Santa Barbara to launch new website focused on increased language accessibility, mobile compatibility

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The city of Santa Barbara will replace its nearly 10-year-old website and launch a new city website on Tuesday that focuses on increased accessibility and inclusivity.

“The move to a new website platform allowed us to focus on being more resilient to future change and improvements in technology,” said Information Technology Director Justin Cure. 

The new website features a "clean and modern" design and better mobile compatibility, aligning with the city's goals of inclusivity by providing the capability for Spanish translation and a better experience for those with disabilities, according to city officials.

The improvements were driven by the public's desire for ease of navigation and the ability to search, said city spokeswoman Shelly Cone. The new website was driven by three overriding goals: accessibility, bilingual capability, and mobile device experience.

The city's old website was almost 10 years old and based on technology that was no longer supportive, said Cure.

The new website uses the Drupal platform that has been standardized by the federal government as the website foundation of preference as it provides a flexible, scalable, and accessible website foundation, Cone said.

The changes will affect the city's main website, as well as its sub-site for the Airport, Parks and Recreation, and Library departments.