Brooks Firestone is not going out with a whimper.
 

Anticipating the likelihood of a victory for self-proclaimed environmentalist candidate Doreen Farr in November, the outgoing 3rd District Santa Barbara County supervisor is using his last few months in office to take full advantage of his working majority.

The supervisors have sent Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger a letter supporting offshore drilling and petroleum exploration, and the county’s planning commission has put the Miramar Hotel on a faster track and gaveled through a luxury home development on the Gaviota Coast.

Firestone is nobody’s fool. If Farr does win the election, it will take some effort by the board to switch positions on these initiatives.
If her opponent, Steve Pappas wins, Firestone will have given the majority a road map for charting a new course for Santa Barbara County.