COUNTY COUNCILS WITH BIG LABOR OVER YOUR UNIONS! ER, TAX DOLLARS!

It appears the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, bless their well-meaning, ever-so-progressive hearts, took a break from saving the planet with plastic straw bans to confer with their real constituents: the deep pockets of government employee unions. The latest agenda item from the 'supervisors' meeting — which we’ve conveniently distilled for you from the bureaucratic mumbo-jumbo found buried on the county website — lists 'labor negotiators' huddling with County Executive Officer Mona Miyasato and Human Resources Director Kristine Schmidt. One wonders if they brought little trays of imported cheeses and artisanal crackers for the 'negotiations,' or if it was just the usual back-slapping and promise-making of future pension liabilities.

Now, we’re not saying there’s anything untoward about county bigwigs discussing compensation with the very unions who help fund their re-election campaigns. Perish the thought! It’s merely a time-honored tradition, like complaining about traffic or virtue-signaling about 'equity.' This week’s roll call included the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association, Probation Peace Officers Association, and Sheriff’s Managers Association. You know, just a few of the folks ensuring the county's public safety apparatus runs smoothly, provided their demands for ever-richer benefits and iron-clad job security are met. Imagine the sheer audacity if the taxpayers tried to negotiate their property tax rates with the same ferocity!

The Whipping Post has long asked: Who exactly benefits from these closed-door confabs? Is it the diligent taxpayers who foot the bill, or the well-organized government employee syndicates? The official story from the County of Santa Barbara is always 'prudent fiscal management,' which in bureaucrat-speak translates to 'we’re spending more, but trust us, it’s for the children… and also our pensions.' Rest assured, dear reader, while you’re scrambling to make ends meet, your county officials are ensuring that a select few government employees will retire with more perks than a Silicon Valley tech bro. It's the circle of life, Santa Barbara-style: tax, spend, unionize, repeat.