Highway 101 Ribbon Cutting & Groundbreaking, Santa Ynez Valley Traffic Circulation and Traffic Study Community Meeting, Open Streets Santa Maria, and Santa Ynez River Trail Alignment Study Community Meeting among the public events postponed.
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) in coordination with city partners, Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, Caltrans, and the California Transportation Commission has postponed community meetings and special events through the end of March and early April per the latest requirement from Santa Barbara County, guidelines from Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Department of Public Health in response to COVID-19.
While no cases have been officially reported yet in Santa Barbara County, SBCAG recognizes the importance of taking necessary actions to ensure that all members of the public have the opportunity to fully participate in these community gatherings.
SBCAG acknowledges the significance of California Department of Public Health’s guidance on implementing aggressive strategies that create social distance and those that reduce close contact of people not regularly together, including limiting gatherings, that have proven effective in prior pandemics at delaying rates of transmission and reducing illness and death.
Thoughtful planning and coordination have gone into organizing these community meetings and events for the benefit of communities and residents of Santa Barbara County. SBCAG looks forward to rescheduling these events when the attendance of all members of the community is possible.
Listed below are the following public events that have been postponed:
March 25-26: California Transportation Commission will no longer be holding its March 25-26 meeting in Santa Barbara. The regular meeting agenda and information on how to participate will be posted on Friday, March 13, at www.catc.ca.gov.
SBCAG is working closely with the California Transportation Commission on scheduling a future meeting in Santa Barbara. In consultation with the commission, Caltrans and the city of Carpinteria. The corresponding special events related to the commission’s visit will be postponed.
March 26: Ribbon Cutting/Groundbreaking for the U.S. 101 Linden and Casitas Project and U.S. 101: Carpinteria.
March 26: Santa Ynez Valley Traffic Circulation and Safety Study Community Meeting in Solvang (rescheduled to May).
March 29: Open Streets Santa Maria (rescheduled to Oct. 25).
April 7: Santa Ynez River Trail Alignment Study in Buellton (rescheduled to May).
While SBCAG has postponed all upcoming non-essential community meetings and special events through April, the SBCAG Board of Directors will hold its regular scheduled meeting on March 19 as an essential meeting of the legislative body. The agenda is available on the SBCAG website.
The meeting location is the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors Hearing Room, 105 E. Anapamu St, fourth floor in Santa Barbara, or the public can participate using the remote video testimony system at the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors Hearing Room, 511 E. Lakeside Parkway in Santa Maria.
Santa Barbara County has implemented social distancing requirements in its board hearing rooms that will be applied to SBCAG’s regularly scheduled meeting. Additionally, the public can submit written public comment to 260 N. San Antonia Road, Suite B, Santa Barbara, CA 93110, or electronically via email at sbcaginfo@sbcag.org prior to the meeting.
SBCAG Board of Directors meetings are televised live on County of Santa Barbara Television (CSBTV) Channel 20. Rebroadcast of this SBCAG meeting will be at 5 p.m. Saturday, March 21 and 5 p.m. Monday, March 23.
The public is reminded to stay informed and follow the guidance of the Santa Barbara Public Health Department, which urges community members to take steps to protect their health and the health of those around them, including:
Wash your hands with soap and water
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands
Avoid close contact with people who are sick
Stay away from work, school or other people if you become sick with respiratory symptoms like fever and cough
Get vaccinated for the flu every year
For more about COVID-19, visit the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department, www.countyofsb.org/phd/ or call the Public Health Department information line, 805-681-4373 (recorded information in English and Spanish).
For the most current information regarding the novel coronavirus on the national level, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.