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City of Goleta wins esteemed Helen Putnam Award for Excellence

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City of Goleta wins esteemed Helen Putnam Award for Excellence

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Goleta City Council and Staff – Pictured from left to right: Assistant to City Manager Shannon Kirn, Community Relations Manager/PIO Kelly Hoover, Assistant City Manager Jaime Valdez, Council Member Stuart Kasdin, Council Member James Kyriaco (District 2), City Manager Robert Nisbet, Mayor Paula Perotte, Mayor Pro Tempore Luz Reyes-Martín (1st District), Council Member Kyle Richards, Community Relations Assistant Jaime Shaw, and Spanish Engagement Specialist Marcos Martinez | Credit: courtesy

GOLETA, CA, October 24, 2024 – The City of Goleta is proud to announce that on October 17, 2024, it received the prestigious 2024 Helen Putnam Award for Excellence in the Enhancing Public Trust, Ethics, and Community Involvement category through its LEAD Goleta Bilingual Community Academy. LEAD stands for Learn, Empower, Advocate and Discuss. The city was honored with the award at the League of California Cities’ annual conference held this year in Long Beach. The League of Cities played this short video clip at the conference highlighting the program.

Mayor Paula Perotte and Goleta City Manager Robert Nisbet had the honor of taking the stage at the General Assembly, attended by hundreds of representatives from cities across the state to receive the award.

Mayor Paula Perotte couldn’t be more proud. She said: “We view our LEAD Academy as a strategic investment that is already paying off big time. This program will create greater participation, leadership and inclusivity that will continue well into Goleta’s future.”

Established in 1982, the Helen Putnam Award for Excellence is presented annually in 12 categories and recognizes outstanding achievements from California’s 483 cities. The aim of the prize is to promote innovative solutions from city authorities. This is the third Helen Putnam Award for the City of Goleta. The first was awarded in 2005 for the city’s role in preserving the Ellwood Mesa and the second in 2014 for an Emergency Preparedness Program.

The City of Goleta, under the guidance and encouragement of City Manager Robert Nisbet, has signed up for the LEAD Goleta Bilingual Community Academy this time. LEAD Goleta is a free, interactive six-week class that gives community members the opportunity to learn how the city is governed in an intimate setting of 30-35 participants. The goal of the Academy experience is to give community members a front-row seat to their local government so that they in turn feel connected and empowered to get involved and be part of the decision-making process.

The first LEAD Goleta Community Academy was held in 2019 and since then there have been a total of four academies employing more than 115 people. The last two (in April/May 2023 and January/February 2024) were bilingual. This meant translating all teaching materials, simultaneous interpretation in every lesson, and helping the Spanish-speaking community in Goleta gain participation.

A booth featuring the program was on display on the floor of the League of California Cities Expo and was put together by the city’s Community Relations Division (Kelly Hoover, Jaime Shaw and Marcos Martinez), which also hosts the LEAD Goleta Community Academy each year .

The City would like to take a moment to congratulate our fellow Helen Putnam Award 2024 honorees for their exceptional work. Click here for a list of recipients.

The League of California Cities will make a Helen Putnam Award presentation at the next Goleta City Council meeting on November 19, 2024.

If you are interested in being part of this award-winning program, the city will soon begin accepting applications for the next LEAD Goleta Community Academy, launching in January 2025. Stay tuned for more information and visit www.CityofGoleta.org/LEADGoleta for more information.

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