Do you remember the joy of playing in a creek as a child, catching frogs, and watching the fish? Everyone should be able to experience this. Measure B would help clean up, protect, and restore Goleta’s many creeks and keep our beaches litter free.
Creeks and watersheds provide us with clean water, protect us from flooding, provide public access to natural areas, offer recreation, including trails, and are home to fish and wildlife, including rare steelhead trout. But many local streams are polluted, sending dirty water to our beaches, choked with invasive plants, filled with trash, and inaccessible.
The Goleta City Council unanimously adopted the Creek and Watershed Management Plan to clean, protect, and restore waterways. However, the city lacks funding to implement the plan.
Measure B would raise over $10 million annually by raising Goleta’s sales tax (currently the lowest in the county) a penny on every dollar to fund the plan, open space, and other community priorities. Gas, groceries, and medicines would be exempt.
Measure B would help ensure our streams and beaches are clean, accessible, and safe; create opportunities for nature appreciation, recreation, and environmental preservation; and enhance our neighborhoods and community. It would fund local contractors to restore Goleta’s creeks, thereby improving our economy. Measure B would enable children and families to enjoy our neighborhood streams, watch the fish and frogs, and experience nature.
Our local community conservation organizations endorse Measure B to protect and beautify Goleta’s amazing creeks and watersheds. Please vote yes on Measure B.
Signed: Environmental Defense Center, for the Watershed Alliance of South Coast Organizations, including:
- Community Environmental Council
- Santa Barbara Surfrider
- Heal the Ocean
- Goleta Coast Audubon
- Santa Barbara Channelkeeper
- Urban Creeks Council
- Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade
- Channel Islands Restoration
- Explore Ecology
- CalTrout
- Illuminate Conservation
- UCSB Coastal Fund
- Gaviota Coast Conservancy
- League of Women Voters of Santa Barbara
The full version of this letter can be read here.