Recent News Releases
Plug in to 2026 National Drive Electric Month
Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District (APCD), Central Coast Clean Cities Coalition (C5), Electric Ride 805, and regional partners invite community members to join free in‑person and virtual events during National Drive Electric Month (September 11 – October 12).
Air Quality Watch for Santa Barbara County
The Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District and County of Santa Barbara Health Department issued an Air Quality Watch for Santa Barbara County to be in effect until conditions improve. Smoke from the Timber and Plaskett Fires burning in Monterey County has reached Santa Barbara County; currently, ground-level conditions are Good-to-Moderate countywide, with smoke levels more elevated in the northern part of our county.
Apply to the 2026 APCD Clean Air Grant Program
Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District (APCD) is pleased to announce that the application window for the 2026 Clean Air Grant Program is now open. Applications will be accepted starting today, Monday, July 27, through Friday, September 4. Approximately $2.3 million is available this year for voluntary projects that reduce emissions and support the adoption of cleaner technologies across Santa Barbara County.
Recent Prescribed Burns
Prescribed Burn at UCSB Lagoon Scheduled for Today
WHAT: Approximately one acre of grassland and Coastal Sage/Bluff Scrub will be burned.
WHEN: September 14, depending on conditions. As conditions permit, the burn is scheduled to begin in the late morning or early afternoon and conclude by 4 p.m. on a permissive burn day; the actual burn is likely to last less than an hour.
WHERE: UCSB Lagoon near Campus Point and Coal Oil Point.
Prescribed Burn at UCSB Lagoon Scheduled for Mid-September
The Santa Barbara County Fire Department, in conjunction with UCSB’s Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration, has tentatively scheduled a two-day Prescribed Burn at UCSB Lagoon near Campus Point and Coal Oil Point with a burn window in mid- September. This burn is part of ongoing management effort to control non-native grasses and establish native bluff scrub vegetation. Building on successful past burns, this treatment will be conducted on a day within the burn window with the least amount of fog in order to generate enough heat to reduce the viability of the non-native seed bank, and on a day with the best conditions for dispersion.
VSFB Watt Training Burns to Occur Over the Next Week
WHAT: Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB) Fire Department will be conducting prescribed burns of approximately 5-10 acres per day of grassland and coastal sage scrub.
WHEN: June 5-12. These burns will occur over multiple days. Burning operations may or may not occur on consecutive days, depending on conditions.