The Whipping Post Take on SB County Board of Supervisors

COUNTY LEADERS BICYCLE TAXPAYER CASH TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CONTRACTOR

Your perpetually bewildered Board of Supervisors just approved nearly $700,000 for bike path repairs, shipping our Measure A funds south while claiming 'emergency' to dodge those pesky environmental r

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9/17/2026 · Inspired by “Consider recommendations regarding Award of Contract for Maria Ygnacio Bike Path Storm Repairs Project, County Project No. 25STM3-2N04; Second District, as follows: (4/5 Vote Required) a) Approve the Project Plans and Specifications, on file in the Public Works Department Office, located at 123 E. Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, for the construction of the Maria Ygnacio Bike Path Storm Repairs Project; County Project No. 25STM3-2N04; b) Award the Construction Contract for the Maria Ygnacio Bike Path Storm Repairs Project in the amount of $563,965.00 to the lowest responsible bidder, Matcon General Engineering, Inc., 531 Magnolia Avenue, Corona, CA 92879, subject to the provisions of documents and certifications, as set forth in the Specifications applicable to the Project, as required under California law; c) Approve and authorize the Chair to execute the Construction Contract, which has been reviewed and approved by County Counsel, Auditor-Controller, and Risk Manager, or their authorized representatives; d) Authorize the Public Works Director, or designee, to approve change orders for the Maria Ygnacio Bike Path Storm Repairs Project for a contingency amount up to $44,898.00 plus an additional amount of up to $84,000.00 for supplemental work items, for a total of not to exceed authorization amount of $692,863.00; e) Find that the Maria Ygnacio Bike Path Storm Repairs Project is categorically exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to 14 CCR section 15301(c) as the proposed project(s) consists of the operation, repair, maintenance, or minor alteration of existing public or private structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features, involving negligible or no expansion of use beyond that previously existing, including but not limited to existing highways and streets, sidewalks, gutters, bicycle and pedestrian trails, and similar facilities. Find that the project is also an emergency repair project and is exempt from the provisions of the CEQA pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15269(d), as this project will fix or restore existing highway and roads damaged by natural disasters and will be initiated within one (1) year of the damage occurring. A Notice of Exemption was filed on this basis on January 7, 2026, and the proposed action is within the scope of that Notice of Exemption; and f) Approve Budget Revision Request No. 1677 to establish Fiscal Year 2026-2027 appropriations by $692,863.00 in Public Works Roads-Operations Fund (Fund 0015) for Services and Supplies, funded by an operating transfer from the Roads-Measure A Fund. Establish appropriations of $692,893.00 in the Public Works Roads-Measure A Fund for Other Financing Uses funded by a release of Restricted Measure A South Fund Balance.” via SB County Board of Supervisors

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COUNTY LEADERS BICYCLE TAXPAYER CASH TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CONTRACTORFollow the Money
SB County Board of Supervisors · The Whipping Post · NO.781 · PANEL 6/6 · SB-119

It appears the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, in their infinite wisdom and boundless generosity with your money, has once again managed to find a way to make local problems into out-of-town profits. This week, our esteemed Board decided that repairing a bike path — specifically the Maria Ygnacio path, which apparently sustained damage from the same 'storms' that only seem to affect publicly funded infrastructure — warrants nearly $700,000 of your hard-earned tax dollars. And who gets the contract for this urgent, localized repair job? Why, Matcon General Engineering, Inc. from Corona, California, of course! Because nothing says 'support local business' like sending half a million dollars down to Riverside County.

One might wonder why a county overflowing with capable contractors and plenty of folks who could use the work has to import talent from 150 miles away. Could it be that our local government's Byzantine regulations and endless permitting hoops make it easier for a distant company to navigate, or simply that the bidding process conveniently favored an out-of-county firm? We’re not saying there’s anything untoward, just that it's another shining example of how our local leaders prioritize... well, certainly not *your* local economy.

The real kicker here is the Board's decision to declare this storm damage an 'emergency repair' to sidestep the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Apparently, a bike path in need of a tune-up is a crisis on par with, say, a real natural disaster. It’s a convenient little loophole, isn't it? When they want to fast-track a project or avoid the usual bureaucratic bog, suddenly the skies opened up and declared an 'emergency.' Yet, when it comes to, say, cutting red tape for small businesses or streamlining housing permits, the very same Board is content to let projects languish in regulatory purgatory for years. Talk about selective urgency!

This allocation, buried in Public Works Fund 0015 and siphoned from your Measure A funds, highlights the financial gymnastics routinely performed by our supervisors. It’s almost as if they believe your pocketbook is an endless wellspring of cash, ready to be tapped for any project, big or small, local or not. Perhaps the next time the Board needs an 'emergency' repair to their own reputations, they'll find it just as easy to declare an exemption.

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