Goleta: Annexation or Cityhood?

Previous proposals to annex Goleta within Santa Barbara were rejected by both Santa Barbara and Goleta. Now that Goleta has launched it's own bid for cityhood, Santa Barbara filed a last-minute request to annex Goleta. This action has led some residents to speculate that Santa Barbara only wants Goleta now that the city is large enough to generate sufficient revenues to support a city government. The proposed annexation would double Santa Barbara's size and population.