Commentary by Samuel Strait – September 16, 2022 It has almost become a carefully orchestrated performance when the County's leadership meets every other Tuesday at 10:00 am. So carefully choreographed and artificial that one wonders who, exactly is running the show. As much as there was expressed dissension in the ranks by Supervisor Starkey and Masten, when it came time to vote, they dutifully registered their respective "YES" votes, so as not to show anything of the sort. It has become so nauseatingly familiar that one wonders if they draw straws premeeting to see who will be selected to pretend something is not to be a clear 5-0 of affirmation of whatever is the topic at hand. It seems to be the pattern, 5-0 to the affirmative or move it to a later meeting where it can receive its 5-0 anointing. It is beginning to look like going to the public meetings of the Board will continue in this fashion until the voters grow weary of being gas lighted into believing the five members of the Board actually represent them to their benefit. It would appear various heads of department have a great deal more to say about what happens within the sacred confines of government in Del Norte County. Other than the plainly obvious gas lighting that seems to come out of Supervisor Howard mouth at every Board meeting, one can be assured that anything, no matter how convoluted that appears on the "Consent Agenda" will pass into affirmative action with barely a ripple. It matters not that the public is likely completely unaware of the content nor how it affects them, as Chair Hemmingsen has little patience for any such discussion of items he so clearly has very limited knowledge as to their impact on the community. There was a brief, but interesting discussion about Board Member decorum, that dissembled its way into oblivion, as well as an effort by Supervisors Masten and Starkey to engage the public in the budget process. The effort was well received by members of the public present, over the opposition of Supervisors Howard, how telling, and Chair Hemmingsen, no great surprise there. Chair Hemmingsen likes to flex his long standing membership on the Board of Supervisors, where he has displayed his ignorance over various matters for many years. While Ms. Masten and Starkey's request did result in the possibility of some action, most likely it will be in vain. The County's budget to the uninitiated is well over one hundred pages, most of which will be meaningless to anything other than the auditor and the governing bureaucracy. Any questions asked will likely elicit answers that are likewise meaningless, or assurances that "I will get back to you on that". Actual business consisted of encumbering local businesses with another pointless licensing, parking ordinances, more homeless issues unaddressed, a noise ordinance, and a lengthy discussion of "vacation rentals". Lots of word salad, most of it missing the point of why it was necessary at all. And true to form all was either approved 5-0 or tabled to a future meeting. One other item of note was a clear understanding that Animal Control is far from being a functional part of the County's efforts to spend money for what clearly continues to be a non functional operation. Heaven help the Sheriff as his non functional department will find themselves gifted by the BOS of this "problem child" in November. Budget transfers and Legislative issues rounded out this theatrical farce. Any signs of life remain undisturbed from this cast of robots. The 5-0 Club will take on the impending 2022-2023 budget next time around. $182,000,000.00 and counting. Nearly doubling from 2010 with no perceivable progress towards righting the ship. In fact the only thing current leadership is concerned by is being restricted in token ways of ballooning the government's workforce and pay generously to that workforce while the rest of the County population goes wanting. Not so much road repairs and any improvements in "vital" services, that after all will be saved for the next time the County's "slush fund" proves inadequate to the task of giving more and better raises and growing government. It is after all our only "growing" year round "industry".