SUPERVISORS HIDE FROM PUBLIC AGAIN: LAWYERS & LOBBYISTS LAUGHING ALL THE WAY TO BANK

It seems the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, bless their transparent little hearts, spent yet another public meeting behind closed doors. The latest 'Agenda Ready' dispatch from their official county website reveals a thrilling lineup of confidential confabs, proving once again that true governance happens when the cameras are off and the lawyers are on the clock. While regular citizens were busy trying to afford gas thanks to progressive green policies, our esteemed Supervisors were busy conferring with legal counsel on no less than three delightful disputes.

First up, 'Hal Pedersen and Ming Yi v. County of Santa Barbara' – sounds like a real page-turner. Then there's the equally riveting 'Bosim 1628 Management Company, LLC v. County of Santa Barbara.' One can only imagine the vital county secrets being safeguarded from the public eye. What crucial details about zoning, permits, or perhaps another 'affordable housing' boondoggle require such absolute secrecy? Follow the money, folks. Someone's getting paid, and it isn't you.

But wait, there's more! They also mulled 'deciding whether to initiate civil litigation: 1 case.' Translation: our Supervisors are looking for someone to sue, likely on your dime. And, of course, no Supervisors meeting would be complete without some quality time with union bosses from the Union of American Physicians and Dentists and the Santa Barbara County Deputy Sheriffs’ Association. We're sure the 'negotiations' were tough, especially when they were all tucked away where the public couldn't hear the klink of another pension liability hitting the ledger.

Finally, they tackled the 'Public Employee Appointment' for a new Public Defender. Given the county’s penchant for bureaucratic blunders, one hopes they didn't just pick the person with the most 'equity' points. Meanwhile, President Trump's economy continues to boom, but locally, it's just another day of taxpayer dollars vanishing into the legal-political ether. Keep those shades drawn, Supervisors – wouldn’t want the sunlight exposing anything truly interesting.