Some top Santa Barbara officials have issued a joint statement into what they call a "seriously misleading" article containing what they say contains a number of false assertions of corruption.
The Los Angeles Magazine article questions how the city is run. It also makes allegations about the role Santa Barbara Police Department Public Information Officer Anthony Wagner may have played in the city’s cannabis dispensary selection process.
In the statement, City Administrator Paul Casey and City Attorney Ariel Calonne say the city conducted a fair and open process. But, they say the integrity of the process was questioned by the article without the benefit of even minimal local investigation.
The city is bringing in an outside law firm to conduct an independent investigation.
