Ignorance is bliss, especially for those profiting from others' gullibility. The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors' apparent ignorance of unconscionable planning practices generates, and then protects, high-paid planning positions. County lawyers also profit from enabling planning abuses. These well-compensated attorneys freely misrepresent facts because courts tend to focus more on procedures than justice. When supervisors our representatives fail to prudently supervise county employees, residents of Santa Cruz County are the ones who lose. The public deserves better and is working to demand supervisors end Santa Cruz County government of the bureaucrats, by the bureaucrats, for the bureaucrats.

Supervisors are well-aware, but have chosen to ignore, ongoing planning improprieties. Their inaction as a board encourages self-serving employees to run amok. A 2003 Santa Cruz grand jury report exposed obstructions to the Planning Department's orderly operation. The jury's conclusions attributed an array of problems to either planning staff lacking the ability to perform their duties or being influenced to favor certain individuals. Supervisors' meetings typically involve residents asking them to resolve the gamut of planning problems. Our alleged representatives' resounding silence permits planning mismanagement. Thus, planning continues to incur long delays during the review and/or approval of time-sensitive projects, evades compliance with Public Records Act, conducts bidding that violates the Public Contract Code and is causing elderly and other disadvantaged residents to lose their homes from planning-induced foreclosures. County attorneys add to this problem by acting to inhibit members of the public from demanding reform. The end result is worse than proverbial foxes being allowed to guard the hen house; supervisors' failure to supervise enables foxes to interpret and enforce regulations that force hens to pay for preventable abuse.

Controlling planning problems requires supervisors to accurately assess and address problems. Supervisors seek biased advice to justify their inaction. Instead of taking the time for thoughtful analysis, supervisors seek explanations from self-serving staff. Planning mangers' disproportionate compensations are supported by policies allowing them to charge exorbitant fees and fines. It is unlikely they would endanger their jobs by exposing irregularities in implementing collection of these monies. County attorneys, whose job security increases with dysfunction, have little incentive to reveal the high cost of conducting planning by litigation. Supervisors use predictable assurances to justify ignoring the public's requests for change and outside oversight. Maintaining the status quo is beyond ironic. Documentation exists that planning is conducting code enforcement against residents in a manner that is out of compliance with constitutional rights and state codes and/or regulations. The supervisors' silence enables planning to continue to conduct a de facto fundraiser to support themselves and their bureaucratic associates. Supervisors' non-supervision gives their implicit approval of planning activities that disregard civil rights, violate numerous codes and regulations and fail to serve public's interests in a timely or cost-effective manner.

Numerous unanswered questions illustrate additional pernicious hidden costs. Who is paying for exclusive agreements with insider contractors who net hefty profits by circumventing pubic contract regulations and twisting public bidding processes? What type of government encourages neighbors to snitch on neighbors and maintains confidential files on its residents? Where can residents go when their representatives refuse to resolve Planning Department problems? When dedicated public employees are forced into adversarial relationships with those they wish to serve, where can they turn for help? Why are costly planning permits taking unwarranted time to process? How does one rebuild damaged public trust?

Despite the dark appearance, there is a bright side. The extent of this insidious dilemma results in a growing awareness of our alleged representatives' non-representation. Residents are mobilizing to abate tyrannical bureaucratic misbehavior. There is no denying this needed effort will divert conscientious community members from many other important volunteer activities. However, stopping unresolved problems demands extraordinary efforts. Residents' skills, talents and energy is needed to abate a process where public servants have been profiting from non-service. SLAPPEDbySCC San Lorenzo [Valley] Area Preventing Planning Perversion & Eroded Democracy by Supporting Collaborative Communication is among many such organizations. If you wish to become involved in helping bring about needed change, contact SLAPPEDbySCC@yahoo.com or any other community organizations working for an informed means to end planning abuses.

Colette Marie McLaughlin earned her doctorate in social ecology: environmental analysis and design from UC Irvine. She has worked for numerous governmental planning departments and has conducted extensive research on sustainable planning practices.