COUNTY COOLS ITS HEELS: LAWYER'S UNENDING WATER BILL FLOWS ON

It seems the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors has discovered the secret to eternal youth — for legal retainers, that is. They just voted to extend their contract with Miliband Water Law until June 30, 2028, proving that some relationships, like the county’s need for pricy legal advice on H2O, are truly built to last. One might wonder if the esteemed Board believes water law is a subject so complex it requires a perpetual guardian, or perhaps they simply enjoy the familiar comfort of a known entity drafting those all-important ‘administrative activity’ determinations.

According to the Board of Supervisors' own agenda item, this little contractual refresh is decidedly 'not a project under CEQA.' Which, in plain English, means it won't be causing any 'direct or indirect physical changes in the environment.' Well, unless you count the environmental impact on taxpayer wallets, which will continue to be drained to fund what always seems to be an endless stream of legal paperwork and 'professional services' for our local government. It certainly makes you thirsty just thinking about the billable hours.

This move by the Supervisors and the Water Agency essentially rolls out the red carpet for Miliband to keep billing the county coffers for another two years, likely for duties that appear suspiciously similar to those they’ve been performing since the beginning of time (or at least, the beginning of this particular contract). While other counties might try to, you know, _solve_ their water issues, Santa Barbara seems content to simply pay for someone to talk about them, endlessly.

One can’t help but connect the dots: when a legal firm consistently gets extended contracts with such ease, it’s rarely just about their superior legal acumen. Often, it's about who knows whom, and what kind of campaign donations might just ‘grease the wheels’ behind the scenes for such convenient, multi-year extensions. We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: always follow the money, folks, especially when it involves water and the public purse. The real project here isn't environmental, it's financial, and it's flowing right into some lucky lawyer's bank account.

So, as your friendly local Supervisors nod sagely into microphones, remember that while they might not be changing the physical environment, they are certainly changing the fiscal one. And probably not in your favor.