CityofGoleta
Source: City of Goleta
The Goleta City Council made two historic decisions at a special meeting last [week on], February 24, 2022. After a yearlong process that involved a comprehensive #DrawGoleta public outreach campaign and consideration of more than 55 maps submitted by community members and five demographer maps, the City Council approved the City’s first District Elections Map. The City Council also approved taking over management of the Goleta Community Center beginning on January 1, 2023. A recording of the meeting is available to watch here.
Beginning this November, the City will be divided into four districts, and in sequenced elections voters in each district will elect a City Councilmember who lives in their district. The Mayor will continue to be elected by voters across Goleta.
Public Participation was a critical part of the process to adopt a district elections map and included five public hearings. Ultimately, the City Council selected the renumbered Plan 701 (https://drawgoleta.org/plan-701-renumbered). The selected map was drafted by National Demographics Corporation (NDC) but derived from two plans submitted by members of the public. This plan was also one of four that were recommended by the City’s Public Engagement Commission.
Under Plan 701, the sequencing of elections would start with the two eastern districts (1 and 2) up for election in November 2022, and then would proceed to the two western districts (3 and 4) in November 2024.
The Council will hold a final hearing and consider a District Elections Ordinance at its upcoming March 1, 2022, City Council meeting. The Ordinance will establish the district elections boundaries and will adopt the sequencing of the elections.
At last night’s special meeting, the Council also approved moving forward with assuming management of the Goleta Community Center (GCC) on January 1, 2023, extending the lease of the non-profit Goleta Valley Community Center (GVCC) organization by an additional six months. The City acquired the GCC from the Goleta Union School District in 2013.
The change will allow the City to manage the GCC during the upcoming $8 million (or more) seismic and ADA improvements capital project and to develop a comprehensive Strategic Plan for the Community Center before determining the best long-term management model for the future. View the staff report here: https://tinyurl.com/24jmn25c.
Originally built in 1927, the GCC is located at 5679 Hollister Avenue in the heart of the City in Old Town and is an important gathering place for our community. In February of 2020 the City conducted a stakeholder and public outreach process to better understand the community’s desires for programming and uses at the GCC. One of the recommendations of the outreach process was that the City conduct a strategic planning process to guide future use and management of the GCC.
Mayor Paula Perotte said, “The City is looking forward to implementing a multi-phase plan to improve the Goleta Community Center so that it is a thriving facility for the next 95 years. We would like to thank the Goleta Valley Community Center (GVCC) organization for managing the GCC for many years.”
The City’s anticipates that the GVCC organization will continue to be involved in the GCC, including continuing to manage the Senior Center Program, and will help the City in the strategic planning process to decide the future of the Community Center.
