Walk Away, County

In evaluating the push by Goleta to undo the agreement that they entered into with the county on revenue sharing, one must remember that the chief incentive for the incorporation of Goleta was to allow that geographical entity to gobble up the most productive retail outlets in the county. This included car dealerships, big box department stores, and fast food outlets among other things. The reason was that this is the source of sales tax revenues funding local government. Up to the time of Goleta incorporation, this revenue was sent to the county to be used for county-wide obligations that benefited all the people, including those in the proposed new city. These obligations were for things such as Social Services, Probation, the jail, the District Attorney and Public Defender, the Agriculture Department and more.

Such cravenly selfish separations were occurring across the state. Malibu incorporated to keep its wealthy tax base at about the same time.

The people pushing for the Goleta incorporation were trying to gain an advantage over the rest of us.

In order to balance this grasping, a deal was created to protect some of the tax revenue from the new city and keep it for the common work the county provides to all of us. Nothing in this equitable arrangement has changed. For Goleta to renege on its contract now is hypocritical at best.

I doubt that there is actually a legal basis to challenge the agreement. I urge the Board of Supervisors to hold firm and walk away from any “negotiation” to reduce the revenue properly sent to the county under this agreement.