SUPERVISORS INK SIX-FIGURE MENTAL HEALTH DEAL WITH…OUT-OF-TOWNERS? LOCAL VENDORS BE DAMNED!

The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, in a move that surely surprised absolutely no one paying attention, just handed nearly a million dollars to an out-of-county outfit for 'mental health services.' Yes, you read that right. While local businesses scrape by, the Supervisors decided to ship a tidy sum, $842,744 to be precise, to an entity charmingly named 'New Way Group Home' for their 'Short-Term Residential Therapeutic Program.' One has to wonder if 'New Way' refers to a brand new way of funneling public funds away from local job creators.

Our vigilant bureaucrats, detailed on the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors agenda, also saw fit to grant their Department of Behavioral Wellness Director a truly impressive list of powers. This unelected official can now make 'immaterial changes,' authorize 'additional services,' 'amend program goals,' 'reallocate funds,' and even 'suspend, delay, or interrupt services for convenience.' All this, mind you, without needing to bother the Supervisors with pesky 'amendments' unless they decide to rescind this astounding delegation of authority. Because who needs oversight when you have an anonymous bureaucrat with a blank check from the taxpayer?

Naturally, they also declared this entire transaction somehow not subject to environmental review under CEQA. Because apparently, funneling nearly a million dollars into an out-of-town contractor for mental health programs has less environmental impact than building a new birdbath. The public is left to surmise that the only 'new way' being forged here is a path for taxpayer dollars to leave Santa Barbara County, bypassing local businesses and accountability like a well-oiled machine, while local struggles persist. It seems the only thing 'short-term' about this therapeutic program is the Supervisors' memory of supporting local enterprise.