Commentary by Samuel Strait – October 12, 2022 We most definitely would not want our local Board of Supervisor's to go "too" far off of the track; hence, it was with great relief that I am reporting that during the most recent Board Meeting a return to the norm, 5-0 in the affirmative, how comforting. It is not as if any one had any great expectations of the Board deviating from the dictates of their overlords, the County Staff, did we? After all we must trust that they are there for themselves, and not the public of which they are employed. We were assured by the President of the County's Employee Union, "stomp her feet" Norma Williams, that they were feeling slighted by the recent insinuations that they were doing "quite well" on the backs of local tax payers. Several times during the course of the meeting Ms. Williams was ready and waiting to inform the Board just how far they could go without invoking the wrath of the Union membership. Did I detect a bit of cowering by the Board? In any event the remainder of the meeting was rather informative, which included regular doses of Ms. Williams histrionics, and more admissions by the County over their dishonesty regarding Measure "R" funding. The Concerns over the Consent Agenda which contains most of the County's operational business and appears to have supplanted the need for the Board of Supervisors remains contentious. 5-0 in any case. Wouldn't want the public to be meddling in the process of paying employees more while making things easier for them, would we? More contracts to be authorized and road trips for Supervisors Short and Howard. Nothing to see here folks. The party moved on to the Public Comment section, where additional "vacation rental" neighbors came to the party, loudly complaining about the lack of regulation specific to the inanimate miscreants. I am sure there must be some sort of government code somewhere that likely addresses most concerns, yet the Board appeared at a loss for words. I suspect we will hear about some useless flailing some time in the immediate future in a later Board Meeting which will consist of a lot of hot air, references to the need for Measure "R" funding, and an early Christmas present for the beleaguered Sheriff's department and maybe even the "beefed up" Code Enforcement Department can join in on the Clown Show sure to follow. One additional note, it was informative to learn that the Board Chair, Gerry Hemmingsen has great patience for the public during the three minute Public comment periods, if, and only if the message is something he agrees with, then you are allowed to drone on for an unspecified time. Not so much for Branden Bieber. Did somebody talk about a two tiered society? Oh yes, that was the inimitable Ms. Williams. Enough of the trivialities, and on to the important stuff, another employee raise, carefully couched in language to disguise it as a raise, a new "noise" ordinance, 5-0 in both cases, and on to the Chief Probation Officer's report about a possible Juvenile Hall closure. Get out the crying towels, another sacred cow is in the "hot seat". There is no way around it, that is if "we trust the Staff", and according to Supervisor Hemmingsen we have to do that. And you have to ask "Just who is running the show?" Clearly the message that once the alternatives had been dispensed with, the closure of Juvenile Hall was the recommended path. But wait a minute wailed Supervisors Starkey and Masten, there has got to be something, anything that prevents that from happening. "The public might just crush us when they hear that bit of travesty". Remember all the flack that greeted the Board when Bar O was closed? Can't possibly follow a staff recommendation without more information, can we? Trust the staff? Well, maybe not. For nearly an hour and a half the Board gnashed their collective teeth over this development. You didn't give us any warning! Not that both Probation and Juvenile Hall are currently functional, or that you have to have a functional Probation Department, but a Juvenile Hall can be optional? Oh, No! we should figure out how to have both in a County that is contending with disasters in multiple County Departments. Let's just see if we can make things worse by trying to figure out how to have our cake and eat it too. It should be no surprise that local government isn't trying to have a fire tender in everyone's yard, a police officer on every street corner, or an emergency hand holder in your spare bedroom. No consideration for what is possible in lieu of practical is in the repertoire of either the City or the County. Both groups are killing the local population with visions of grandeur and popularity contests instead of the reality that this County of 27,000 souls just might not be up to the financial hill being created for anything but what is necessary. During the course of this discussion several other shoes dropped with now what seems like increasing regularity. Probation has at least six unfilled positions all budgeted, but unable to be filled at juvenile hall. Not only that, not likely to be filled anytime soon. One wonders just how many other staff positions remain unfilled throughout the County? In addition, it doesn't appear that pay was the over riding issue even though we are constantly hearing from the Board and County Administration that it is. Who do you trust seems to be the "elephant in the room". Seems that the Board, County Administration, and Norma Williams are all caught up in a bit of subterfuge when It then becomes a matter of who you can actually trust? In any event, the choice is clearly whether you wish to have a fully staffed and functional Probation department, or a rapidly sinking Probation department with a juvenile hall that currently houses two, yes that's right two, juvenile offenders? Not really rocket science here folks, no matter how unpopular that decision would be. But the Board, in their steadfast effort to be dysfunctional, wants "more information" so they might ponder this weighty conundrum. I leave you with this last bit of comic relief. The first being the purchase of a $10,400 commercial dishwasher for Juvenile Hall before its imminent closure, and wait for it, to be paid for by using Measure "R" funding. Not to fear, the purchase is to go forward pending the finding of another funding source due to the "poor optics" asserted by that "Prince of financial responsibility", Chris Howard. The final "fork in the public's eye" is an effort by Health and Human Services to "provide stipends to facilitate hiring and retention of Social Workers and Supervisor staff". Nothing like the parade of new hires at HHS to continue at a mind numbing pace. If only after all this hand wringing we actually got "better service", but don't hold your breath, as this seems to be the only way that County and City is willing to grow local government. Perhaps the County and City should suspend all future Meetings before they completely destroy their messaging over Measures "T" and "U". It's not like there would be any crisis developing should both Measures pass and reduce the sales tax. Both governments can't seem to avoid talking about the inability to operate functional or practical departments despite the continued parade of sales tax spending. Vote YES on Measures T and U to lower sales tax and send a message to the County and City to get your house in order before you start asking for more money. Vote YES on T and U.