COUNTY COUNCILS 'INFILL' FANTASIES, FORGETS ROADS, SCHOOLS IN NEW HOUSING PUSH

Well, butter our biscuits and call us shocked! The Santa Barbara Independent breathlessly reported that a 'generous' 50-condo project is gracing North La Cumbre Road, all thanks to some county planning voodoo labeled 'use-by-right.' For those not fluent in bureaucrat-speak, that means the County Planning Commission had about as much say as a gnat swatting a fly. It’s the progressive Holy Grail: dense housing, no pesky public input, and certainly no thought given to, say, where these 50 new families will park, or what 'affordable' means when the cheapest unit starts at a cool million.

This isn't about housing the working class; it's about pushing the 'infill' agenda — a delightful euphemism for cramming as many tax-paying units as possible into existing neighborhoods without the corresponding infrastructure upgrades that a sensible government would provide. Expect North La Cumbre traffic to become a charming new parking lot, and watch those already struggling schools magically accommodate a sudden influx of students. But hey, at least our elected officials can claim they 'did something' as they pat themselves on the back and eye their next campaign donations from developers.

The real story the Independent conveniently skipped? This 'use-by-right' loophole isn't just a benign planning tool; it's an express lane for well-connected developers to bypass local concerns under the guise of state housing mandates. It's less about solving a housing crisis and more about enriching a select few while residents get stuck with increased congestion, overcrowded services, and declining quality of life, all legislated from Sacramento. We call it progress; we'll still call it progress when our once pleasant county is indistinguishable from a sprawling metropolis without the proper supporting infrastructure. Enjoy your new neighbors, and good luck finding street parking!