We mortals do certainly opine a lot these days about the daily weather, uncertain climates, causes and effects. With such fidelity and disagreements, it makes it hard to pick a winner behind door number … (take your pick).
However, worth our attention, NOAA forecasters on May 14 announced a 96% chance for a pretty severe El Niño this coming winter!
As many of us in Santa Barbara County can recall, there have been some brutal impacts (1982-1983, 1996-1997, 2015-2016) that beat the prediction odds and, yes were devastating.
NOAA meteorologist Justin Berk recently replied, “yes, the upcoming 2026–2027 El Niño has the potential to match or even exceed the meteorological intensity and global disruption of the historic 1982-1983 event, but the world is drastically better prepared to handle it.”
Well, this mortal takes exception to us being better prepared in Santa Barbara County.
Friends of Goleta Beach Park have discussed with both the county Parks Division and the staff of Second District Supervisor Laura Capps that our wonderful assets and infrastructures are not being well-protected.
“Friends …” are cognizant of recent revenue stream shortfalls against annual expenses, and the tough choices decision-makers are implementing to correct the county’s future fiscal budgets.
But what should be equally exasperating, for both county staff and the public (which pays the bills), is the shopping list for unfunded capital projects getting further delayed in the crossfire.
In this case, the protection measures recommended over the last year aren’t on the ledgers that have been presented to better and more permanently preserve Goleta Beach Park, and that is especially concerning.
In summary, the county has spent north of $25 million in taxpayer dollars since the late 1990s for protection measures under mostly emergency permits.
The protection measures recommended over the last year aren’t on the ledgers that have been presented to better and more permanently preserve Goleta Beach Park, and that is especially concerning.
This pattern should not be acceptable to us, at all. We do hope the upward of 1 million visits annually from families and individuals — who still love Goleta Beach Park — county for something.
We hope the community at large agrees and will support the Board of Supervisors in prioritizing a planning and budgeting process that is proactive, not reactive.
This El Niño season might prove this point.