feet or overall project valuation. These jurisdictions provide extensions under certain circumstances and penalties if an applicable construction timeline is not met. For consistency with the California Building Code, the minimum time frame should be at least one year after initial inspection.
• Amend construction hours. Amending the construction hours in Solvang Municipal Code Section 11-11-8 to better match industry standards and accommodate more complex projects.
RECOMMENDED MOTION:
“I move to direct city staff to develop Municipal Code amendments setting forth site governance regulations for Council’s further consideration at a future Council meeting.” 2 ALTERNATIVES:
Keep the current regulations and continue to provide project specific requirements at the time of entitlement in conditions of approval.
FISCAL IMPACT:
None, unless directed to amend the municipal code.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment A – Maintenance of vacant property code section Attachment B – Hours of construction code section
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5. City of Solvang, CA
Wednesday, September 16, 2026
Title 5. Public Health and Safety
Chapter 3. MAINTENANCE OF VACANT PROPERTY
§ 5-3-1. Definitions.
For the purposes of this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below:
Building. Any structure, occupied or unoccupied, within a TRC District, a C-2 District or a PO District within the city which, if built at the date of the violation, would have required a building permit for its construction.
Vacant Lot. Any parcel of real property within a TRC District, a C-2 District or a PO District within the city which contains no buildings.
(Ord. 96-173, 1996)
§ 5-3-2. Failure to maintain property.
Any person or entity owning, leasing or having charge or possession of any vacant lot or of any building whereon any of the following conditions are found to exist shall be guilty of creating a nuisance in violation of this code:
Vacant Lots.
The storage or accumulation of lumber, trash, salvage materials or debris visible from a public street, public alley, or adjoining public or private property. For the purpose of this subsection the term "debris" shall include unused or discarded matter and material having no substantial market value, including, without limitation or exclusion by enumeration, such matter and material as: rubbish, refuse and matter of any kind including, but not limited to, rubble, asphalt, concrete, plaster, tile, rocks, bricks, soil, building materials, crates, cartons, containers, boxes, machinery or parts thereof, scrap metal and other pieces of metal, furniture or parts thereof, abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicles, vehicle bodies or parts thereof, trimmings from plants or trees, cans, bottles and barrels or any condition which constitutes a fire hazard.
Abandoned, discarded or unused furniture, stoves, sinks, toilets, cabinets or other household fixtures or equipment that is visible from a public street, public alley or adjoining public or private property.
Construction equipment or machinery that is visible from a public street, public alley or adjoining public or private property, except while city authorized and permitted excavation, construction or demolition operations in progress on the subject property or an adjoining property.
Dead, decayed, diseased or hazardous trees, weeds or overgrown vegetation, cultivated or uncultivated, that are likely to harbor rats or vermin, constitute a fire hazard or constitute an unsightly appearance that is detrimental to surrounding property values.
The parking or storage of any motor vehicle, motorcycle, boat, trailer or recreation vehicle unless the same is currently registered for operation on a public highway and is parked in a parking space which has been approved by the city.
Erecting or maintaining a chainlink fence except during construction pursuant to a valid building permit.
Maintaining the soil in such a condition that any dust generated on the property escapes a boundary of the property during winds of 10 miles per hour or less.
Buildings.
Buildings that are left in an unreasonable state of partial construction, such as any unfinished building or structure that has been in the course of construction 18 months or more, and the appearance or other conditions of the unfinished building or structure substantially detracts from the appearance of the surrounding property or reduces property values of the surrounding property.
Unpainted buildings; buildings having dry rot, or warping; or buildings on which the condition of the paint or other exterior weather protection has become so deteriorated as to show excessive checking, cracking, peeling, chalking or as to render the building or structure unsightly and in a state of disrepair.
Buildings with broken or boarded-up windows.
Buildings with exteriors, walls, roofs, fences, driveways, sidewalks or walkways that are in such a condition as to be defective, unsightly or in such a condition of deterioration or disrepair as to cause depreciation of the values of surrounding property or as to be materially detrimental to surrounding property.
Any condition that violates any use permit approved by the planning commission or city council that relates to the appearance or maintenance of real property.
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Buildings maintained in such conditions as to be detrimental to the public health, safety or general welfare or in such manner as to constitute a public nuisance as defined by Civil Code section 3480 stating: "A public nuisance is one which affects at the same time an entire community or neighborhood, or any considerable number of persons, although the extent of the annoyance or damage inflicted upon individuals may be unequal." Buildings which are wholly or partially enclosed by or contain a chainlink fence. (Ord. 96-173, 1996)
§ 5-3-3. Notice to abate.
Whenever the city manager, or such other city employee designated by the city manager, finds that a nuisance exists on a particular property in accordance with section 5-3-2 of this chapter, then such person shall either: (1) deliver to the owner, lessor, occupant or person in charge or possession of the property a written notice to abate the nuisance; or (2) mail, by registered mail, a written notice to abate the nuisance to the owner, as listed on the last equalized assessment roll for such property, and post a copy of the written notice to abate the nuisance on the property in a conspicuous place.
Any person notified to abate a nuisance pursuant to subsection A of this section, shall either:
Abate the nuisance within 10 calendar days of delivery of such notice, or, in the case of service by mail and posting, within 15 calendar days from the day of mailing or posting such notice, whichever is later; or Within 10 calendar days of delivery of such notice, or, in the case of service by mail and posting, within 15 calendar days from the day of mailing or posting such notice, whichever is later, file an appeal that: (a) disputes the notice to abate the nuisance; or (b) contends that to abate the nuisance within the time set forth in subsection (B)(1) of this section, is impossible or impractical.
(Ord. 96-173, 1996)
§ 5-3-4. Appeals.
Appeal Board. For the purposes of this chapter, the city council hereby designates the design review committee as the appeal board.
Procedures.
A written appeal shall be filed with the city clerk not later than 10 calendar days after delivery of the notice to abate, or, in the case of service by mail and posting, within 15 calendar days from the day of mailing or posting the notice, whichever is later. Such appeal shall set forth the following information:
The street address or assessor's parcel number of the property in question; The specific facts that justify the appellant's contentions; and The appellant's name, an address where all notices are to be sent, and a daytime telephone number to contact appellant or leave messages for appellant.
The design review committee shall notify the appellant of the time and place for the appeal and shall conduct the appeal within a reasonable time but not less than five calendar days after receipt of the appeal by the city clerk.
The design review committee shall consider all material evidence that a reasonable person would normally rely upon to make a significant decision.
The design review committee shall make written findings of facts and conclusions of law, and render a decision as to whether or not the property constitutes a nuisance and, if so, when such nuisance must be abated.
Upon the written request of the appellant filed with the city clerk within 10 days of the issuance of the written decision by the design review committee, the design review committee shall have the discretion to approve with conditions a plan for screening of the nuisance from public view as an alternative to abatement. Within 30 days of such written request by the appellant, the owner of the vacant lot or unoccupied building shall submit a plan to the city for screening such vacant lot or unoccupied building. The plan shall be reviewed by the design review committee. If approved or conditionally approved by the design review committee, including any bonding requirement deemed necessary to assure compliance with the plan, the approved or conditionally approved plan shall be constructed within 30 days of approval, or within such greater time period as may be allowed by the design review committee. Unless otherwise authorized by the design review committee, all elements of the plan shall be kept and maintained in a clean, neat and repaired condition at all times. If all elements are not kept and maintained in such manner, the approval may be revoked upon notice and public hearing. The design review committee shall not approve any plan of screening which uses chainlink fencing or involves the boarding-up of windows.
All decisions by the design review committee shall be final decisions of the administrative power of the city. (Ord. 96-173, 1996; Ord. 21-0347 § 4)
§ 5-3-5. Penalties, summary abatement and costs.
Violations.
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Failure to Abate. If a person or entity is served a notice to abate a nuisance pursuant to section 5-3-3(A) of this chapter and fails to either abate the condition within 10 calendar days of the delivery of such notice, or, in the case of service by mail and posting, within 15 calendar days from the day of mailing or posting the notice, whichever is later or fails to file a timely appeal, such person shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. Each day that such nuisance exists beyond the time set forth in this chapter for abatement or appeal of the notice to abate such nuisance shall constitute a new and separate misdemeanor and may be charged as such. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any misdemeanor violation or failure to comply may, in the discretion of the city attorney, be prosecuted as an infraction.
Failure to Abate After Appeal. If a person or entity is served a notice to abate a nuisance pursuant to section 5-3- 3(A) of this chapter and files an appeal, such person shall comply with the decision of the design review committee. If a person or entity fails to comply with a decision of the design review committee that person or entity shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. Each day that such person or entity fails to comply with the decision of the design review committee shall constitute a new and separate misdemeanor and may be charged as such.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, any misdemeanor violation or failure to comply may, in the discretion of the city attorney, be prosecuted as an infraction.
Nuisance Declared. In addition to the penalties hereinabove provided, any condition caused or permitted to exist in violation of any of the provisions of this code or in violation of a decision of the design review committee shall be deemed a public nuisance and may be summarily abated as such by the city, and every day such condition continues shall be regarded as a new and separate offense.
Costs. All costs incurred by the city for abatement of a violation of this chapter or costs incurred by the city for enforcement of this chapter shall, to the extent allowable by law, be recoverable from the person or entity who violated this chapter.
If the violation is abated, the costs of abatement shall be itemized and served by registered mail on the owner of the property wherein the violation was abated. The owner of the property shall have 30 days from the date of delivery of the registered mail to file with the city clerk a request for a hearing before the design review committee as to the accuracy of the costs. The design review committee shall conduct a hearing within a reasonable time. If the design review committee decides that some or all of the costs are valid, such decision shall be a final decision of the city and such costs shall be paid to the city by the property owner within 30 days of the decision being served upon the property owner. If the property owner does not pay such costs within such time period, the city may collect such costs in any lawful manner.
If the violation is the subject of a criminal or civil trial the city's costs of enforcement shall be itemized and served on the defendant and filed with the court as a cost bill. As part of the sentence or judgment, the court shall direct the defendant to pay the city all costs incurred by the city which the court deems accurate and fair.
Other Abatement Procedures. The provisions of this chapter shall not in any manner limit or restrict the city from enforcing local laws or abating public nuisances in any other manner provided by law. (Ord. 96-173, 1996; Ord. 21-0347 § 4)
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City of Solvang, CA
Wednesday, September 16, 2026
Title 11. Zoning Regulations
Chapter 11. SITE DEVELOPMENT AND GENERAL DEVELOPMENT
STANDARDS
§ 11-11-8. Hours of construction.
Hours of Construction. Hours of construction shall be limited to 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays. No construction shall be allowed on Saturday, Sunday, or state or national holidays except as approved in writing by the Community Development Director, or their designee, or in the case of an emergency for the immediate preservation of life, health, or property.
Construction by Individual Property Owner/Tenant. Notwithstanding the subsection A, an individual property owner or tenant alone (not including any volunteer or paid construction crew), in addition to the above permissible hours of construction, may also construct, repair, or remodel his or her real property or any structure on such property, pursuant to obtaining the required permits, during the hours of 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on weekdays and 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, Sunday and state and national holidays.
Effect Beyond Property Line. All noise or sounds associated with the construction, gardening and/or maintenance activities of said property shall not create any inconvenience or annoyance to the general public beyond the boundary lines of the property, whether completed by the owner, tenant, or property caretaker. (Ord. 24-0378, 12/9/2024; Ord. 26-0393, 4/13/2026)
7 CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
AGENDA ITEM: 8.b
MEETING DATE: September 28, 2026
SUBJECT: Resolution Opposing Proposition 43 and Joining the No on Prop 43 Coalition
PREPARED BY: Olivia Uribe-Mutal, Assistant to the City Manager DISCUSSION:
Proposition 43 is a legislative constitutional amendment (ACA 22, Wicks) that will appear on the November 3, 2026 statewide general election ballot. It would add Section 4.5 to Article XIII A of the California Constitution and change the vote threshold for local special taxes proposed by voters.
Under Article XIII C of the Constitution, added by Proposition 218 in 1996, a local government may not impose, extend, or increase a special tax, meaning a tax dedicated to a specific purpose, without approval by two-thirds of the voters. General taxes, which may be used for any governmental purpose, require majority approval.
Recent court decisions have treated taxes proposed by citizen initiative differently from taxes placed on the ballot by a governing body. In California Cannabis Coalition v. City of Upland (2017) 3 Cal.5th 924, the California Supreme Court held that an Article XIII C election-timing requirement applied to taxes imposed by a local government and did not clearly restrict voters acting through the initiative power.
Following that decision, the Court of Appeal held in City and County of San Francisco v. All Persons Interested in the Matter of Proposition C (2020) 51 Cal.App.5th 703 that a voter-initiated special tax may be approved by a simple majority. The Supreme Court declined review, and later appellate decisions have taken the same approach. Under current law, a special tax placed on the ballot by the City Council requires a two-thirds vote, while a special tax that residents qualify by petition requires a majority.
ACA 22 is the result of an agreement between state leaders and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association (HJTA). HJTA withdrew its Local Taxpayer Protection Act to Save Proposition 13 (Initiative 25-0006A1), which the League of California Cities (Cal Cities) opposed, and in exchange the Legislature passed ACA 22 and removed ACA 13 (Ward) from the November ballot. ACA 13, which Cal Cities supported, would have required any initiative that raises the vote threshold for future measures to pass by that same higher threshold.
On September 10, 2026, David Mullinax, Cal Cities Channel Counties Public Affairs Manager, sent Channel Counties City Managers materials on the measure, including a sample resolution, a sample staff report, the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) analysis, and a list of voter-initiated special taxes approved since 2018. On September 18, 2026, Mr. Mullinax asked Channel Counties cities to join the No on Prop 43 coalition and adopt resolutions opposing the measure. The City of San Jose has adopted a resolution of opposition.
What the Measure Does
1 Beginning January 1, 2027, Proposition 43 would require any new, increased, or extended local special tax proposed by voters to receive two-thirds approval, the threshold that already applies to special taxes placed on the ballot by a governing body. Under that threshold, opponents of a measure need one-third of the vote plus one to defeat it. Proposition 43 would also prohibit a local government, including its voters acting by initiative, from imposing an ad valorem tax on real property except as Article XIII D, Section 3(a)(1) of the Constitution already permits.
The measure applies prospectively. It would not repeal existing voter-approved special taxes, reduce existing real property transfer taxes, or require any local government to eliminate an existing tax.
Measures Approved Under the Current Threshold
Cal Cities has compiled a list of 28 citizen-initiated local special taxes that California voters approved between June 2018 and June 2026 with less than two-thirds of the vote. The yes vote on these measures ranged from 50.9 percent to 65.2 percent, and their combined estimated revenue is approximately $2.84 billion per year. The measures fund fire protection and 911 response, streets and roads, libraries, parks, childcare, hospital and trauma care, affordable housing, and homelessness services. Examples include the Los Angeles County Fire District’s Measure E for fire protection and 911 response (55.1 percent, $152 million annually), Sonoma County’s Measure H for fire, paramedic, and disaster response (61.7 percent, $60 million), Benicia’s Measure F for roads (61.8 percent, $4 million), and Mendocino County’s Measure O for libraries (60.8 percent, $4.2 million). None of the 28 measures would have passed under Proposition 43.
The one measure on the list from the Channel Counties region is Los Osos Community Services District Measure B-26 in San Luis Obispo County, a parks and recreation parcel tax approved in June 2026 with
54.1 percent of the vote. Cal Cities has also advised that the voter-initiative route is the most practical path for San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties to become self-help counties for transportation funding.
Effect on Solvang
Proposition 43 would not change any revenue the City collects today. Its effect would fall on future measures. If Solvang residents qualified a special tax by petition after January 1, 2027, that measure would need two-thirds approval rather than a simple majority.
The measure may also change how future revenue measures are written. General taxes would still pass by majority vote, so proponents may favor general taxes over special taxes. A general tax cannot legally restrict its proceeds to the purpose described to voters, which leaves the use of the funds to the governing body and adds demands on the general fund.
Coalition Participation
Joining the coalition requires notifying Cal Cities of the City’s participation, either by reply to Mr. Mullinax or by registering at noprop43ca.com. The Cal Cities materials do not request a financial contribution from member cities. Adopting a position on a statewide ballot measure at a noticed public meeting does not commit City funds or staff time to campaign activity. Following adoption, staff would transmit the resolution to Cal Cities at [email protected].
RECOMMNEDED MOTION:
2 That the City Council (1) adopt Resolution No. 26-1335 opposing Proposition 43, Limits Voters’ Ability to Raise Revenues for Local Government Services, on the November 3, 2026 statewide ballot; and (2) authorize the City of Solvang to join the No on Prop 43 coalition.
ALTERNATIVES:
A. Adopt the Resolution without joining the coalition
B. Take no position on Proposition 43
C. Provide additional direction to staff.
ATTACHMENTS:
Resolution 16-1335
3 R 26-1335 Oppose Prop 43
RESOLUTION NO. 26-1335
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOLVANG, CALIFORNIA, OPPOSING PROPOSITION 43, LIMITS VOTERS’ ABILITY TO RAISE REVENUES FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT SERVICES, ON THE NOVEMBER 3, 2026 STATEWIDE BALLOT, AND JOINING THE NO ON PROP 43 COALITION
WHEREAS, Proposition 43 on the November 3, 2026 statewide ballot would require any new, increased, or extended local special tax proposed by voters through the initiative process to receive two-thirds voter approval beginning January 1, 2027; and WHEREAS, under current law, as interpreted by the courts, a local special tax proposed by citizen initiative may be approved by a majority of voters; and WHEREAS, the League of California Cities has identified 28 citizen-initiated local special taxes approved since 2018 with less than two-thirds of the vote, providing an estimated $2.84 billion per year for fire protection, streets, libraries, and parks, none of which would have passed under Proposition 43; and
WHEREAS, Proposition 43 would allow one-third of voters plus one to defeat a special tax that Solvang residents propose and a majority supports, and the League of California Cities has asked member cities to oppose the measure.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOLVANG DOES HEREBY RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The City Council of the City of Solvang adopts as findings the recitals set forth above.
SECTION 2. That the City Council of the City of Solvang opposes Proposition 43 on the November 3, 2026 statewide ballot and that the City of Solvang joins the No on Prop 43 coalition.
SECTION 3. That staff is directed to transmit a copy of this resolution to the League of California Cities at [email protected].
SECTION 4. That this resolution shall be effective upon adoption.
SECTION 5. That the City Clerk shall certify to the passage and adoption of this resolution and shall cause a certified copy to be filed in the book of original resolutions.
PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED on this 28th day of September, 2026. ______________________________
Dave Brown, Mayor
APPROVED AS TO FORM: ATTEST:
______________________________ ______________________________ Chelsea O’Sullivan, City Attorney Annamarie Porter, City Clerk 4 R 26-1335 Oppose Prop 43
STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
COUNTY OF SANTA BARBARA )ss
CITY OF SOLVANG )
I, Annamarie Porter, City Clerk of the City of Solvang, California do hereby certify that Resolution No. 26-1335 was passed and adopted by the City Council of the City of Solvang at a regular meeting of said City Council held on the 28th day of September 2026, and thereafter signed and approved by the Mayor and attested by the City Clerk, and that said resolution was adopted by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSTAIN:
ABSENT:
Annamarie Porter, City Clerk
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