FINALLY! DEMS PRETEND TO CARE ABOUT CRIME WAVE THEY ENABLED

It took a literal mountain of pilfered precious metals for Santa Barbara County's Board of Supervisors to finally, grudgingly admit there might be a problem with unchecked lawlessness. Our esteemed progressives, after decades of policies that practically sent engraved invitations to every ne'er-do-well with a hacksaw, are now attempting to *look* tough on crime by... passing stricter penalties for catalytic converter theft. Bless their hearts. It's almost cute how quickly they pivot when their voting base starts realizing their morning commute is now powered by wishful thinking.

Noozhawk reported with its usual breathless deference that the Board unanimously approved an ordinance to "address loopholes" in state law. "Loopholes," they call them. We call them the inevitable outcome of defunding police, emptying jails, and turning a blind eye to every petty transgression until it escalates into a multi-million-dollar industry for chop shops and street gangs. The real loophole is that it took this long for anyone in power to connect the dots between soft-on-crime legislation and rampant theft.

One can't help but wonder if the Supervisors' sudden clarity of vision was perhaps spurred by a particular Prius in their own parking lot suddenly sounding like a NASCAR reject. Or maybe, just maybe, some local developer who happens to be a generous campaign donor had his fleet of work trucks targeted. Because let's be honest, actual concern for the little guy's stolen property rarely moves the needle in this county's political sphere. It usually takes a powerful nudge, or at least a highly visible, embarrassing pile of stolen goods to force a reluctant admission that maybe, just maybe, consequences for actions are a good thing. Now, if only they'd apply this newfound rigor to, say, the county's spiraling budget or the endless stream of regulations strangling small businesses, we might actually see some progress.