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(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) – As 2025 draws to a close, the County of Santa Barbara proudly highlights a year of transformative achievements that advanced public safety, strengthened community services, updated parks and infrastructure, and made progress in improving housing. This year is particularly special as the County celebrates its 175th anniversary of public service.
“While the national climate was marked by division and uncertainty, Santa Barbara County chose a different path — focusing on practical solutions, collaborating to deliver essential community services, and putting the safety of residents front and center,” said Chair of the Board of Supervisors, Laura Capps.
The County prioritized fiscal responsibility by passing a balanced status quo budget while maintaining the highest possible credit rating—AAA from S&P Global Ratings—demonstrating strong financial management and long-term stability. The County also earned the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association for its Fiscal Year 2025–26 Recommended Budget, marking more than 20 consecutive years of recognition for excellence in policy guidance, financial planning, and communication.
The County Board of Supervisors also made significant policy decisions including requiring carbon scrubbers to reduce odor for cannabis operations; expanding the Northern Branch Jail to address the aging main jail; and the beginning of a phaseout for oil and gas operations.
A snapshot of some of the County’s key accomplishments achieved by the County’s 22 departments in 2025 are highlighted in the sections below.
Strengthening Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
The County completed the Regional Fire Communications Center, significantly enhancing emergency dispatch coordination and fire and emergency medical response capabilities countywide. In addition, the County’s ability to communicate clearly, in a coordinated manner, and quickly with the public during emergencies was strengthened with a new Call Center and Joint Information Center.
To improve evacuation planning and public alerting, the County launched Genasys, a modern emergency communication platform that provides real-time, zone-based evacuation information.
Major Infrastructure and Transportation Improvements
Several high-impact infrastructure projects reached important milestones in 2025. Public Works completed the Tajiguas Landfill Capacity Increase Project,adding 6.3 million cubic yards of capacity and extending landfill operations through 2038.
Progress continued on regional mobility projects. In Cuyama, sidewalks throughout the area were repaired and repaved, smoothing cracked surfaces, adding safety features to keep cars out of walkways, and improving accessibility to make paths safer and easier to use for everyone. Countywide, more than 2,700 linear feet of sidewalks were installed, and 56 miles of roadway were paved in 2025.
Transportation and coastal access improvements continued with completion of the first phase of the Santa Claus Lane Streetscape Project, which added parking, improved drainage to meet water quality standards, and added a new multi-use path. Phase two, including beach frontage improvements, is planned for 2026. The County also completed the Cold Springs Bridge project in Montecito, permanently restoring a critical transportation link following storm damage. Outside Santa Maria, the design process was kicked off for the Bonita School Road Bridge Replacement.
In addition, two transformative projects made major progress in 2025, including the development of a new permanent library for the Orcutt community with a design contract awarded to put together the preliminary plan, and work to begin the development of Fire Station 25 on Union Valley Parkway to serve the expanding population of the Orcutt community.
Advancing Housing and Community Services
Addressing housing needs remained a central focus. The Planning and Development Department approved 1,812 multifamily housing units, including 563 affordable, transitional, or supportive units, while streamlining development processes through zoning ordinance updates.
The Community Services Department launched a comprehensive Workforce Housing Strategy, engaging 70 local organizations through an extensive stakeholder process. By the end of the year, the County took its first actions to bring this vision to life by leveraging County-owned land at 117 E. Carrillo Street to advance a community-centered workforce housing solution in downtown Santa Barbara. In addition, the County celebrated its first year of success with the interim housing projects of Hope Village in Santa Maria and La Posada in South Santa Barbara County. In the first year of service, they provided housing to more than 350 people, who were previously unsheltered.
Through a coordinated five-phase response in 2025, Santa Barbara County reduced encampments in the Santa Ynez Riverbed near Lompoc by 85 while conducting person-centered outreach to more than 60 individuals. The effort emphasizes ongoing follow-up and coordination with local partners to prevent re-establishment and connect individuals to housing, health care, and supportive services.
In Isla Vista, the County’s proactive Rental Inspection Pilot Program inspected more than 140 housing units, identifying safety issues such as missing smoke detectors and plumbing deficiencies, with corrective actions underway to improve living conditions.
Goleta Beach Park entered the final stages of a multi-million-dollar improvement effort, focused on restoring storm-damaged areas, updating group BBQ areas, replacing lawns, and improving walkways.
Health, Social Services, and Family Support
County Health marked a major milestone in 2025 by celebrating its centennial and unveiling a new name and logo to reflect a century of service and innovation. The department hosted Back to School Health Fairs across the county, serving more than 2,500 individuals and families with health education and on-site immunizations, and convened healthcare providers and community partners through the Healthy Landscape Symposium Series to address priority health issues.
Access to care expanded through innovative and community-based programs. At the Franklin Health Center, County Health implemented EyePACS using advanced digital imaging technology to enhance diabetic retinopathy screening, improving early detection of vision-threatening conditions. In Lompoc, County Health officially designated the Good Samaritan BridgeHouse Homeless Shelter as a shelter clinic, enabling weekly urgent care, mental health, and substance use disorder services and reducing avoidable emergency department visits.
Behavioral Wellness in the first 11 months of 2025 has served 9,724 unique individuals and brought 30 of its homeless service clients/households into permanent housing. In addition, Behavioral Wellness led an extensive, multilingual community engagement effort, reaching more than 1,400 residents to help shape the County’s Behavioral Health Services Act plan and strengthen access to care.
The Department of Social Services continued to assist more than 178,000 residents each month, including nearly 90 percent of the County’s child population, while completing ADA accessibility improvements at the Lompoc DSS office to enhance the customer experience.
Child Support Services achieved its highest federal performance ranking in department history, placing 6th out of 47 agencies statewide, and implemented a new child support guideline calculator aligned with recent state and federal reforms.
First 5 Santa Barbara County launched the Aligned Leadership for Results Program uniting countywide leaders from education, health, nonprofits, and more to use data and connections to drive lasting change for children and families.
Justice, Rehabilitation, and Community Support
Construction advanced on the new Santa Barbara Probation Building, which will consolidate South County juvenile, adult, and the Probation Report and Resource Center (PRRC) operations into a single location upon completion in 2026.
Beyond facilities, the Probation Department led a countywide collaboration with the District Attorney’s Office, Public Defender’s Office, and Behavioral Wellness to implement voter-approved criminal justice initiatives. This work included establishing new court protocols, diversion pathways, and reentry services, reinforcing the County’s commitment to public safety, accountability, and equitable outcomes.
The Sheriff’s Office successfully implemented a new records management system that streamlines deputies’ crime report writing and automates the collection and submission of crime data to the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System, while laying the groundwork for improved collaboration with the District Attorney’s Office through a new Digital Evidence Management System and expanded data-driven policing capabilities.
Investing in Technology, Sustainability, and Protecting the Environment
General Services completed multiple sustainability and preservation projects, including a solar array with battery backup at the Betteravia Campus in Santa Maria, and expanded electric vehicle charging infrastructure countywide, reinforcing the County’s commitment to clean energy and emissions reductions.
The Agricultural Commissioner’s Office led the county’s efforts in plant health and pest prevention in 2025, intercepting more than 360 high-risk exotic pests, inspecting over 1,100 incoming plant shipments, and verifying compliance across more than 2,000 acres of wholesale nurseries. These efforts protect local agriculture, natural resources, and the regional economy while avoiding far more costly impacts down the road.
Santa Barbara County permanently protected 36 acres of More Mesa open spaceby placing a conservation easement on County-owned land, safeguarding the area from development while preserving public access, recreation, and sensitive habitat.
Honoring 175 Years of History and Service to the Community
As part of the 175th anniversary celebration, the County launched a historical video series highlighting Santa Barbara County’s diverse history, with episodes in English and Spanish available on CSBTV Channel 20, the CSBTV YouTube channel, and social media.
Additionally, the County introduced a new ceremonial resolution certificate, designed by local artist Aiden Khuiphum, to honor community members, organizations, and milestones. Over 40 submissions were received, showcasing local talent and the County’s commitment to civic pride and cultural heritage.
Looking Ahead
“2025 has been a remarkable year for the County of Santa Barbara. These are just some of our accomplishments that our departments wanted to highlight. In addition, internally we had departments finalize strategic plans and a new financial system launched as well as continued progress on projects we have highlighted in the past,” said County Executive Officer Mona Miyasato. “Looking to 2026, we face challenges from state and federal policy changes, but I am confident our dedicated teams will continue driving progress in housing, public safety, and community services, keeping Santa Barbara County safe, resilient, and thriving.”
