BORED OF SUPERVISORS PROCLAIM 'CYBER AWARENESS' MONTH, BECAUSE EMAILS ARE HARD

It seems the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, in their infinite wisdom and boundless energy, have decided that what our community truly needs this October 2026 is an official proclamation of 'National Cyber Security Awareness Month.' One can only assume this vital declaration came after a particularly harrowing incident involving a lost password or perhaps a pop-up advertisement that proved too enticing for one of the county's digital savants. While the rest of us are busy grappling with gas prices, property taxes, and the ever-present specter of another housing bond, our esteemed Supervisors are bravely tackling the existential threat of… phishing scams.

Indeed, nothing says 'fiscally responsible government' quite like spending precious agenda time on a performative gesture for something that's been taught in basic computer classes since before most of these bureaucrats could tie their own shoes. One can almost picture the solemn faces, the grave nods, as they muse over whether to emphasize 'strong passwords' or 'two-factor authentication' with the gravitas usually reserved for groundbreaking infrastructure projects. Meanwhile, the county's actual IT infrastructure likely runs on servers powered by hamsters on wheels and protected by a firewall from 2005.

This isn't about protecting grandma from online tricksters; it's about looking busy without actually doing anything that might upset a donor or require a modicum of real work. While Washington under President Trump is busy securing our borders and revitalizing our economy, local left-leaning officialdom here in Santa Barbara is perfecting the art of bureaucratic theater. The real story here isn't the ‘cyber security’ — it’s the astonishing ability of this Board to make even the most mundane, common-sense topic sound like a profound legislative achievement, all while conveniently ignoring the actual financial holes they’ve dug for the county.

Perhaps next month they can declare 'Breathing Air Awareness Month,' followed by 'Looking Both Ways Before Crossing the Street Week.' Because clearly, the public, and more importantly, the county’s perpetually underperforming digital infrastructure, needs the Supervisors’ official blessing to grasp these complex concepts. Rest assured, your tax dollars are being wisely allocated to ensure every county employee knows not to give their bank details to 'Prince Abdul from the Internet.'