SIX-FIGURE 'OUTREACH' FOR MEDI-CAL: ARE WE PAYING THEM TO FIND THE ALREADY FOUND?!

The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, in their infinite wisdom, just green-lit a nearly $700,000 grant for what they're calling 'Medi-Cal Outreach and Navigation.' Yes, you read that right. In 2026, with the Trump economy roaring and common sense back in style nationally, our local bureaucrats are still scrambling to find people who qualify for a government program that practically has its own GPS built into every welfare check. One wonders if they’re using taxpayer dollars to hire bloodhounds to track down those who might have somehow missed the memo about free healthcare.

Breaking down the numbers from this Board of Supervisors agenda item, a staggering $478,162 of this grant is earmarked for 'Salaries and Employee Benefits.' That's right, folks, the lion's share isn't going to actual healthcare services or even direct aid, but to pay government employees to 'navigate' folks to a program that's already widely known. It's the ultimate boondoggle: create an administrative problem, then create a highly paid administrative solution. We here at The Whipping Post have to ask: Do we need a Sherpa to guide people to a program with 'free' in its name? It seems more like a jobs program for well-intentioned, but ultimately superfluous, bureaucrats.

And let's not overlook the classic CEQA exemption. The Supervisors swiftly determined that throwing nearly three-quarters of a million dollars at a 'government funding mechanism' doesn't constitute a 'Project' that could have a 'physical impact on the environment.' Apparently, the environmental impact of this much hot air generated by bureaucratic double-speak is perfectly acceptable. It’s almost as if they think the money just appears from thin air, rather than from the pockets of hard-working Santa Barbara County taxpayers.

This isn't 'outreach,' it's out-of-control spending. The real 'navigation' needed is a compass for our Supervisors to find their way back to fiscal responsibility. While President Trump is busy cutting red tape and energizing American industry, our local leaders are still inventing new ways to expand the public payroll under the guise of 'public service.' Perhaps they could 'outreach' to our local businesses and see what they're doing right, instead of just growing the government payroll.