Cuyama Valley Community Action Plan

The Cuyama Valley Community Action Plan is available for download here:

Do you have questions, feedback, or want to join a local working group to get things done together? Contact hello@blueskycenter.org and we can get you connected!

The Appendices for the report are available for viewing or download below. Acknowledgments of participating entities along with the Executive Summary are also provided below.

Reproduction, quotation, or referencing of this Action Plan is permissible with proper credit and sourcing (“Cuyama Valley Community Action Plan, 2020, Blue Sky Center, et al.”); the authors request contact be made when the Action Plan is to be referenced in other publications by emailing hello@blueskycenter.org.

Participating Entities

The District 1 Supervisor’s Office of the County of Santa Barbara provided direction for this project and participated in the process. More at countyofsb.org.

Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC) is a nonprofit that provides training, technical and financial resources and advocacy so rural communities can achieve their goals and visions. RCAC provided direct technical assistance for this project. More at rcac.org.

Since 1976, California Coalition for Rural Housing (CCRH) has been working to ensure affordable housing opportunities for low-income and rural households. CCRH contributed as a co-author to this report. More at calruralhousing.org.

Blue Sky Center (BSC) is a rural, place-based nonprofit organization with the mission to strengthen our rural communities within the Cuyama Valley by supporting entrepreneurs and building our regional creative and economic resources. We envision resilient, thriving, and inclusive rural economies. BSC coordinated this project, served as the primary author of this report, and served as the fiscal sponsor for this project. More at blueskycenter.org.

AmeriCorps VISTA national service members serve as a catalyst for change, living and working alongside community members to meet our nation’s most pressing challenges and advance local solutions. VISTA members - hosted by Blue Sky Center - provided capacity building service for this project. More at nationalservice.gov.

Enterprise Community Partners (ECP) has a mission to create opportunity for low- and moderate-income people through affordable housing in diverse, thriving communities. ECP provided the pass-through funding for this project along with technical assistance to Blue Sky Center. More at enterprisecommunity.org.

The work that provided the basis for this publication was supported by funding under an award with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The substance and findings of the work are dedicated to the public. The author and publisher are solely responsible for the accuracy of the statements and interpretations contained in this publication. Such interpretations do not necessarily reflect the views of HUD.

This report was designed by Julia Warner, juliawarnerdesign.com.

The printed version of this report was printed by Eastwood Print & Copy, Birmingham, Ala.

All photos are courtesy of Noé Montes, noemontes.com.

Executive Summary

The Cuyama Valley Community Action Plan is the result of years of work - through outreach and research - that establishes both current conditions and reports back “next steps” for furthering economic opportunity, rural resilience, and quality of life for Cuyamans. 

This Community Action Plan’s process has the goal of:

  • Identifying shared community values and desires;

  • Identifying opportunities for investment in the community’s individuals, businesses, and local organizations;

  • Communicating these community desires and opportunities for investment to elected officials and resource holders; and

  • Outlining clear next steps for implementing actions that improve the vitality and economic opportunity of the Cuyama Valley.

Detailed within this report are seven community development opportunities. Each has been identified as an area of opportunity for attention and investment; some are already being addressed by local champions, while others are a widely held concern of the Cuyama community but have yet to gain momentum in addressing their needs and opportunities. In no particular order of priority, Cuyama’s community development opportunities are as follows:

  1. Townsites beautification and wayfinding

  2. Food action network

  3. Economic opportunity development and job creation

  4. School system support

  5. Water/sewer infrastructure improvement

  6. Rural broadband

  7. Housing stock improvement through repairs and renovations

In the report that follows, each priority is detailed, with background validation, interested parties, goals, and action steps identified. Over time, it is expected the goals and actionable steps will evolve as more is learned and as other interested parties and resources are brought forward.

These opportunities were determined by the Cuyama community. Reports produced by entities serving the Cuyama Valley, responses from a community-wide survey, direct feedback collected via community meetings, and one-on-one outreach to local residents and stakeholders all coalesce to inform and validate these community development opportunities. All of this information is provided either within the narrative of this report or as an appendix.

As an unincorporated rural area at the confluence of four distinct county jurisdictions, the 300-square-mile Cuyama Valley is not easily defined. A variety of methods were used to define for ourselves the opportunities within Cuyama and garner input to this plan. However, even as these methods favored inclusivity of all Cuyamans, a community is made up of individuals, with each of the estimated 1,100 Cuyama residents having their own history, role in the community, and dreams for Cuyama’s future. This report is presented in good faith, with a confidence of both having incorporated what is known as of now along with the realization that there remains missing voices, critical components, and an ever-changing future affected by internal and external forces beyond what could be confidently predicted while maintaining a focus of priorities that this Community Action Plan requires.

As you read and use this report, we invite you to join with us. Should you be a government official, resource holder, business manager, or interested individual, we hope you will contribute your time and energy through critical feedback, connection to resources, joining a working group, or becoming a Cuyama advocate wherever you live. We look forward to hearing from you.