CPA was established in 1960 to educate the public in Santa Barbara County on the environmental and planning issues paramount to our communities and neighborhoods, to protect Santa Barbara County’s cherished quality of life.

CPA & CPF have deep roots in the Santa Barbara community that can be traced back to Pearl Chase’s Plans and Planting Committee, which helped to establish in Santa Barbara the first Architectural Board of Review in the nation. The group was instrumental in creating the cohesive sense of community identity that exists in Santa Barbara today due to Spanish-style architectural requirements, stringent zoning requirements and a very restrictive sign ordinance. Their efforts were particularly timely as Santa Barbara struggled to rebuild itself after the 1925 earthquake, which devastated the city.

The first board of CPA was a veritable who’s who of Santa Barbara County’s leading citizens. Board members included Pearl Chase, Clinton Hollister, Duke Sedgewick, Dr. Samuel B. Gould, Dr. Harry Girvetz, Standish Backus, Major General P.M Hamilton, Robert Hoyt, and T.M. Storke. The influence of such a prominent group of citizens was readily apparent when, within months of its formation, CPA called upon both the City and the County of Santa Barbara to adopt General Plans as a means of planning for future growth. Faced with resistance on the part of elected officials, the organization hired an outside consultant who successfully developed plans with collaborative community support. Only then did local elected officials endorse the project. These plans laid the groundwork for protecting our community’s quality of life by safeguarding the city and county against unplanned and unwise growth.

In the mid 1980s, the board of CPA determined that the effectiveness of the organization would be improved through the establishment of a 501(c)(4) sister organization which could become more directly involved in issue and legislative advocacy. In order to capitalize on the strong community loyalty for CPA, the board decided that the new advocacy group should take on the CPA name. The 501(c)(3) non-profit (up until then known as CPA) continued with its educational work under the new name of Citizens Planning Foundation (CPF).