something is happening but you don’t know what it is..do you, Mr. Jones…
a look at County Taxpayers Association, COLAB and the Santa Barbara News-Press

a recent News-Press editorial bemoans the action of the county board of supervisors to deny the presentation of a report praising the wonders of gambling in the Santa Ynez Valley..the report was paid for by the SB County Taxpayers Association, who has among its members supervisor Joe Centeno, Greka Oil spokesman Mike Stoker and a host of other shadowy characters...all pals of the Chumash and NewsPress...
SB COUNTY TAXPAYERS ASSO
COLAB
1. SBCounty Taxpayers Association..funded by private interests in Carpinteria and Santa Barbara and the north county, this right wing group consists of, among others, Carp councilman Joe Armendariz, Mike Stoker, and Lanny Ebenstein, county supe Joe Centeno, and Andy Caldwell as an "advisor". Armendariz, you remember, nearly killed himself and anyone in his way while speeding his Lexus thru Montecito in a drunken stupor.. I'm certain he won't do that again, but I don't trust him even a little bit...gets paid to sell private interests like gambling, development, and such.
2. COLAB...much like CTA, Colab consists of a mouthpiece and a few shadowy figures behind the scenes. The website doesn't include him, but we've all seen Andy Caldwell at the County Board of supervisor meetings..trying to sell north county private industry virtues to the rest of us..of course, Andy has become a jester, much like Joe. But, they do get paid to take up the county's time. These aren't real jobs, but instead are a type if sales job. Willie Chamberlain, a north county rancher who was defeated by Gail Marshall years ago, is one of the principals behind COLAB. Since he was defeated, he's been sending caldwell to the Board meetings to waste time under the guise of citizen participation.
3. The News-Press..a shoddy operation run by Wendy McCaw, Nipper VW, and Travis Armstrong. Wendy got her millions by a divorce settlement and has been spending money like a drunken Indian ever since. Travis is a gay Indian( nothing wrong with that) but has a hankering for booze. Like Joe Armendariz, got busted for drunk driving and hasn't gotten over his public humiliation..blames city government and nearly everyone else in Santa Barbara for his problems. He has been trying to get back at them for years thru daily editorials. Nipper is a short, chubby guy who rides the coattails of the rich and famous.
Values Vacuum..
Each of these entities has one thing in common..a values vacuum. The News-Press continues to exhibit this on a daily basis. From hiring Dr. Laura, a fraud and hypocrite of the lowest degree, to trying to pin child porn charges against one of Wendy's "enemies", the abyss is ever darkening. It seems the main purpose of the NewsPress is to glorify the Chumash Gambling Casino. The SYV was fine before the casino arrived, and no amount of money will reduce its negative impact on the valley.
Colab is simply a front for a few developer interests up north. County supervisor Brooks Firestone and Willie Chamberlain lease land to Greka Oil and want nothing to do with county environmental regulations. Hence, the recent Greka oil spills debacle.
The County Taxpayers Association sounds important, but it is merely a small group of conservatives that pays Joe Armendariz to push the private money/development agenda. Joe will never tell you what he thinks, only what they think.
Apate and Aletheia
The next time you see or read about the ills of government, the wonders of gambling, the lies of the pen, and the struggle between right and wrong...think of the source.
(APATE was the spirit (daimona) of deceit, guile, fraud and deception. Her male counterpart was Dolos the daimon of trickery and wiles. She was also a companion of the Pseudologoi (Lies). Her opposite number was Aletheia the spirit of truth.)