City of Santa Barbara hosts annual Public Works Meet and Greet

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.-The city of Santa Barbara held its third annual Public Works Meet and Greet.

The event between City Hall and State Street on De La Guerra included information booths, trucks, and background music supplied by DJ Darla Bea.

Organizers held the Meet in Greet during Tuesday's Farmers Market on State Street in hoped people would see the signs and stop by.

Workers gave information pamphlets to parents and stickers to their kids.

Police officers allowed children to step inside their armored rescue vehicle.

Public Works Director Clifford Maurer said he wants people to know they are all first responders.

"Make no mistake about it there's a lot of work that goes in behind giving you your fresh drinking water, taking care of the wastewater, paving the streets, taking care of the city's facilities, all the vehicles, police, fire, all 480 of them that the city owns are maintained by pubic works," said Maurer.

He is looking to hire more people with the "can do spirit."

Meredith Moore said she loves working as a Downtown Ambassador in and around parking lots.

"I had been retired for 2 years and I got bored and I applied not expecting to get hired because of my age and they hired me it has been almost 2 years."

The Public Works Department has more than 300 full time employees and more than a hundred hourly workers.

They encourage people looking for jobs to apply.

They also want people to call the city to report potholes, sidewalks in need of repair and graffiti.

For more information visit https://santabarbaraca.gov