Contributing Writer

The Buellton City Council held a special meeting Saturday, May 15, at the Willemsen Barn to discuss ideas for how to best use the property and serve the community.

Located at 202 Dairyland Road in Buellton, the 24-acre property was purchased by the city of Buellton in May 2020 for $2 million.

The city was originally interested in buying only the 20-acre lower portion of the property to use as a reserve to expand the city’s wastewater treatment facility if needed in the future. However, the Willemsen family did not want to split up the property, so the city council eventually bought the entire property.

The city council is now looking to neighbors and the community for ideas on how to utilize the property.

“This is a beautiful piece of property that I would like to see kept as much as it is for the community’s enjoyment,” said Mayor Holly Sierra. “This is city property, so now this is your property.”

The property was previously owned by the Willemsen family and used as a dairy farm for decades. Since purchasing the property, the city council has designated the barn as a historical landmark. This currently does not prohibit the removal of the barn; however, this gives the city council the ability to require monumentation, as well as the authority to prohibit removal of the barn in the future. 

Several neighbors and community members attended the meeting to speak during public comment and present their ideas.

Some neighbors from the adjacent streets, Valley Dairy Road and Dairyland Road, expressed concern about the increase in traffic and noise that the property’s new uses may bring, but they were overall excited with the ideas presented.

Some popular ideas included moving the Buellton Library to the house on the property, expanding the Zaca Center Preschool, building pickleball courts, bringing an outdoor children’s museum to the property, and much more.

“I would like to see the property not just be a luxury and not just be adding to the weekend things that people can do, but actually serve critical needs for our valley,” said councilmember Elysia Lewis.

The Buellton Library and the Zaca Center Preschool are two popular ideas that are competing for use of the house.

Many community members want to move the Buellton Library, which is currently located at 140 West Highway 246, to the house on the Willemsen Property and then expand the Buellton Senior Center into the current library space.

Meanwhile, the Zaca Center Preschool, which is currently located at 27 Six Flags Circle, also wants to expand into the house.

The Zaca Center Preschool, which describes itself as an “inclusion preschool” where children with special needs are included in all classrooms and activities, currently serves 43 students. Another center would double that number, according to Leanna Watson, a representative and advocate for the preschool.

An idea that appeared to be uncontested was the Santa Ynez Valley Children’s Museum.

Currently, the Santa Ynez Valley Children’s Museum holds events for children at the Santa Ynez Botanic Garden on the first Saturday of every month, but the museum is looking for a permanent location of its own.

The Santa Ynez Valley Children’s Museum wants to utilize the old tractor barn on the property as its only indoor space, with the rest being an outdoor museum for kids to play and learn.

The museum has plans for a community garden, a recirculating water feature, slides going down the hill to the lower portion of the property, art and building stations, playhouses, and much more for children and parents or caregivers to enjoy together.

For the lower portion of the property, proposals included sports fields, an archery range, an equestrian center, and courts for pickleball, a paddleball sport the has been gaining popularity that combines components of tennis, badminton and ping pong.

“I think it’s safe to say that, given the amount of land area we have [in the lower portion], … there is sufficient room for all of them,” said City Manager Scott Wolfe.

While no official decisions were made during the special meeting, some ideas did seem to stand out more to the council.

“I think the Children’s Museum is a no-brainer and honestly I think the library is a no-brainer,” Sierra said. 

Sierra said that Zaca Center Preschool is a vital part of the community, but she would like to see the Buellton Library occupy the front half of the house.

Official decisions for use of the property will be made in future meetings when the council brings this as agendized items in phases starting in one of its June meetings.

“People have the most amazing ideas,” Sierra said. “There’s so much we could do here and it’s so exciting.”

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In a joint session of the Buellton City Council and Planning Commission, members were briefed on general plan recommendations to update city ordinances pertaining to land use, permitting fees, social equity and traffic circulation. The virtual meeting took place on Wednesday, Feb. 24, and council members and commissioners gave direction to staff on those issues. 

The presentation was made by Irma Tucker, the city’s contracted planner along with staff in the planning department. 

“The two goals are to inform city decision makers on assessments on current policies and achievements accomplished since the last land use update back in 2007/08,” Tucker said. 

Since that time, the city has updated design guidelines to enhance the agrarian section and include art deco and other requirements from Avenue of Flags Specific Plan and Affordable Housing. 

Tucker also said some of the fees structures haven’t been updated since 1995 and need to be brought up to date, especially developer fees. 

Planning staff also said some zoning changes might be needed to reflect the actual use and adding in more opportunities to identify good areas for community gardens, farmers markets and recreational paths. 

The city has also seen much growth since 2004, especially in multifamily units and industrial or commercial spaces. 

“The social equity portion really identifies the need for affordable housing for low income and very low income residents, identifying potential Disadvantaged Communities or DAC’s, but Buellton really doesn’t have much,” Tucker said. 

Tucker said they must make sure that people are not linguistically isolated and identify mobility issues and availability of access to parks and recreation facilities. 

“I really think that Buellton is making good strides on getting information out in Spanish as well as having translation services available,” said Mayor Holly Sierra during council comments.  “We also have great transportation with almost round the clock busing available.” 

The council and commissioners also listened to the circulation element of the update looking at greenhouse gas emissions, traffic and policies regarding that. 

“There are lots of different studies we are looking at for the circulation element,” said Rose Hess, city engineer. “We reviewed traffic volumes and collision data from vehicle vs. pedestrian and vehicle vs. vehicle. A lot of this centers around Highway 246, which is Caltrans jurisdiction.” 

Hess said they must look at impacts of traffic to projects and multiple perspectives. 

“We also want to look at traffic calming measures to ensure safety for all modes of transportation,” she said. “We need to look at features to modify Highway 246 especially on west end to redesign to much more community friendly for what Buellton would like.” 

According to Hess, the Highway 101 corridor would need to be looked at to incorporate into Village Specific Plan and Avenue of Flags. Parking policies also need to be updated for parking on street, off street, recreational vehicles and long-term storage. 

“All the truck traffic that comes in, vacationers with RV’s short term and looking for partnerships to take care of those visitors as well,” she said. 

Pedestrian circulation is being looked at and enhancing overpasses over Highway 101 are more feasible with Caltrans as far as improvements, Hess added. 

Damassa Road from Avenue of Flags to McMurray is also being replaced with Rufus T. Buell Drive, and signage needs to be replaced. 

Hess also brought up working with Santa Barbara County and Solvang to create a secondary bypass between the two cities. Widening the existing lanes are not recommended other than provisions for bicycle lanes.

Another roadway connection behind Albertson’s is being looked at as well to alleviate the bottlenecking at Highway 246 at McMurray Road. 

“The circulation element is more comprehensive,” said City Manager Scott Wolfe. 

“This city is relatively well built out, and not a lot of room left to build things. There are a number of policy revisions proposed due to shifts in city priorities looking at the future and development. It has shifted and needs to be readdressed.” 

Other points made: Some policies enhance bicycle and pedestrian access along major roads and bicycle racks should be encouraged as facility improvements. Also, identifying a place for banners and signs for city events and programs is a consideration. 

To watch the full meeting visit the Buellton’s YouTube page at www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKusNaVIGBE. 

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The City of Buellton will be hosting a joint session of the City Council and the Planning Commission at 6 p.m. on Wednesday Feb. 24 in City Council Chambers.

The joint session will be to discuss a study and land use presentation and policy direction, as well as a circulation presentation and policy direction.

The meeting will also be available to participate online as well as live streamed at: http://www.cityofbuellton.com/government/cityTV.php and may provide public comment by sending comments via email to planning@cityofbuellton.com (reference subject matter or agenda item in the subject line of email). Please include name and address in contents of message. Comments will then be read into the record, with a maximum allowance of 3 minutes perindividual comment, subject to the Chairman’s discretion.

For more information visit www.cityofbuellton.com and search under Planning Commission. City Council Chambers is located at 140 W Highway 246.

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The newly elected City Council members for Buellton were installed at the council’s regular meeting on Thursday, Dec. 10. 

The voters in Buellton decided to give incumbent Mayor Holly Sierra another term, which will also be her last term as she is now at term limits. Sierra, who retired from the U.S. Postal Service as the Buellton postmaster, prevailed over Councilman Ed Andrisek and Isaac Oltmans in the November General Election. 

For the two open city council seats, incumbent John Sanchez filled one seat and newcomer Elysia Lewis was elected to the other. Sanchez was also appointed vice mayor by the council. 

Outgoing councilmember Art Mercado was given several gifts from the city as well as a number of kind words about his character and ethics. 

“I have truly enjoyed serving with you and thank you for putting up with me,” said Sierra. 

Before the new council was officially installed, the city entered into an agreement with ENGIE Services US (ENGIE) to provide energy related improvements to city facilities with a 4-1 vote with Councilman Dave King dissenting. The agreement will create a solar structure over the library/post office parking lots and at the wastewater treatment plant, as well as ground-mounted solar panels at the pump station on McMurray Road. 

The solar energy generated will power streetlights along Industrial Way and Central Avenue, and decorative LED streetlights installed along Highway 246 and Avenue of Flags. Additional energy savings will occur due to energy efficient upgrades to lighting and HVAC systems at City Hall, the Planning Department building, the library, post office, police station and the wastewater treatment plant, according to the staff report. 

“In short the benefits to this project include a net savings over a 30-year life of $3.7 million after all the improvements are installed and financing paid off,” said City Manager Scott Wolfe. “The city would be protected against rising electric cost where solar panels are at and other facilities with energy efficiency and the added benefit of shaded parking at library and post office. This is showing the city if moving forward with alternative energy sources.” 

The contract will also include the replacement of the city’s remaining manual water meters with more energy- and water-efficient water meters, with transmitters that will facilitate the remote reading of the meters.

The cost of the improvements will be $4,547,947, with $400,000 being paid by the city out of funds currently budgeted for work that will no longer be necessary after this project is completed. The remaining $4,147,947 will be financed through a lease purchase agreement with a 20-year term. At the end of the financing period (20 years), the title to the equipment transfers to the city, which will own the equipment for that point forward. An early purchase option is available should the City decide to terminate the agreement before the end of the 20-year period.

The council also appointed two Planning Commission members. Patty Hammel and Mercado, to the two open positions. Hammel was appointed to a remaining three-year term previously and Mercado has served as a past planning commissioner. 

Councilmembers were also appointed to various boards and commissions.

To view the meeting in its entirety, visit YouTube and search City of Buellton. 

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The voters in Buellton decided to give incumbent Mayor Holly Sierra another term, according to the unofficial results from the November General Election. 

Sierra, who retired from the U.S. Postal Service as the Buellton postmaster, faced two challengers, Councilman Ed Andrisek and Isaac Oltmans, a brand manager, in the race for a two-year term wielding the gavel. Sierra pulled a big lead, tallying 1,256 votes with Andrisek at 636 votes and Oltmans at 206 votes, according to Santa Barbara County Elections. This will also be Sierra’s last term as Buellton has term limits. 

“I am so grateful to be given a final two years to work for residents of Buellton,” Sierra said to the Star. “We DO have a lot to accomplish. Caltrans and SBCAG are getting together with the city to present their ideas for Highway 246 safety in the next month or two. Creekside Village was approved for Avenue of Flags, and the Median 2 is almost done. Now we need to bring events like farmer’s market and car shows to the community. It’s a big work in progress.”

She added the city also has to set up districts after the census results come out. 

“We will have District elections starting in 2022 and I want to help set it up,” Sierra said. “With the Land Use Circulation Element (LUCE) process starting we are finding that residents are most concerned with their quality of life. That means walking trails, upgraded parks and access to move around more (bikes, walking). There are so many wonderful things going on in our town, and I’m so grateful to be a part of it for a final two years.” 

For City Council, two seats were open and incumbent John Sanchez filled one seat with 1,046 votes and newcomer Elysia Lewis was right behind him with 932 votes. Incumbent Art Mercado will sit this term out. Challenger Joseph Carter got 440 votes. Lewis is a public finance manager and is currently on the Buellton Union School District Board but her term expires just as she will take office for the Buellton council. 

“I am humbled and honored people are putting confidence and trust in me,” Lewis said. “I look forward to orienting myself to council roles and hearing the needs of the residents of where they want us to take the city in the next four years.” 

The post Buellton voters keep incumbent Mayor, add new face to council appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

Noozhawk North County Editor

The future of Buellton, whether the city should expand its boundaries and public safety issues were among topics tackled by mayoral and City Council candidates during a recent forum.

Mayor Holly Sierra, who retired from the U.S. Postal Service as a postmaster for Buellton, will face two challengers, Councilman Ed Andrisek and Isaac Oltmans, a brand manager, in the race for a two-year term wielding the gavel.

Two seats are up for grabs on the City Council, with incumbents Art Mercado, an irrigation supervisor, and John Sanchez joined by Elysia Lewis, a public finance manager; and Joseph Carter, a physician assistant and National Guardsman. 

Andrisek and Sanchez did not participate in the forums, which involved separate sessions for mayoral and council candidates.

The Buellton Chamber of Commerce and the Santa Ynez Valley Star newspaper sponsored the forums at which topics focused on the city’s role in helping businesses coping with COVID-19 restrictions, pedestrian safety, crime rates, future growth and the purchase of Willemson property on Dairyland Road. 

In 2008, Buellton voters approved an urban growth boundary initiative, restricting future expansion of the city’s borders with the expiration set for 2025.

“If a development came up that wanted to be annexed, I think the best way to do it would be to present the proposal to the residents and have them decide,” said Sierra, who is seeking her third two-year term. “I really have mixed feelings.”

Sierra said a wider sphere of influence — an area for possible future boundary and service area — could have given the city more say about the cannabis operations outside city limits but near Buellton.

Oltmans said residents support limited development in Buellton, and suggested that the city could possibly extend the timeline to get more input from residents.

He also said he was “on the fence” about whether the city should annex more land to the city, and he said he agreed with Sierra that any development should be taken to residents for a vote.

“Make it as transparent as possible,” he added.

Noting that times have changed, Mercado said the city may want to reconsider limits on sphere of influence, especially with the establishment of cannabis operations just outside the city limits. 

“When you don’t have a seat at the table, you can’t change what’s happening,” Mercado said, adding that a sphere of influence would give the city a voice. “A sphere of influence just means you have to influence. It doesn’t mean you have to build.”

Saying she needed to learn more about the intricacies of sphere of influence and annexation issues, Lewis held off on revealing her stance at this time.

“What I do know is that the urban growth boundary was adopted by local voters, so what that says to me is local voters want to ensure that the growth that happens within Buellton fits the character, fits the community,” Lewis said.

Carter said he does not support increasing the sphere of influence for more development, adding that the city would need the look at how any projects would affect traffic, water needs and more. 

“I think we need to focus on our current vacant buildings and current vacation lots,” Carter said. 

Public safety, especially for pedestrians, also was a key concern among the council candidates for the city where people crossing Highway 246 have been critically injured or killed altering being struck by vehicles. 

Sierra said she originally ran for the public office because of concerns about Highway 246, which splits the city with parks on one side of the highway and schools on the other.

Efforts have led to the installation of crosswalks with flashing lights, but that has not removed the danger.

Buellton leaders are working with state and regional authorities to narrow Highway 246 to slow traffic within the city, Sierra said.

“We think that’s going to make a huge difference for our community,” she added.

Oltmans said he does not consider Highway 246 a safe road.

“Crossing (Highway) 246 is an issue, and any way to slow down traffic — narrowing lanes — would probably help, but definitely more of a police presence there during times of going to school, after school or whatever activities are happening,” said Oltmans, a newcomer to Buellton politics.

Mercado said Buellton’s efforts to improve safety have been hampered by funding, including at the state level, in many cases.

“We’re doing the things that I think are helping both sides of Buellton,” added Mercado, a former planning commissioner who was appointed to fill a vacancy on the council in 2017 and elected to a rare two-year term in 2018.

Lewis said health and safety should be the top priorities of the council members, and ticked off Safe Routes to School, public trails and neighborhood watch programs among needs.

“The more invested our residents are in their community, the more resilient, the happier and the better their quality of life is all the way around, from our seniors down to our youngest kids,” she said.

Lewis serves on the Buellton Union School District board and is running for re-election. If she wins both seats, the city attorney has said she would have to choose one.

Carter, a newer resident to the valley, said he believes the council has been doing a good job of improving safety, but said the council must remain persistent to ensure that projects get done.

“If I was king for a day, I would make 246 a two-lane road instead of a four-lane highway right through Buellton,” he said. “It’s dangerous to cross even for an adult like me. I can’t imagine kids crossing that road to go to school. So it’s really just about persistence.”

The forums can be found on the Santa Ynez Valley Star’s YouTube channel.

Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com.

The post Buellton candidates focus on public safety issues at forum appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

Noozhawk North County Editor

The future of Buellton and whether the city should expand its boundaries along with public safety issues were among topics tackled by City Council candidates during a recent forum.

Incumbent Holly Sierra, who retired from the U.S. Postal Service as a post master for Buellton, will face two challengers, Councilman Ed Andrisek and Isaac Oltmans, a brand manager, in the race for a two-year term wielding the gavel.

Two seats are up for grabs on the City Council, with incumbents Art Mercado, an irrigation supervisor, and John Sanchez joined by Elysia Lewis, a public finance manager; and Joseph Carter, a physician assistant and National Guardsman. 

Andrisek and Sanchez did not participate in the forums, which involved separate sessions for mayoral and council candidates.

The Buellton Chamber of Commerce and the Santa Ynez Valley Star newspaper sponsored the forums at which topics focused on the city’s role in helping businesses coping with COVID-19 restrictions, pedestrian safety, crime rates, future growth and the purchase of Willemson property on Dairyland Road. 

In 2008, Buellton voters approved an urban growth boundary initiative, restricting future expansion of the city’s borders with the expiration set for 2025.

“If a development came up that wanted to be annexed, I think the best way to do it would be to present the proposal to the residents and have them decide,” said Sierra, who is seeking her third two-year term. “I really have mixed feelings.”

Sierra said a wider sphere of influence — an area for possible future boundary and service area — could have given the city more say about the cannabis operations outside city limits but near Buellton.

Oltmans said residents support limited development in Buellton, and suggested that the city could possibly extend the timeline to get more input from residents.

He also said he was “on the fence” about whether the city should annex more land to the city, and he said he agreed with Sierra that any development should be taken to residents for a vote.

“Make it as transparent as possible,” he added.

Noting that times have changed, Mercado said the city may want to reconsider limits on sphere of influence, especially with the establishment of cannabis operations just outside the city limits. 

“When you don’t have a seat at the table, you can’t change what’s happening,” Mercado said, adding that a sphere of influence would give the city a voice. “A sphere of influence just means you have to influence. It doesn’t mean you have to build.”

Saying she needed to learn more about the intricacies of sphere of influence and annexation issues, Lewis held off on revealing her stance at this time.

“What I do know is that the urban growth boundary was adopted by local voters, so what that says to me is local voters want to ensure that the growth that happens within Buellton fits the character, fits the community,” Lewis said.

Carter said he does not support increasing the sphere of influence for more development, adding that the city would need the look at how any projects would affect traffic, water needs and more. 

“I think we need to focus on our current vacant buildings and current vacation lots,” Carter said. 

Public safety, especially for pedestrians, also was a key concern among the council candidates for the city where people crossing Highway 246 have been critically injured or killed altering being struck by vehicles. 

Sierra said she originally ran for the public office because of concerns about Highway 246, which splits the city with parks on one side of the highway and schools on the other.

Efforts have led to the installation of crosswalks with flashing lights, but that has not removed the danger.

Buellton leaders are working with state and regional authorities to narrow Highway 246 to slow traffic within the city, Sierra said.

“We think that’s going to make a huge difference for our community,” she added.

Oltmans said he does not consider Highway 246 a safe road.

“Crossing (Highway) 246 is an issue, and any way to slow down traffic — narrowing lanes — would probably help, but definitely more of a police presence there during times of going to school, after school or whatever activities are happening,” said Oltmans, a newcomer to Buellton politics.

Mercado said Buellton’s efforts to improve safety have been hampered by funding, including at the state level, in many cases.

“We’re doing the things that I think are helping both sides of Buellton,” added Mercado, a former planning commissioner who was appointed to fill a vacancy on the council in 2017 and elected to a rare two-year term in 2018.

Lewis said health and safety should be the top priorities of the council members, and ticked off Safe Routes to School, public trails and neighborhood watch programs among needs.

“The more invested our residents are in their community, the more resilient, the happier and the better their quality of life is all the way around, from our seniors down to our youngest kids,” Lewis said.

She serves on the Buellton Union School District board and is running for re-election. If she wins both seats, the city attorney has said she would have to choose one.

Carter, a newer resident to the valley, said he believes the council has been doing a good job of improving safety, but said the council must remain persistent to ensure that projects get done.

“If I was king for a day, I would make 246 a two-lane road instead of a four-lane highway right through Buellton. It’s dangerous to cross even for an adult like me. I can’t imagine kids crossing that road to go to school,” he said. “So it’s really just about persistence.”

The forums can be found on the Santa Ynez Valley Star’s YouTube channel by clicking here.

— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com.

The post Candidates for Buellton Mayor, Council Focus on Public Safety Issues at Forum appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

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The Buellton City Council recently approved a Bike Skills Course at River View Park in collaboration with Santa Ynez Valley Youth Recreation to assist in guiding this volunteer led project. The project was unanimously approved at their May 13 regular meeting. 

“We are excited to collaborate with SYV Youth Rec and the volunteers that will be a great community amenity. Bikers of all ages and skill levels will be able to get outside and have a fun place to practice and get out energy,” said Kyle Abello, Buellton Parks and Rec coordinator. 

The project is being led by SYV Youth Recreation Coordinator Paul Smith, along with MSN Engineer Kent Yankee who volunteered his time to design the course. The course will be on the east side of River View Park, next to the parking lot. 

They presented a simplified design that takes advantage of the existing terrain to minimize the amount of additional fill dirt needed on the site, and it is able to be accomplished as a volunteer led project, according to the staff report. 

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Contributing Writer

The Buellton City Council intends to amend its ban on all commercial cannabis activities to allow cannabis-testing laboratories to operate within the city, according to discussions on Aug. 8.

At the same meeting, the council considered but decided against amending the municipal code to allow for the sale of cannabis-derived cannabidiol (CBD) products at retail stores in Buellton. CBD is the non-psychoactive component of marijuana.

The council revisited Municipal Code 19.20, zoning provisions adopted in July 2018, which prohibit all commercial cannabis facilities and cultivation within the city.

Currently there are only two exceptions to the prohibition. First, state-licensed retailers that are located outside the city may deliver products that comply with California state laws to Buellton residents. Second, Buellton residents may cultivate up to six cannabis plants as long as the cultivation complies with applicable health and safety codes and does not use gas products such as butane for cultivation.

In considering whether to create another exception to the existing code to allow for the operation of laboratories to test marijuana plants and cannabidiol products to ensure these products’ compliance with California State laws, the council weighed their concerns for allowing new cannabis-related activities along with the possible benefit of job creation.

“I was approached by a group that was interested in Buellton because we are so close to so many crops, Santa Rosa Road in particular,” said Mayor Holly Sierra. “The state licensing is very strict. You have to be a licensed chemist to work in the facility, which I thought would bring some nice paying jobs into our community. What I understand is they are given direction by the state, they go to this grower, they’re looking for this plant, they clip two to three leaves off the plant, put it in a baggie, take it to a lab, test it for chemicals for sprays, for things that aren’t supposed to be on it. They print the results.

“They return the baggie back to the grower. What they keep in these labs is minimal and under tight security. The state has a lot of stringent laws. I thought the council should talk about it. What can we allow and what don’t we want to allow?”

Addressing a concern for public safety, City Manager Scott Wolfe noted, “If a person holds a license to operate a cannabis testing and analysis laboratory, they cannot hold any other type of retail or commercial cannabis license. That ensures the separation between the cannabis producers and the cannabis analysis.”

The Council agreed to direct its staff to perform additional research and draft an ordinance to allow cannabis testing and analysis laboratories within city limits. Sierra noted the draft ordinance should have “very strict wording” and will be considered and voted on at a future meeting.

The Council decided not to allow for sales of CBD products within Buellton City limits. The retail market for CBD products is expected to hit $22 billion in 2022.

Wolfe explained there are two types of products that contain CBD, hemp-derived and cannabis-derived. There is also a difference under state regulations between food and non-food products that contain CBD.

Hemp-derived CBD products that are not food, such as lotions and oils, can be sold in California retail stores without having to go through the cannabis licensing process. These products are currently sold in Buellton and are not prohibited by the current City Code.

Hemp-derived food products are prohibited under state law because Proposition 64, adopted by California voters in November 2016, specifically excluded hemp and hemp-derived products. However, California is poised to pass Assembly Bill 228, which would allow hemp-derived food products within the state, with some labeling and other restrictions.

The second type of CBD products are cannabis-derived products. These products were legalized under Prop. 64 but can be sold only under a retail cannabis license. Buellton City Code prohibits the sale of all cannabis-derived products, food and non-food alike.

Jamie Dietenhofer, president and co-founder of Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company, asked the council for direction as he is considering creating a new line of CBD seltzer water, which would be manufactured at his Buellton facility.

“We have an opportunity to make a CBD seltzer from 100 percent hemp, so it’s hemp derived. We’re not looking to do retail sales of that here, just package and manufacture. So I’m trying to seek direction from Council and the City Attorney and City Manager if that’s something we do proceed with.

“There are many costly steps that we have to go through from a food standpoint to make that available. So we want to see before we make that investment if that is something allowable from Buellton, to package a hemp derived seltzer,” Dietenhofer said.

Wolfe noted that because the product line would be hemp-derived food product, Dietenhofer would first need to see what happens with AB 228, which will determine whether hemp-derived food products will be allowed within California. The Buellton Municipal Code is limited to cannabis-derived products and would not apply to Dietenhofer’s intended line of hemp-derived CBD seltzer products.

With no further public comment, the council unanimously decided not to create another exception to allow sale of cannabis-derived CBD products within Buellton City limits at this time.

In other business, the council considered a draft document that provides the purpose, parameters, and membership of the proposed Buellton Arts & Culture Committee. Council Member John Sanchez as well as Buellton Rec Supervisor Kyle Abello are poised to be on the committee.

Council Member David King expressed his concern that the members of the committee were not required to be Buellton residents but could hail from the greater Santa Ynez Valley.

“To me, if we’re going to use taxpayer money, all of the people on the committee should be Buellton residents, King said.

Sanchez countered that the City Council would still vote on the recommendations for the benefit of Buellton but he did not want to limit volunteer membership on the committee if there is somebody with talent in this area who can offer a contribution.

Sierra noted that the dog park in Buellton has board members who are not Buellton residents and people from all over the valley use the dog park, just as people from the greater Santa Ynez Valley would benefit from the projects the committee proposes.

The council then voted to give the Arts and Culture Committee $50,000 so that it could propose specific projects to the council. The council noted the committee should not feel obligated to propose spending the entire budget within the year. The proposed projects would still need to be approved by the council before these funds are spent.

The council also recognized Boy Scout Troop 42 for its service to Buellton. Troop 42 put up 50 state flags along the Avenue of Flags for Flag Day on June 14 under the direction of Scoutmaster John DeLeon. Several of its members also completed their Eagle Scout projects, which benefited the Buellton community.

For more information, call Buellton City Hall at 805-688-5177 or visit www.cityofbuellton.com.

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The Buellton City Council decided to explore hosting an “Open Streets” event in the fall of 2020 after hearing a presentation July 25 by Kent Epperson of the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG). 

The council also issued a proclamation thanking Buellton Library volunteers for their hundreds of hours spent cataloging and retagging all items within the library as it transitioned from supervision by the Santa Barbara Public Library to the Goleta Library. 

“There have been eight Open Streets events in the county over the past five years, and it’s a unique experience where people come together to promote healthy living,” Epperson told the council. 

He showed a video created at the Lompoc Open Streets in 2018, highlighting events that included kids bicycle races, BMX stunt performances, booths by local organizations and more. 

Open Streets events, also known as Ciclovías, are a model that that cities around the world participate in, each creating its own unique event in an accessible and safe way on its public streets.

Given the car-free nature of the events, the sponsoring agency, SBCAG Traffic Solutions, is encouraging people to come to the event without a car by either walking, biking, or taking the bus. Traffic Solutions, the countywide rideshare, has year-round programs that support biking, walking, carpooling, vanpooling, and taking the train or bus. 

Epperson said there is about $10,000 in seed funding available for creation of an event in Buellton, and there was discussion about using Avenue of Flags as a possible location. 

During discussion of the presentation, Mayor Holly Sierra said she would like to explore and bring the item back for action to get started on planning for next fall. 

“This could be a fun way to introduce this event to the valley as well as to bring all the communities together,” Sierra said. 

“I think this is a great event, as we are always looking to do something fun and different with the grandkids,” Councilman Art Mercado added.

Councilman John Sanchez said the fall is a great time to start an event like this because kids are in school and the city can get a lot of participation. 

For more information on Open Streets visit www.sbopenstreets.org. 

In honoring the library volunteers, the council noted that the transfer was completed as of July 1, and Sierra said the move was seamless because of the work of the staff and volunteers. 

Those recognized were Ursula Ferrall, Gerry and Dolores Wilson, Andrew Dale, Judith Dale, Shoshanah Schwartz, Alicia Thomas, Sherry Uyeda, Lisa Kenyon, Grace Siegel, Olivia Flisher, John Thomas, Samona Gielow, Mary King, Tori Andrade, Judi Just, Jillian Tempesta, Jeremy More, Christine Carlin, Terry Smith and Rosemary Verhegen. 

Dolores Wilson was especially recognized for the more than 100 hours she spent to get the task completed.

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