COUNTY HIRES OUT-OF-STATE 'VISIONARY' TO REBRAND OUR OWN LOCAL GOVERNMENT

It appears our esteemed Board of Supervisors, having exhausted all local talent (or perhaps just their Rolodex of like-minded apparatchiks), has once again turned to the progressive paradise of Boulder, Colorado, for Santa Barbara County's latest CEO. Jana Petersen, fresh off nearly three decades of, well, whatever it is they do in Boulder, has landed here with a mission to ‘Continue Vision of ‘One County, One Future.’ We here at The Whipping Post must confess: we thought we already lived in ‘one county,’ and as for the ‘future,’ we were rather hoping it involved fewer regulations and more actual freedom, not another layer of government-speak.

Noozhawk reports Petersen felt California calling her, which, given the Golden State's migration patterns, is usually the sound of a U-Haul trailer fleeing east. But perhaps she heard the siren song of public employee pensions and a local government eager to import ready-made progressive policy from a state known for its… unique approach to governance. One can only imagine the 'vision' she's bringing: more bike lanes where cars used to be, endless 'equity' task forces, and probably a fresh batch of consultants to tell us what we already knew, but with more acronyms.

The real story, of course, isn't about Petersen's grand pronouncements. It's about why Santa Barbara County consistently looks elsewhere for leadership instead of fostering it here. Is it because our local pool of applicants doesn't espouse the right shades of blue? Or perhaps the 'vision' she's continuing is less about unity and more about centralizing power, expanding county reach into every corner of private life, and ensuring that 'the future' is always decided by unelected officials rather than the taxpaying citizens who fund their salaries. It's a tale as old as time, or at least as old as the last progressive import to our county seats: more government, less accountability, all wrapped in a shiny, focus-grouped slogan.

We eagerly await the first County budget under Petersen's 'vision,' where undoubtedly, ‘one county, one future’ will translate into ‘one hefty tax bill for everyone else.’ Here's to hoping her vision includes actually getting things done, rather than just talking about it. But we won't be holding our breath.