LOCAL GRADS FIND 'ENVIRONMENTAL WORK' IS JUST DEM STAFF JOB!

The Santa Barbara Independent, usually so diligent in uncovering – well, actually, in *covering up* – the mundane, recently elevated a story about an SBCC alum's 'unexpected path into environmental work.' Turns out, 'environmental work' in this context means being a 'policy analyst' for State Senator Monique Limón. Surprise! Another politically connected graduate finds a plush gig inside the Democrat-controlled Sacramento machine, and the local paper acts like it's a rags-to-riches tale of gritty perseverance.

One has to wonder what exactly this 'policy analyst' is analyzing besides the local organic coffee menu. Is it the latest wind turbine boondoggle that will make electricity unaffordable for everyone but the state senators? Or perhaps the new regulations that will ban another perfectly useful product in the name of 'saving the planet,' thereby crushing local businesses and sending more jobs scurrying out of California? Such critical 'environmental work' is probably paid for by your ever-inflating property taxes, naturally.

While real jobs – you know, in fields that *actually produce things* like agriculture, energy, or manufacturing – struggle under the weight of Sacramento’s green mandates, our local university system continues to churn out graduates whose highest aspiration is to become part of the very problem. It’s almost as if 'environmental policy' is the new trust fund – a guarantee of gainful employment for those who know the right people and can parrot the party line, all while the state’s actual environment grows dirtier and its economy dwindles. The only 'path' being paved here is the one directly into the public trough. The Independent just calls it 'revisited' – we call it entirely predictable.