The Whipping Post Take on SB County Board of Supervisors

SUPERVISORS SPLURGE NINETY-NINE GRAND ON 'SANTA CLAUS LANE' DREAMS!

Your esteemed County Supervisors just greenlit a near six-figure contract for 'construction support' on a 'streetscape' project, ensuring Santa Claus Lane gets its much-needed glow-up, taxpayer dollar

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7/9/2026 · Inspired by “Consider recommendations regarding awarding a Contract to HDR Engineering, Inc. for Construction Support Services on County Project No. 720864 Santa Claus Lane Streetscape and Coastal Access Improvements Project - Phase 2, as follows: a) Approve and authorize the Chair to execute an Agreement for Services of Independent Contractor with HDR Engineering, Inc, to provide engineering services during construction for the Santa Claus Lane Streetscape and Coastal Access Improvements Project - Phase 2, County Project No. 720864, for the period of July 14, 2026, through June 30, 2028, for an amount of $99,672.00; b) Approve and authorize the Public Works Director, or designee, to make amendments to the Agreement for additional work in an amount not to exceed $9,967.00 as set forth in Exhibit B of the Agreement, for a total not-to-exceed contract amount of $109,639.00; c) Approve and authorize the Public Works Director, or designee, to amend the Agreement to extend the Term of the Agreement by up to one year to complete the work within the scope of the Agreement; and d) Consider the environmental effects of the project as shown in the Final Mitigated Negative Declaration (19NGD-00000-00005) dated September 16, 2019, adopted by the County of Santa Barbara on September 25, 2019, and find that pursuant to California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines section 15162, no substantial changes are proposed, and there are no substantial changes in circumstances or new information of substantial importance regarding significant impacts or feasibility of mitigation measures and alternative, and therefore approval of the Recommended Actions are within the scope of the Final Mitigated Negative Declaration (19NGD-00000-00005).” via SB County Board of Supervisors

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SUPERVISORS SPLURGE NINETY-NINE GRAND ON 'SANTA CLAUS LANE' DREAMS!Power & Politics
SB County Board of Supervisors · The Whipping Post · NO.787 · PANEL 1/6 · SB-3P4

The ever-vigilant Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, in their infinite wisdom and boundless generosity with other people's money, are poised to shell out nearly one hundred thousand dollars for 'construction support services.' That's right, folks, a modest $99,672.00 is headed to HDR Engineering, Inc. just to help with a 'Streetscape and Coastal Access Improvements Project' on–wait for it–Santa Claus Lane. One has to wonder if they're commissioning a life-sized sleigh, complete with eight tiny state-funded reindeer, given the price tag for mere 'support.'

This isn't just about sprucing up a road; it's about the continued mission creep of county government. For a cool C-note shy of a hundred grand, HDR Engineering will ensure this vital phase two of the project, which apparently commenced way back in Phase One, stays on track until 2028. And because nothing says 'fiscally responsible' like an open-ended budget, the Public Works Director can unilaterally tack on an extra $9,967.00 without bothering the Supervisors, because what's another ten grand between friends?

Our earnest Supervisors, fresh from yet another detailed environmental review that magically found absolutely 'no substantial changes' since 2019, are clearly dedicated to the proposition that every penny extracted from taxpayers should be spent, and then some. While the working stiffs of Santa Barbara County grapple with soaring inflation and crumbling infrastructure, the county leadership is busy making sure Santa Claus Lane, a tourist attraction whose primary function is selling overpriced holiday-themed trinkets, has the most impeccably supported streetscape money can buy.

This is the kind of bureaucratic largesse that makes The Whipping Post wonder if the 'coastal access improvements' actually include a private heli-pad for the contract benefactors. The real untold story here isn't just the nearly hundred-grand contract, but the quiet nod to automatically extend the agreement by another year – meaning this holiday fantasy project could just keep on giving, or rather, taking, from taxpayer pockets for even longer. Merry Christmas indeed, Santa Barbara County!

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