Dear Carpinterians,

December is here, and the joys of the holidays are upon us. I hope that your Thanksgiving celebration was filled with warmth and love. For me, it was a quiet time with family and friends, and it was nice to relax a bit with the elections behind us.

I can’t tell you how pleased I am to anticipate holiday festivities without the long shadow of COVID-19. Don’t get me wrong, I know that the disease is still here, and bringing worry and sickness to some of our households, but we have so many tools to fight it now–the tools that we lacked when the pandemic entered our lives almost three years ago.

In these weeks of holiday celebrations and family gatherings, it will be important to protect yourself and our community from illness. I encourage you to get your flu shot and your COVID-19 booster. Stay healthy so that you and your loved ones can experience the full fun of this holiday season.

With the holiday season also comes the beginning of Carpinteria’s wet season. The question on all our minds is whether there will be much “wet” in the wet season. I’ve been thrilled to see rain in our forecast for this week, and I certainly hope that we get the kind of precipitation that our crops, reservoirs and ground water desperately need this winter.

Several dry winters have prompted the Carpinteria Valley Water District to declare a Stage 3 drought emergency. CVWD predicts that ongoing dry conditions will lead to 30% water shortages of average annual demand within the coming years. The Stage 3 declaration requires CVWD customers to reduce their water consumption by 20%, and landscape watering is a major focus of regulations. Please see additional details and a full list of regulations HERE.

While I’m enjoying the rain and the onset of holiday celebrations, I’m also starting to tackle my holiday shopping list. You can bet that my loved ones will receive gifts from the many Carpinteria merchants. I hope you will also remember the importance of shopping locally. When you spend money at a Carpinteria business, your dollars remain in our economy and put gifts under the trees of other local families.

Tis the season for giving! Invest in Carpinteria this season, including our non-profits. Let’s make it a time of joy for all, and I will see you at the Holiday Spirit Parade!

Stay Well and Stay Safe, and Happy Holidays!

Mayor Wade Nomura

City News & More

Don't Miss the Downtown Holiday Events on Dec. 10

Holiday festivities have begun throughout Carpinteria, and Saturday, Dec. 10 will be an event-filled day in our downtown. The well-loved Holiday Spirit Parade will take place on downtown Linden Avenue at 3 p.m., followed at 5:30 p.m. by the Light Up a Life Hospice of Santa Barbara event at the Seal Fountain. Prior to the parade, the Carpinteria Community Library will hold its Frosty Fest from 10 a.m. to noon at 5141 Carpinteria Ave. and the Lynda Fairly Carpinteria Arts Center will host an Arts & Crafts Faire from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 855 Linden Ave. The Festival of Trees will be open that day from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. indoors at the Arts Center, 865 Linden Ave.

Click here to View the More Information About City Of Carpinteria Newsletter - December 3, 2022