Staff of Santa Barbara County Supervisors to Be Required to Disclose Financial Ties

To avoid conflicts of interest within the county supervisors’ offices with Santa Barbara County’s business, the five supervisors voted on Tuesday to require all their staff members to fill out Form 700, which discloses investment interests, business positions, sources of income, and gifts, loans, and travel payments. The proposal was originally brought by supervisors Joan Hartmann and Laura Capps to encompass only the chiefs of staff, but Supervisor Bob Nelson, who was chief of staff to former supervisor Peter Adam, noted that more than one person in the office could impact a supervisor’s decision.

The staffs of the Board of Supervisor now join senior staff, department heads, and some commission chairs in formally disclosing their financial ties. The county Clerk-Recorder-Assessor will bring a resolution to that effect to a future board meeting.