Sales Tax Increase Not Deserved

Regarding Santa Barbara City sales tax hike, let’s get real. The City of Santa Barbara is mismanaged and bloated.

Personnel, including salaries and benefits, are the most costly burden in any public entity. However, the data illustrates the City of Santa Barbara is overstaffed and overpaid.

As per the California State Comptroller’s office (reports go to the state by the local entity) over $125,508,398 in wages and $27,158,306 in benefits (retirement and health) was paid in 2023 for 1,787 city employees in a city of 85,679 residents. The highest reported salary is $467,796 for Fire Battalion Chief.

In comparison for 2023:
Redondo Beach:
• 68,239 population, 794 city employees, $56,002,221 paid wages & $11,955,340 paid benefits
Santa Barbara:
• 85,679 population, 1,787 city employees, $125,508,398 paid wages & $27,158,306 paid benefits
Thousand Oaks:
• 122,643 population, 607 city employees, $39,261,897 salary $9,569,722 benefits

Therefore, to the City of Santa Barbara:

Do Not
• state that the cost of living in Santa Barbara justifies city employee salaries.
• justify city employee remote work.
• justify lack of response from city employees to local business and residents.
• disguise the burden of city personnel costs by feigning social service needs.

Do
• get your fiscal house in order.
• reduce workforce and reduce debt.
• have transparency in public reporting of public fund expenditures and public fund revenues including funding allocations dedicated to social services, grant funding, and
carryover of unspent funds.
• expect city employees to report to worksites, provide work product as evidence of time/effort, meet productivity goals, and respond to inquiries within 24 hours.

The data is evident (publicpay.ca.gov Government Compensation in California). The City of Santa Barbara is mismanaged in comparison to similar communities in our state.

Santa Barbara voters, please do your homework, vote down this sales tax increase, and demand fiscal and personnel accountability. As real property taxpayers and business owners we deserve this at the very least!

Govern yourselves accordingly, City of Santa Barbara.