Website FAQs

Following are a list of frequently asked questions about our website.

1) How do I find stuff on the City web site?
2) What is the official City of Santa Barbara Government domain?
3) How do I figure out Staff email addresses?
4) How do I find information?
5) What are e-Subscriptions?
6) What if I have a question or comment?
7) Do I need a certain browser to use the City web site?
8) Who designed the new web site?
9) Can I view the City web site statistics?
10) Is there ever a time when the City web site is not available?
11) What does the "New" image () that appears next to some links mean?
12) What does the little "Globe" image () that appears next to some links mean?

1) How do I find stuff on the City web site?

The City web site has over 7,800 pages and documents covering a vast range of interests. It can sometimes be a daunting task to try to find something. An entire area has been setup on this site to help you find what you want. Click here to get help finding something on the City web site.

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2) What is the official City of Santa Barbara Government domain?

www.SantaBarbaraCA.gov is the official City of Santa Barbara City Government domain. There exists a National City web site naming convention and the City web site responds to that domain as well, www.ci.santa-barbara.ca.us.

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3) How do I figure out Staff email addresses?

In general, any staff's email address can be figured out, if you know their first and last names. City email addresses consist of 1) first initial, 2) last name, and 3) @SantaBarbaraCA.gov (with no spaces).

For example:
Scott Nelson is SNelson@SantaBarbaraCA.gov. Please note that the email address is not case sensitive.

If the person you are trying to locate is a Police Department employee, then use @sbpd.com rather than @SantaBarbaraCA.gov. When two people have conflicting email addresses, then the middle initial is used between the first initial and last name for the newer employee.

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4) How do I find information?

The City of Santa Barbara is committed to the goal of helping you find the information you are seeking within three (3) clicks of the City Home Page. If you are not finding something, we want to help you. A new section of the City web site has been created to assist you in finding the information you are looking for. Click on this link to go to Web Site Help.

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5) What are e-Subscriptions?

In our continuing efforts to improve communication with the public, e-Subscriptions are a new feature where website visitors can receive email notifications on subjects of interest. Users may simply create an account and sign up for email based subscriptions to relevant information. We plan to continue to add new subscriptions, and encourage visitors to check back often for newly available subscriptions. Click here to sign-up for e-Subscriptions.

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6) What if I have a question or comment?

We encourage your feedback. If you have any questions or comments about our website, please send an email to: WebHelp@SantaBarbaraCA.gov, or use our Comments and Suggestions form.

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7) Do I need a certain browser to use the City web site?

We are making every effort to test the City web site and make it fully-accessible in all web browsers. To date the following is a list of web browsers known to work with the City web site.

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8) Who designed this web site?

The City of Santa Barbara's web site was designed and programmed by the Civic Resource Group . Most of the master photographs used throughout the interface were taken by Damian Gadal , Accounting Coordinator for the Waterfront Department. Erin Dixon, Computer Graphic Designer for Community Development made invaluable contributions to design, implementation and work flow. Scott Nelson, Webmaster was the lead-staff on the project and coordinated efforts. This version of the site was launched on November 1, 2004 at 8:00 a.m. (PDT).

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9) Can I view the City web site statistics?

Yes! City web site statistics are available at this Address, http://www.SantaBarbaraCA.gov/Stats/.

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10) Is there ever a time when the City web site is not available?

Yes. The City web site is subject to scheduled maintenance every Thursday between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. (PT). This is not to say the web site will always be inaccessible during this time period, just that during this time patches, upgrades and maintenance may be performed. Generally, if the web site is inaccessible, it will be available again with several minutes.

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11) What does the New () image that appears next to some links mean?

The "New" image appears next to links to documents on some pages. When you see this image, it designates that the document to which it refers has been posted or modified within the last 72 hours.

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12) What does the little "Globe" image () that appears next to some links mean?

The little "Globe" image appears next to links to pages and documents that are not on the City web site. These links are provided as a convenience for City web site visitors and they do not represent an endorsement of the organization maintaining the linked page. For more information on the City link policy, please click here http://www.santabarbaraca.gov/SitePolicy.htm.

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