Coastal View News • Tel: (805) 684-4428
Thursday, May 20, 2021 11
On-ramp at Linden Avenue reopens
Between May 16 and May 29, construction will continue to take place on the northbound and southbound lanes of Highway 101 and several sections will remain periodically closed as part of the Highway 101 project. The speed limit in all construction zones is 55 mph. Noise during the daytime hours is expected. Construction crews have neared completion of work on the Linden Avenue on-ramp, which has been closed for five weeks and reopened on May 17. Work will continue on the southbound Highway 101 ramp, focusing on overhead signs, guardrails, vegetation control and other minor adjustments. One lane on northbound highway 101 between Casitas Pass Road to Santa Claus Lane and North Padaro Lane to Sheffield Drive will be closed between 9 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Sunday nights. For the southbound highway 101, one lane on the stretch between Sheffield Drive to North Padaro Lane and Carpinteria Avenue to Casitas Pass Road will be closed between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. on Sunday nights. Between May 16 and May 20, the on- and off-ramps at Carpinteria, Reynolds and Linden avenues and Casitas Pass Road will be closed. The on- and off-ramps at Sheffield Drive remain closed, with a projected reopening date of late 2021 for the off-ramp and a projected reopening of 2023 for the on-ramp. Maps with outlined detours for the construction areas can be found at SBROADS.com. At the Franklin and Santa Monica Creek bridges, construction crews are currently prepping for the next stages of work, which include installing underground supports for new walls and a sound wall over the bridge. Construction crews are also installing south walls near Franciscan Court and north of Cravens Lane, between
Workers install footing to the northbound Hwy 101 sound wall through Carpinteria. Franklin Creek and Santa Ynez Avenue between Santa Ynez Avenue and Santa Monica Creek, and north of Santa Monica Creek.
AYARS & ASSOCIATES
Landscaping contractors have also finished planting and landscaping work between Linden Avenue and Casitas Pass Road.
Caroline Alarcon shines in volunteering efforts CVN
“I feel as a small business owner and as a woman and as a Latina, participating in these organizations gives me a voice that I didn’t think I would be able to have before.”
MISSION POSSIBLE LAUREN GRAF Volunteering trailblazer Caroline Alarcon is no stranger to setting her own path. Not only is she the founder of the Latina Professional Alliance, but she also organized the Child Safety Event, a free children’s safety program in 2016 and 2017. She also served as the 2018 chairwoman of the board for the Carpinteria Valley Chamber of Commerce, as well as on the board of Girls Inc. of Carpinteria. In addition to her activities as a volunteer, she runs her own business. Alarcon’s family moved from Alaska to California when she was in middle school, eventually settling in Carpinteria. In 2015, Alarcon opened her business Reliant Notary alongside Alarcon Legal, her sister Marisol’s immigration law office. Before that, for over a decade, Alarcon worked as a volunteer coordinator and recorder for the blind and dyslexic, and later as a clerical advisor for the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department. “I feel as a small business owner and as a woman and as a Latina, participating in these organizations gives me a voice that I didn’t think I would be able to have before,” Alarcon said. Are there any experiences with volunteer programs or organizations that have stuck with you? I have been part of the Chamber of Commerce board of directors, and I think that being a small business owner and meeting these other business owners opened so many doors – and not just for business, but for community. For example, the whole reason we were able to do the Child Safety Event was because we had this opportunity to meet city manager Dave Durflinger at one of the chamber
––Caroline Alarcon
mixers. We talked about what we had in mind, and he instantly was like, “Well, let’s partner.” It opened a whole bunch of doors for us to do the event. I also think being a part of the board for Girls Inc. has been amazing. I am a little biased because my niece is part of Eureka! and she’s graduating this year, and I think she’s phenomenal. I’ve seen everything Girls Inc. has done for her, and I think the organization is so inspiring. It gives these girls opportunities for things they had never imagined for themselves, and that’s something that I want to be a part of. How did the Child Safety Event come about? One of the big things my sister, Marisol, and I talked about early on with our businesses was what we wanted out of being business owners. We decided that what we really wanted was to make a difference in the community, particularly when it comes to kids. Anything that had to do with kids was important because family is the most important thing to us. We have a large family with a brother, sisters, our parents and lots of nieces and nephews. It takes a village to raise a child, and we’re like a mini village. We do a lot
to support each other and help take care of each other. So, in 2016, we created the Child Safety Event for Carpinteria. We partnered with the city, and we had the fire district and Sheriff’s department there. We had Mimi Audelo (from the city of Carpinteria) with emergency preparedness kits, and I was able to provide kids with photo IDs with thumbprints and identification. Is there anyone in your life who inspired you to volunteer? My parents brought us up to think not just about ourselves, but each other, and to not just fight for our own path but to leave the door open for people behind us as well. My mom grew up in Chile, and she was a mountain climber, and that was amazing for those times. My dad decided that he wanted to move to the U.S. without speaking any English, become a U.S. citizen and have his family here. They like to blaze a path, and they’re not afraid of it. I think they’ve taught us all to do that, but their main message was that you have to take people with you. What inspired you to organize the Latina Professional Alliance? It started out as a leading group for professional Latina women, because one of the things we saw was a need for a space where women could form professional relationships without feeling overshadowed. And then it became something completely different, because once we started talking about it and more people joined, it became more than just networking. We would ask how we could support each other to build these professional
relationships in an environment that’s not just swapping business cards, but more like, “Let me get to know you, and you get to know me. This is my business, and you can trust me.” During the pandemic, everything is done over Zoom, but we have still done some amazing things. Final thoughts: Being as small as Carpinteria is, there are all these places you can volunteer where you can help your community be better and do better. And if you don’t find what you’re looking for, you can create it, because there are always people out there looking to volunteer. That’s what I love most about Carpinteria. It feels like people are taking care of each other when there is a need.
You Can Help
Latina Professional Alliance: latinaprofalliance.com, lpasantabarbara@gmail. com, (805) 881-3891 Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce: sbscchamber.com, info@ SBSCChamber.com, (805) 967-2500 Girls Inc. of Carpinteria: girlsinc-carp. org, 805-684-6364 Lauren Graf is a 2021 graduate of California Lutheran University where she studied art and communication with an emphasis in advertising and public relations. She is a Carpinteria native with a passion for creating and works as an administrative assistant for the Ventura County Community Foundation. She previously wrote the summer series “Keeping Carpinteria Weird” and “Through the Lens of Gen Z” for Coastal View News.