Commentary and Opinion By Samuel Strait – September 16, 2023 Three weeks have gone by since the last time the County's illustrious "brain trust" met, but changes in how the County's business is conducted has continued along its mindless narrow path. One would think that when the Department of Health and Human Services represents much of what passes for government in the County our elected would wake up to the fact that a population mired in poverty, mental dysfunction, homelessness, drug abuse, alcohol dependency, and the growing dependence on a dysfunctional government agency that it would occur to someone with a brain on their shoulders something was amiss. Not our Board of Supervisors, as they continue to pour money, resources, and new employees into the equivalent of a "money pit". The Board meeting, while there was some dissension in the ranks, continued with its one direction of throwing money, giving raises, and hiring new employees at DHHS with zero to show for it except the growing ranks of those dysfunctional people in the community. More homeless, more joining the ranks of the mentally disturbed, more poverty and no solutions. "The State" is the problem now. Won't give us the "freedom" to throw money at the wall and see what sticks. After years of DHHS failures suddenly the Board's sole function becomes carrying the Director of the DHHS's water with opposition to the State's new direction focusing on permanent housing of the Homeless. Sad, that they seem to have forgotten how recent their own floundering occurred while addressing that very same issue. The Board's solution….spend more money and resources on the issue. One wonders when it might dawn on the "brain trust" that the State has not received any push back from either the BOS or DHHS that growing the local DHHS isn't working. Only makes those problems worse, not better. Such is life when the "sharpest" tacks in the box are not stepping forward to clean up the mess. The meeting of the BOS on September 12th was yet another example of the growth of dysfunction, while the Board cheered the malefactors on. It doesn't take a "rocket scientist" to understand that more is not always better. Juvenile Hall will become an "opportunity center" likely to become yet another burden on the tax payer with little to show for it. We will now have a formalized Office of Public Defenders. Several employee reclassification's, aka employee raises. A mere twelve item consent agenda full of all kinds of government expansions, appointments , a report on the current County emergency, and no, not the wildfires, and the retention of our County's counsel for another four years. Same old song, along with a heap of backward progress. Nine months, and no sign of life from the current 5-0 Club. The fiscal disaster that is the County's budget made its way forward, to be finalized by October. The year's ballooning of the local crime lord's spending comes in at $208 million, up more than ten percent over last year. Anybody else get a generous 10% raise for the coming year? Any of the County's businesses have a 10% increase forecast for 2023-2024? Unfortunately for the Board, only about $40 million of it is in the general fund. Big "whine" from Supervisor Howard over that troubling state of affairs. Likely have to curb his "travel plans" for the coming year. Must be time for another Sales Tax increase to solve the problems of Fire, Police, Emergency Services, and infrastructure, which never seem to be solved. Oh wait, its the local school district's turn on the calendar for 2024, $44 million, seems to be on their minds. Property owners and renters beware for that little bit of inflation. While there is much more to tease out of this particular Board meeting, most thinking locals will figure out that our current BOS and government bureaucracy does not have us upper most on their collective minds. Keep that in mind when you go to vote in 2024.