The city of Santa Maria’s program “The Patch” received the League of California Cities 2020 Helen Putnam Award for “Excellence in City-Business Relations.”
The mayor and city council received the award during the League’s annual conference, held virtually.
The League judges and recognizes 12 categories of outstanding achievements and innovative solutions by city governments.
The Patch is a public/private partnership that has provided more than 400 local high school students with free, career-based agricultural production education experiences. Employees from Los Flores Ranch Park guide students and help them learn skills, leadership and crop production.
The Patch also creates a fall attraction for the community, which has attracted more than 20,000 visitors, raised $180,000 and awarded $30,000 in scholarships.
This award for excellence is one of six awards Santa Maria has received, following the Listos (Ready) program, Rotary Centennial Park and Robin Ventura Field, the Non Hazardous Hydrocarbon Impacted Soils program, Families for the First Decade Project and the city’s fiscalization of Land Use Model.
— Grayce McCormick
