I write in support of Goleta’s Measure B which if approved would increase our sales tax by one percent, or a penny on the dollar, to renovate the 100-year-old Community Center and to improve roads and other infrastructure. I realize that due to a 100-year pandemic economic slowdown we are facing increased prices which has put pressure on everyone’s budget, but this minor request to increase the sales tax would help with the Goleta budget.
Goleta is a very young city but is catching up with larger cities in the 20 years that it has been in existence; and this is in spite of having to enter an agreement to send one-third of our sales tax and 50 percent of our property tax each year to the county.
Goleta has made great progress in setting aside recreational land such as Los Carneros Park and the monarch butterfly preserve. In spite of these successes the city has additional needs such as making road improvements, addressing local crime, and supporting the firefighting budget.