CARPINTERIA COMMISH OKS 'SURFLINER' HOTEL: MORE LUXURY FOR THE LOCALS (WHO CAN AFFORD IT)

It seems Carpinteria’s Planning Commission, in its infinite wisdom, has finally blessed the 'Surfliner' hotel project, proving once again that when you throw enough committee meetings and vaguely defined 'community benefits' at a proposal, it will eventually become reality. KEYT NewsChannel 3-12 dutifully reported on the thrilling 3-to-1 vote, as if this were a groundbreaking revelation and not the inevitable conclusion of a process designed to extract maximum angst before granting what was clearly predestined.

The real story, naturally, isn't that a luxury hotel got approved – it's that it took this long. One commissioner reportedly recused herself due to feeling 'threatened' with a lawsuit and 'biased.' Welcome to local government, dearie, where 'bias' is often just shorthand for 'not getting my way on a pet project.' Meanwhile, Carpinteria’s progressive crowd will no doubt spin this as a win for 'tourism revenue' or some other euphemism for more tax dollars to fund their latest pet social engineering schemes.

But let’s be honest, folks. Another high-end hotel isn't for the average working family in Santa Barbara County. It's for the out-of-towners who want to sip kombucha on the beach while complaining about the price of gas, which, thanks to the very same local policies, is astronomical. Expect more 'sustainable' development that uses the word 'local' a lot while benefiting the well-connected and contributing to the ever-escalating cost of living for everyone else. It's the cycle of progressivism: complicate, regulate, then tax the living daylights out of the results.