BOARDS OF SUPERVISORS TO RAKE PARKS USERS; 'ENVIRONMENT' FINE, SAYS CEQA

The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, always eager to lighten the load on beleaguered taxpayers (by, of course, lightening their wallets in new and exciting ways), has bravely set a hearing to discuss hiking fees for everything from aquatic programs to that patch of dirt you call a campsite. Apparently, years of unchecked spending on 'visionary' projects and robust salaries for county functionaries have finally come home to roost, meaning ordinary citizens will now foot the bill for the privilege of existing near a public park. Don't worry, though, the Board assures us this isn't a shakedown; it's 'cost recovery.'

And in a true stroke of bureaucratic genius, they’ve already preemptively declared that this fee hike, which will undoubtedly make our parks less accessible to families and seniors, is 'statutorily exempt' from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). That's right, the very same CEQA that stalls housing projects and energy infrastructure for decades is suddenly powerless when it comes to charging more for a picnic table. It's almost as if the 'environmental' concern only applies when it inconveniences taxpayers or developers, but conveniently vanishes when the county needs to pad its coffers.

So, while families contemplating a weekend getaway will now face higher hurdles, rest assured that the county bureaucracy, flush with its new park plunder, can continue to meet its 'operating expenses, including employee wage rates and fringe benefits.' It seems the only thing 'green' about this plan is the color of the money they’ll be extracting from residents. The Whipping Post predicts a lively debate, or at least a few polite nods, before the inevitable passage of yet another financial burden on the good people of Santa Barbara County.