SUPERVISORS' LAWYERS GET PAY RAISE FOR... ADMIN?

It appears the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, in their infinite wisdom, has decided that the administrative activities of shuffling legal papers are akin to the quiet hum of a tax-exempt bureaucracy – completely devoid of earthly impact. According to a recent agenda item, our local overlords are extending their 'professional legal services' contract with the firm of Liebert Cassidy Whitmore, bumping the total tab to a cool $150,000 for what sounds suspiciously like glorified clerical work.

One might wonder what exactly constitutes 'administrative and fiscal activities' that require such a hefty legal retainer, especially when it's explicitly declared that this bureaucratic largesse 'will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment.' Perhaps the environmental impact statement for a new paperclip box was just too complex for in-house counsel, or maybe the cost of red tape is simply rising faster than sea levels, necessitating a larger budget for the experts who can untangle it. The *SB County Board of Supervisors* seems to believe that throwing more money at outside consultants to manage internal affairs is the most efficient use of taxpayer dollars, rather than, say, hiring competent staff directly.

This is the third amendment to this particular agreement, a testament to how well things are going, we're sure. It certainly makes you feel confident in the County's ability to manage truly complex issues when extending a contract by twenty grand requires an entire Board vote and an environmental exemption declaration. The real 'not a project' here is the Board's commitment to finding cost-effective solutions for the taxpayers, as they continue to fund a never-ending cycle of extensions and increases to their already well-compensated legal teams. One must assume these attorneys are drafting the Magna Carta, given their price tag for what they claim isn't even a 'project.'