SUPERVISORS SPLURGE 11.3M ON BAY AREA SHRINK; LOCAL TAXPAYERS BE DAMNED!

The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, in their infinite wisdom, just green-lit an $11.3 million whale of a contract to Telecare Corporation, a Bay Area outfit, to 'provide specialty mental health services.' One might wonder if there isn't a single local psychiatrist or therapist in all of Santa Barbara County capable of handling these 'specialty' needs. Apparently not, if you read between the lines of the Supervisors' latest agenda item, which practically hands over the county's checkbook and a blank slate to this out-of-town vendor.

For a cool $11,336,903, most of which drops in fiscal year 2026-2027, our benevolent overlords have decided that mental health services are best outsourced, far away from any pesky local oversight or, dare we say, 'non-immaterial changes.' The Supervisors even went so far as to delegate vast authority to the Director of Behavioral Wellness, seemingly to ensure no inconvenient questions from the public or, heaven forbid, the Board itself, could slow down the money train. They can now 'reallocate funding between programs,' 'make rate changes,' and 'amend program goals' all without bothering to get Board approval. What could possibly go wrong when bureaucratic discretion reigns supreme over taxpayer dollars?

And for the cherry on top, this massive spending spree, channeling millions to a corporation outside our county, is conveniently deemed 'not a project that is subject to environmental review under CEQA.' Because, of course, pouring taxpayer money into a non-local entity for vague 'mental health services' has absolutely no 'direct or indirect physical changes in the environment.' It certainly won't change the physical environment of our local tax coffers, shrinking them faster than a liberal's patience for common sense. Once again, the Supervisors ensure our money departs the county as smoothly as possible, all while pretending it's for 'the greater good' of someone, somewhere else.