The Santa Barbara County Civil Grand Jury, a body of local citizens tasked with investigating government, in 2020 examined the drafting of the county’s cannabis ordinances, as Noozhawk reported. The Grand Jury’s investigation uncovered that cannabis industry representatives and their lobbyists were granted "nearly unfettered access" to the Board of Supervisors. This extensive access, the jury determined, was not disclosed to the public. The panel’s review of voluminous emails sent to supervisors by cannabis lobbyists and growers raised concerns among jury members regarding the tone and timeline of these communications.
Following its findings, the Grand Jury recommended that Santa Barbara County implement requirements for public disclosure, specifying who gained access to supervisors and when. However, the Board of Supervisors rejected 10 of the Grand Jury’s 12 findings, declining to adopt the majority of the recommended transparency measures.
Suzanne Cohen, a Santa Barbara small-business owner and advocate, has highlighted this lack of transparency, emphasizing that residents should be able to identify who is being paid to influence local government decisions. She notes that while many people who lobby perform a legitimate service, the public’s ability to see who is advocating for a company before decisions are made is crucial for informed governance.
Several other California jurisdictions have already established lobbyist registration systems. Los Angeles County has maintained a registration requirement for lobbyists since 1993. Sacramento, San Francisco, Oakland, Richmond, Malibu, Manhattan Beach, Santa Clara, and San José also mandate lobbyist registration and reporting. In these cities and counties, residents can publicly access information detailing who is being paid to influence decisions, before those decisions are finalized.
Cohen suggests a straightforward solution to enhance local government transparency: establishing a public registry at both the city and county clerk’s offices. This registry would require lobbyists to disclose who they represent, what they are paid for, and which specific matters they have engaged with. The goal is a "public, searchable, boring" system that provides clear information to residents.
She argues that greater transparency in local governance benefits all residents of the community. Cohen encourages residents to engage with their city council members and county supervisors to inquire about their positions on implementing such a transparency measure. Cohen has a background in community leadership, including serving as president of Standing Together to End Sexual Assault (STESA) and as president of Democratic Women of Santa Barbara County for four years. She raised her family in the city, where she and her husband operate their business. Her opinions are her own.
