Guadalupe is situated along the picturesque California Highway 1, which stretches more than 650 miles from Mendocino County in the north, to Orange County in the south.
Frequently traveled by motorists, including those who drive electric vehicles, the scenic and historic route hasn’t enjoyed a place for electric vehicles drivers to receive a charge if their battery dies—until now.
On the morning of Jan. 26, Guadalupe held a ribbon cutting ceremony and celebrated the installation of a brand new electric vehicle charging station.
Speaking before a small crowd of reporters, government officials, and private citizens, Guadalupe Mayor John Lizalde said that he hopes more electric vehicle motorists will stop in his city, grab a bite to eat, and take in the sights while stopping for a charge or two.
Guadalupe faced insolvency with a budget crisis a few years ago. But things started looking up when Pasadera—the 800-home development—came to town, promising to push the city past the 10,000 population mark and attract major businesses, and ultimately a bigger tax base. And now the town has its own electric vehicle charging station.
“This is just an example of Guadalupe thinking outside the box,” Lizalde said.
The EV station fills a gap for stations between Pismo Beach and Lompoc and provides ports to charge two cars at a time. It’ll be available to drivers around the clock.
A $10,000 grant from the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District (APCD) paid for the station, which came from the district’s Electric Vehicle Charging Station Infrastructure Program.
The grant program helped fund the installation of 16 charging stations for a total of 28 charging ports in the county, APCD Director Aeron Arlin Genet said.
The new station is the northernmost in Santa Barbara County and is crucial to expanding the charging network, encouraging more electric vehicle drivers, and ultimately reducing air pollution emitted from cars, Genet added.
“It’s important that you build a robust charging network so folks can use clean technology,” Genet said. “Cleaner cars mean cleaner air for all of us.”
Owners of electric cars no longer have to feel stranded when they venture into Northern Santa Barbara County. Genet added that a smartphone app tells drivers where stations are.
Highlights
• Santa Maria didn’t have to look far to finance to replace the police department’s aging public safety dispatching system. Community Bank of Santa Maria offered to pay for a new computer-aided dispatch and records management system for $2.28 million over a 10-year period, according to Mark van de Kamp, the city’s public information officer. The financing pays for hardware, equipment, maintenance, and training.
• SHRED2YOU believes you should shred all of your sensitive documents before throwing them away. On Saturday, Feb. 25, from 9 a.m to 4 p.m., the Solvang Chamber of Commerce will host a joint document shredding party at all three Rabobanks in the Santa Ynez Valley. For more information on specific locations of banks, visit the Solvang Chamber of Commerce’s website at solvangcc.com/calendar.
Staff Writer David Minsky wrote this week’s Biz Spotlight. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, email, or mail.
This article appears in Feb 2-9, 2017.