Some government offices have reopened to in-person services in Santa Barbara County, while others plan to welcome back the public when the region advances to the next less-restrictive tier of the state’s color-coded reopening system.
Offices that reopened have modified operations due to COVID-19 safety protocols, including mask-wearing and social distancing guidelines.
Santa Barbara County and local cities were forced to closed their public counters when the pandemic struck in March 2020, and the reopening timeline for some remains up in the air.
However, officials encouraged and offered access to government services online, by phone, via drop boxes, as well as by mail and fax, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
» The Santa Barbara County Clerk-Recorder’s office on Monday reopened the Santa Barbara Hall of Records office for in-person services. The Santa Barbara branch is at 1100 Anacapa St. downtown.
The Santa Maria branch Clerk-Recorder’s office, at the Betteravia Government Center, 511 E. Lakeside Pkwy., Suite 115, is slated to re-open on May 10.
Both offices have adjusted hours of operation, and will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.
» The Clerk-Recorder’s office maintains records for births, deaths and marriages. Residents can call 805.568.2250 for more information about the county clerk-recorder services. Click here for additional details.
» Public service counters at the county Planning and Development Department’s Santa Barbara and Santa Maria locations remain closed to the public for now. Click here for information on submitting materials to the department.
» The Santa Barbara County Treasurer-Tax Collector’s office is open on the first floor. More information is available by calling the Santa Barbara office at 805.568.2920 or the Santa Maria office at 805.346.8330.
» The county Clerk of the Board office, at 105 E. Anapamu St., Room 407, is available by appointment. More information is available by calling 805.568.2240.
Officials did not yet have a reopening date set for other county offices, but it’s not likely before the region will advance to the yellow tier, according to county spokeswoman Gina DePinto.
Santa Barbara County moved into the current orange tier on April 20.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state plans to eliminate the color-coded tier system in mid-June, with the assumption that COVID-19 case rates continue to drop and there’s sufficient vaccine supply.
Telework options are encouraged in the orange tier, according to the state.
» Goleta is looking at reopening its library to the public in the next few weeks, city spokeswoman Kelly Hoover said Monday.
» Goleta staff anticipate that public counters will reopen at City Hall, 130 Cremona Dr., Suite B, when Santa Barbara County reaches the yellow tier of the state’s color-coded COVID-19 reopening framework, officially known as the Blueprint for a Safer Economy.
“All city hall services are currently fully available and being provided by phone and virtual meetings,” Hoover told Noozhawk in an email. “While some employees, due to the nature of their jobs, have been in the office throughout the pandemic, others are slowly returning in a staggered approach depending on their individual circumstances.”
» The city of Carpinteria is developing a reopening of offices plan to be timed with the lifting of all COVID-19-related restrictions, Program Manager Mimi Audelo said.
The public service counter at Carpinteria City Hall, 5775 Carpinteria Ave., was closed as of Monday, according to the city’s website. More information is available by calling 805.684.5405.
» City of Santa Barbara Community Development and Public Works departments, at 630 Garden St., resumed limited in-person appointments on April 12 this year, city planner Renee Brooke said. Virtual appointments and consultation by telephone or email continue to be available during regular business hours.
Click here for more information.
The city’s Community Development Department Records and Archives services has been available for in-person appointments since April 2020, Brooke said.
Click here for more information.
» At this time, eight of 10 Santa Maria departments are reopened to the public, city spokesman Mark van de Kamp said.
The city manager’s office, 110 E. Cook St., and the finance department, 110 E. Cook St. Room 6, are the two departments that remained closed to the public as of Monday.
The city manager’s office is working on a reopening plan, van de Kamp said.
Santa Maria’s finance department will be relocating from City Hall to the other side of South McClelland Street in a few weeks.
“The utility billing-customer service counter in City Hall could not be reconfigured to meet county Public Health Department requirements to reopen to the public safely,” van de Kamp said. “The physical space formerly was shared by other departments.”
» City of Solvang offices remained operational throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, City Manager Xenia Bradford said.
Due to the state’s social distancing requirements, the city implemented modified procedures to serve its customers, including service by appointment or phone call.
Solvang staff also continued to offer hybrid methods of participation for the City Council and commissions meetings, including limited in-person seats and video conferencing options.
“Even though the city is actively preparing for full re-opening as our county moved into the orange, less-restrictive tier, the city is continuing to operate within the state social distancing guidelines and laws,” Bradford said. “Currently, in accordance with existing COVID-19 restrictions still in place, the offices are not yet open for walk-ins at this time.”
» In response to the COVID-19 crisis, the city of Lompoc closed the City Hall, 100 Civic Center Plaza, to walk-in service.
“The city has remained open and available for in-person meetings by appointment throughout the pandemic,” Mayor Jenelle Osborne told Noozhawk in an email. “The city staff has taken appointments continually across all departments for in-person meetings if phone or online meetings did not meet the need of the service provided.”
Reopening for walk-in service will vary across the city depending on the building, its services and the state’s coronavirus-related tier limitations, Osborne said.
“Staff are working on meeting the criteria in our buildings to maintain the safety of our public and staff,” Osborne said. “The city pool reopened under the prior tier as it met the criteria that activity. The library reopened for browsing or computer needs this week by appointment. Additional offices will be opened as we meet the safety protocols set forth by county public health which the city has been under since the pandemic began.”
— Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be reached at bholland@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
