Fire Board Meeting - Keep CAL FIRE

Letter posted by Marshall Ketchum
Sun, May 6

KEEP CAL FIRE

Prior to CAL FIRE's arrival, fire departments on the Coastside were an expensive mess, resulting in over $1.2M in lawsuit settlements and legal fees, as well as high turnover and poor morale.

A 2006 Grand Jury recommended contracting with an outside agency such as CAL FIRE as one of the few viable options for fixing the departments.

Coastside taxpayers are currently enjoying savings estimated at over $1M per year with CAL FIRE, compared to trying to staff and run a department themselves.

Mike Alifano, Doug Mackintosh, and Gary Riddell have committed to spend over $100k in consulting and legal fees in an attempt to remove CAL FIRE and bring back the 'local control' that failed us so badly in the past.

Many feel Mike Alifano, Doug Mackintosh, and Gary Riddell recently abused the Brown Act, holding closed meetings under the guise of labor negotiations.

Mike Alifano, Doug Mackintosh, and Gary Riddell refuse to listen to constituants or the recent Grand Jury report that said "The Grand Jury could not find any substantive issues that justified terminating the CAL FIRE contract."

http://www.sanmateocourt.org/documents/grand_jury/2011/coastside_fire_protection.pdf

On April 25, even after the Grand Jury report, Mike Alifano, Doug Mackintosh, and Gary Riddell voted against extending CAL FIRE's contract past June 30, 2012, even though they had no other options.

Please plan to attend the Fire Board Meeting 6:30pm Wednesday May 9. The board will be discussing the recent Grand Jury findings that said "The Grand Jury could not find any substantive issues that justified terminating the CAL FIRE contract." You will have the opportunity to tell the Fire Board what you think, and will meet plenty of like-minded individuals concerned with the direction the majority of the Board trying to take us.