Public Policy
Public Policy
As the voice of business on the Santa Barbara South Coast, the Chamber works tirelessly to ensure the Santa Barbara South Coast is the best place to live and work. The Chamber's Public Policy Committee researches, reviews, and takes positions on the matters that impact our community. This diverse group of business leaders from across industry sectors takes part in monthly meetings to discuss critical issues, such as those listed below.
CURRENT ISSUES
5885 Carpinteria Avenue Project
The Chamber’s focus on economic development and community well-being aligns with the concept of the 5885 Carpinteria Avenue Project, a community driven regenerative farm, boutique hotel, restaurant and residential experience featuring an event barn where Carpinterians can gather for community events.
Bailard Workforce and Affordable Housing Project
This 169-unit rental property project is a public-private partnership providing workforce and permanent supportive housing for our community’s residents. The project site had been earmarked for a school, which is no longer needed so Carpinteria Unified School District is selling the property to the developer through a surplus property process. The Chamber supports this much-needed workforce housing project in the Carpinteria Valley.
AutoCamp
AutoCamp is a proposed lodging development with 26 Airstream trailer units, a clubhouse, and a maintenance building on Carpinteria Avenue in Carpinteria. The SBSC Chamber supports the project.
Cannabis Cultivation on South Coast
The Chamber is watching the regional approach to cannabis cultivation and processing. The Chamber requests the County enact regulations that protect existing agriculture industries, create a large buffer between the cannabis grows and our neighborhoods, and require operations to have odor controls.
Commercial Fishing (CARB) Regulation
The Chamber is advocating against new regulations for commercial harbor craft, which place an onerous burden on local family-owned commercial fishing vessels, threatening to put them out of business.
ExxonMobile/Las Flores Canyon Permit
The Chamber supports the restart of ExxonMobil’s Santa Ynez Unit (SYU) as an economic driver in the County, and supports trucking of this essential natural resource.
Goleta’s Complete Streets/Restriping Old Town
The Chamber is watching the City of Goleta’s Complete Streets project to determine how it will impact businesses in Old Town. The Chamber recommended a pilot project to determine if the restriping of Hollister Avenue is effective.
Plains All American Pipeline Repair
The Chamber supports the restart of the pipeline, which has been shut down since 2015, and is advocating with the County of Santa Barbara to issue the appropriate permits.
Local Power Reliability
The Chamber advocates for increased reliability of the local power grid and works to develop partnerships between businesses and energy stakeholders to guarantee businesses have access to reliable energy and reduce impacts caused by outages.
SAFE Ordinance
The Safe Ordinance prohibits Goleta Water District from releasing potable water to new or additional service connections under certain conditions. Even though none of these conditions currently exist, GWD is not allowing new connections. The Chamber strongly rejects the District’s interpretation of the ordinance.
Southern California Gas/New Construction Regulation
The Chamber is advocating against the new local proposals to eliminate the use of gas in new construction projects because of the impact on businesses, including restaurants, hotels, and commercial kitchens.
Surfliner Inn
The Surfliner Inn is a proposed 40-unit hotel on Linden Avenue in Carpinteria. The Chamber supports the project as the demand for hotel stays on the south coast is high.
PUBLIC POLICY UPDATE
The Chamber issues quarterly Public Policy Updates, central to our mission of connecting businesses with government and providing insights on local business matters. These updates serve as a platform for advocacy and offer comprehensive information on South Coast public policy.
ADVOCACY LETTERS
The Chamber advocates for business and community interests with letters of support/opposition on issues which are important to the business community. Click on the letters below to learn more about the positions and actions we’ve taken on behalf of the 1,100 businesses and 75,000 jobs we represent on the Santa Barbara South Coast from Carpinteria to Goleta.
Sorry, we couldn't find any posts. Please try a different search.
Sorry, we couldn't find any posts. Please try a different search.
Sorry, we couldn't find any posts. Please try a different search.
Sorry, we couldn't find any posts. Please try a different search.
POLICY PARTNERSHIPS
The Chamber partners with the following organizations to maximize our collective voice for pro-business change. These include:
Tri-County Chamber Alliance: The Tri-County Chamber Alliance includes thirteen Chambers of Commerce throughout Santa Barbara, Ventura, and San Luis Obispo counties which collectively advocate for policies that promote a friendlier business climate on California’s central coast.
CalChamber : The California Chamber of Commerce is the largest broad-based business advocate to government in California, working at the state and federal levels for policies to strengthen California.
U.S. Chamber: The U.S. Chamber advocates for policies that help businesses create jobs and grow our economy. Building on a strong legacy of trust and track record of success, we help today’s businesses start, grow, and thrive in a complex and constantly changing macro environment.