Posts by Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce

Tru Health & Wellness, located at 5973 Encina Road, Suite 100 in Goleta, is officially open! Their innovative approach to wellness offers personalized care, fitness support, and holistic services designed to help the community thrive. Celebrating new businesses like Tru Health & Wellness is more than a ribbon-cutting, it’s about supporting local entrepreneurship, strengthening our…

The Housing Trust Fund of Santa Barbara is expanding two down payment assistance programs with $6.3 million in new funding, helping more residents achieve homeownership in a high-cost housing market. The expansion includes support for first-time buyers and workforce households, making it easier for local employees and families to live where they work. Read more on…

Last month at our Annual Meeting, we unveiled our bold 2026–2030 Strategic Plan, a five-year roadmap to strengthen our regional economy, expand attainable housing solutions, and enhance the South Coast experience for businesses, residents, and visitors. Now, we’re taking that vision on the road. Our first stop was at Santa Barbara City Council where we formally…

The proposed June 2026 ballot measure for a 1% sales tax increase in County unincorporated areas fell short of the four-vote majority needed for passage at the February 3rd Board of Supervisors meeting. The measure was estimated to generate $16.7 million a year and was created amid a projected $23 million County budget deficit for…

February 12, 2026 Each year, our Chamber leaders attend the Western Association of Chamber Executives (WACE) Annual Conference. This year’s theme: “IGNITE: Mind, Chamber, Soul,” was all about sparking professional growth, strengthening leadership, and nurturing the personal creativity that keeps our industry vibrant. We’re proud to highlight that President & CEO, Kristen Miller, taught sessions on transformational leadership,…

February 12, 2026 TechTopia 2026 Summit is a dynamic, half-day innovation experience at UC Santa Barbara’s OASIS, spotlighting the people and technologies shaping the future of the Santa Barbara South Coast. Experience exclusive tours, interactive tech demos, inspiring speakers, and high-impact networking with regional leaders. The event will feature local companies like Amazon, AppFolio, Curvature, Google Quantum, and more to…

February 11, 2026 Thank you to everyone who joined us for this year’s Annual Membership Meeting & South Coast Leadership Forum. We hope you found the program informative, inspiring, and valuable as the Chamber unveiled its five-year strategic plan, announced the launch of BEAM, shared key initiatives to boost regional economic growth, and introduced the…

Assembly Bill 671 is a new piece of state legislation that streamlines the permit process for restaurant tenant improvements by requiring local building departments to approve or deny project plans within 20 business days, or 10 business days for resubmissions. The bill only applies to interior renovations of restaurants and projects that do not require…