FINALLY! SHEILA LODGE GETS A RETIREMENT PARTY (WE'LL BRING THE CAKE)

Well, bless their hearts over at the Santa Barbara Independent, gushing about Sheila Lodge, a 'civic leader' who apparently sparked 'profound political change.' And here we thought 'profound political change' was when people stopped voting for the same old-guard ideologues who've been running this town like their personal fiefdom for decades. But no, according to the Indy, it was all about Ms. Lodge, whose urban planning vision for Santa Barbara seems to have been plucked directly from a particularly drab municipal guidebook circa 1978. One must admire the Independent's unwavering commitment to printing hagiographies of those who championed the very policies that have made housing unaffordable and traffic a nightmare for everyone not holed up in a trust-funded estate.

Indeed, her 'civic leadership' saw the blossoming of more regulations than palm trees, each one seemingly designed to make starting a business or building a home an exercise in Herculean frustration. The only thing 'profound' about it was the profound increase in the cost of living and the profound exodus of middle-class families. But hey, at least the view from the top-floor apartments (that no one can afford) is still pretty, assuming you don't mind the new blight of identical, government-mandated stucco boxes that all look like they were designed by the same committee.

Now, as Ms. Lodge finally bows out, one has to wonder if the Independent will pivot to celebrating the next generation of 'civic leaders' determined to double down on the same failed prescriptions. Perhaps a fresh face who pledges to make even more things illegal, build even more 'affordable' housing that's anything but, and ensure any lingering shred of economic freedom is firmly stamped out. We can only hope that true 'profound political change' involves a serious look at these policies, which have done wonders for property values for the entrenched elite, and precisely nothing for everyone else struggling to make a life in what was once a jewel of a city. Here's to hoping for a genuinely *profound* change of direction.