City Recognition of National Engineers Week

Join us in celebrating National Engineers Week, “Transform Your Future” February 22-28, which is a celebration of the limitless possibilities in engineering! From the bridges we drive across to clean water systems, engineering touches everyone’s daily lives.  The City of Santa Barbara Public Works Department’s Engineering Division supports the entire City, including the airport, the waterfront, and all the streets, bridges, traffic signals, creeks, water, and sewer infrastructure. 

The City hopes to raise awareness of engineering occupations and opportunities for public service, creating a future shaped by our collective ingenuity. 
 

Why Engineers Week Matters 
Engineers Week (February 22─28, 2026) is more than a celebration of a profession—it’s a movement to show young people that engineering is creative, collaborative, and most importantly, open to everyone. When students see how engineering can make a real difference—and when they see people who look like them in those roles—they begin to believe: this could be my future, too. 

Click the links below to explore completed and ongoing City engineering projects:

• Vic Trace Reservoir Project (ongoing)
  This multi-year Project will design and construct two new buried reservoirs to meet modern standards and to improve serviceability, enhance resiliency, and strengthen the City’s ability to deliver water to the community. Once the Project is complete, the site will have enhanced security, new fire and drought-resistant landscaping, as well as improved site drainage and stormwater capture.

  

  Vic Trace Reservoir -Aerial View

   

• Desal Pump Stabilization Project (completed)
  After years of planning, the Desal Pump Platform Stabilization Project was completed in just four weeks in fall 2025, strengthening the City’s offshore intake structures that supply ocean water to the Charles E. Meyer Desalination Plant. Find out more about this Project that included scuba divers, 450 tons of rock, and more!

  

   

• Santa Barbara Police Station Project (ongoing)
  The existing police station was built in 1959 and is outdated, too small, inefficient, and has never been earthquake retrofitted (as required by California’s Essential Services Building Seismic Safety Act of 1986). In fact, due to the inadequacies of the current police station, it takes four separate buildings to house all the police operations. In 2017, Santa Barbara voters passed Measure C. The City Council voted to make a new police station one of the main Measure C improvement projects. Construction of the new Police Station building is currently happening on Cota Street. 

  

   

• Milpas Street Crosswalk Safety and Sidewalk Widening Project (in final design)
  The Milpas Street Crosswalk Safety and Sidewalk Widening Project (Project) is in final design. We appreciate the community members who provided design feedback over the past several years. Please visit the Project website to view the plans and renderings, prior community outreach meeting recordings, and announcements. In late summer 2026, the City plans to publicly advertise the Project for construction. Construction is anticipated to begin in winter 2026.  

  

  Did you know the City of Santa Barbara has over 70 staff members in the Public Works Department Engineering Division?  Learn more about some of our current staff who design and oversee the City we live in!

  Brian D’Amour, P.E., Public Works Director
   

  

  Brian is currently the Public Works Director, which includes oversight of the Engineering, Administration, and PW Operations divisions. Brian is a licensed Professional Engineer with over 20 years of municipal engineering and consulting engineering experience. He is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University with a degree in Civil Engineering. Prior to his time with the City of Santa Barbara, Brian served in various private and public sector roles in New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire. He has been with the City for over 17 years and currently leads the Engineering Division of the Public Works Department.  

  Ashleigh Sizoo, P.E., City Engineer 
   

  

  The City has reached a significant milestone in its 175-year history with the appointment of Ashleigh Sizoo, P.E., the City’s first woman City Engineer!  Ashleigh was appointed as City Engineer in September 2025.

  As City Engineer, Ashleigh oversees the Engineering Division of Public Works in delivering a wide range of critical infrastructure projects, guiding teams responsible for the planning, design, and construction of Capital Improvement Projects across departments that serve our community every day. From the Airport to the Waterfront and all the streets, bridges, traffic signals, creeks, water and sewer infrastructure in between, the Engineering team works on it all.

  “Our City’s infrastructure is the backbone of our community, and I’m honored to lead an amazing team entrusted with such meaningful work,” said Ashleigh. “It’s incredibly rewarding to step into this role, and I’m especially humbled to lead the way for future women to pursue leadership positions in engineering. With only approximately 15-20% of practicing engineers across the nation being women, I’m passionate about encouraging more young women to pursue engineering and supporting women in reaching their career goals.”

  After graduating from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo (go Mustangs!) with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, Ashleigh worked for a private civil and traffic engineering firm in Gilroy for over two years before moving to Santa Barbara. Ashleigh started her career at the City in 2008 as a Project Engineer working on streets and transportation design projects. 
  Some of the major projects that Ashleigh personally managed are the Jake Boysel Multipurpose Pathway, State Route 225 Relinquishment, Las Positas/Cliff Roundabout, and Las Positas & Modoc Roads Multiuse Path. She is a licensed Professional Engineer and has held multiple roles throughout her more than 17 years with the City. Outside of work, Ashleigh enjoys nature photography, seeing live music, and our beautiful coastline.

  Caitlin Knauss, Acting Supervising Engineer
   

  

  Caitlin walking through the 3.7 mile long Mission Tunnel 

  Caitlin is a Project Engineer II and is currently acting as a Supervising Engineer for Water Resources Engineering. She’s been with the City for just over seven years after starting out as an Engineering Tech in 2018. She manages the research, planning, permitting, and design of Water Resources infrastructure projects. Most of her workload is supporting Wastewater Collections and Treatment with capital projects, but has also been involved in various projects supporting Gibraltar Dam. Most of the projects that she manages involve sewer main repairs and rehabilitation, process improvements at the El Estero Water Resource Center, and coordination with other City projects in design or planned private developments. She studied chemical engineering at UC Davis, and enjoys outrigger canoeing and riding her bike outside of work. 
  *Check out this 2019 video from City TV on the history of the tunnel and the annual inspections.

  Ashley Lopez, Project Engineer II
   

  

  With 15 years of experience in the construction industry, Ashley began her career building a strong foundation in project management and operational leadership. Ashley leads capital improvement, maintenance, and emergency response projects, overseeing budgets, schedules, risk mitigation, and critical decision-making processes. She also serves as a liaison between the Engineering Department and internal City stakeholders, ensuring clear communication, alignment, and successful project delivery.

  Find out more about the City’s Engineering Division.