City of Santa Barbara Holds Annual Public Works Meeting

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.-The City of Santa Barbara held its third annual public works meeting.

The event between City Hall and State Street on De La Guerra featured information booths, trucks and background music provided by DJ Darla Bea.

Organizers held the Meet in Greet during Tuesday’s farmers market on State Street in hopes that people would see the signs and stop.

Workers distributed information brochures to parents and stickers to their children.

The police allowed the children to board their armored emergency vehicle.

Public Works Director Clifford Maurer said he wanted people to know they were all first responders.

“Make no mistake, there is a lot of work to be done to provide you with clean water, take care of the sewage, pave the streets, take care of the city facilities, all the vehicles, police, fire, 480 city-owned ones are maintained by public works,” Maurer said.

He’s looking to hire more people with a “can-do mindset.”

Meredith Moore said she loves working as a downtown ambassador in and around the parking lots.

“I had been retired for 2 years and was bored and I applied not expecting to be hired because of my age and they hired me it had been almost 2 years.”

The public works department has more than 300 full-time employees and more than a hundred hourly workers.

They encourage people looking for work to apply.

They also want people to call the city to report potholes, sidewalk repairs and graffiti.

For more information, visit https://santabarbaraca.gov