Supervisors Stall on Goleta Sewage Changes

Faced with Isla Vista tenants and landlords worried about rising rates, conflicting studies on what those rates will be, and confusion over an apparent “shell game” about who controls the money, the County Board of Supervisors voted on Tuesday to wait for further studies before deciding whether to oppose or support the City of Goleta’s attempt to “detach” from the Goleta West Sanitary district, which has served the region for 55 years. Hoping to one day consolidate the city and the entire Goleta Valley under one agency — likely Goleta Sanitary, which serves the eastern portion of the area and runs the wastewater treatment plant — Goleta officials argued the move is prudent in order to increase transparency, reduce redundancy, and save money, but Goleta West representatives say it will actually cause costs to skyrocket. The supervisors voted to wait for a study by the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), which is processing the city’s request.