Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/75013
6A Daily News – Thursday, July 19, 2012 Opinion DAILYNEWS RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N T Y S I N C E 1 8 8 5 Greg Stevens, Publisher gstevens@redbluffdailynews.com Chip Thompson, Editor editor@redbluffdailynews.com Editorial policy The Daily News opinion is expressed in the editorial. The opinions expressed in columns, letters and cartoons are those of the authors and artists. Letter policy The Daily News welcomes let- ters from its readers on timely topics of public interest. All let- ters must be signed and pro- vide the writer's home street address and home phone num- ber. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and cannot exceed two double-spaced pages or 500 words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section of those submit- ted will be considered for publi- cation. Letters will be edited. Letters are published at the discretion of the editor. Mission Statement We believe that a strong com- munity newspaper is essential to a strong community, creating citizens who are better informed and more involved. The Daily News will be the indispensible guide to life and living in Tehama County. We will be the premier provider of local news, information and advertising through our daily newspaper, online edition and other print and Internet vehi- cles. The Daily News will reflect and support the unique identities of Tehama County and its cities; record the history of its com- munities and their people and make a positive difference in the quality of life for the resi- dents and businesses of Tehama County. How to reach us Main office: 527-2151 Classified: 527-2151 Circulation: 527-2151 News tips: 527-2153 Sports: 527-2153 Obituaries: 527-2151 Photo: 527-2153 On the Web www.redbluffdailynews.com Fax Newsroom: 527-9251 Classified: 527-5774 Retail Adv.: 527-5774 Legal Adv.: 527-5774 Business Office: 527-3719 Address 545 Diamond Ave. Red Bluff, CA 96080, or P.O. Box 220 Red Bluff, CA 96080 State fire tax and inflated budgets I am writing on behalf of a group of concerned citizens — Ken Tatro, Del Mackey, E. C. Ross, Bill Hendrix and Rich Selberg — who wish to enlighten the public of the aggressive and controlling nature of the California Department of Forestry in Tehama County. of Forestry has contracted with the County of Tehama and was funded with monies from a special service district. In the recent past the district In the past the Department was dissolved and the Depart- ment of Forestry has been funded from the county's gen- eral fund. County Board of supervisors for their support in eliminating the state fire tax. It will take all of us in the county to show the state of California that we are serious and not going to sit by and let this happen. department, the volunteer com- pany fire chiefs can do the job of the fire captains and the fire- fighters can easily be replaced by the volunteer fire- fighters. everyone in Tehama County is paying for the cost of the Department of Forestry ser- vices. This in fact means that Last December we sent a letter to Bill Goodwin, county administrator, questioning the state fire contract for Tehama County. We complained that the contract was inflated, and had misuse of county volun- teers. We have not heard from Goodwin but recently we found that the state fire con- tract had been approved and signed on April 3 by the Board of Supervisors. Normally this takes place in June. In addition, the state of Cal- ifornia is enacting a special fire tax to offset the cost of fire protection in the so called "buffer" areas. The Depart- ment of Forestry claims that they are providing structural fire protection at a significant cost to the state of California. Our contention is that all of the areas where dwellings or structures are present in Tehama County are protected by the Tehama County Fire Department and therefore not a liability to the state of Califor- nia. Any help provided by the California Department Forestry would be mutual aid. We would like to thank Sen. Doug LaMalfa, Assemblyman Jim Neilsen and the Tehama The contract has not been funded, however this is just a formality. By eliminating personnel there are other areas that can be reduced and can add to savings. We see well over $1 million in savings in what little we have done because our fire department is primarily volunteer it will have a minimal effect on its opera- tion. long way to ease the burden of the remaining county depart- ments as well bolster the moral of the county employees. In the beginning our com- The money saved will go a Last year there were no cuts in the preliminary or final bud- get. it's going to cost you. We squealed and they reduced the cost a little. But they have their foot in the door. Looking back a Guest View Tom Gauthier has integrated state personnel and equipment in an attempt to justify the fire tax. For exam- ple, the county's Red Bluff fire station is manned by state per- sonnel in addition to the volun- teer personnel. mittee was formed to investi- gate the California State Fire Tax. The rest of the county bud- gets were scrutinized, cut. Per- sonnel were furloughed and wage concessions were made. In our research of the state The Department of Forestry few years, we see the California Depart- ment of Forestry funding coming from a county services dis- trict to the county general fund and now from a state fire tax. As we progressed we found that the California Department of Forestry was the catalyst for the enactment of the state fire tax. fire contract we found that not only did the contract have unnecessary expenditures, it had personnel well beyond the needs of the fire department. The Corning and Los Moli- nos stations have two state fire captains, four state firefighters, 16 part-time state firefighters in addition to the two state fire apparatus engineers. Remembering that we are working with a volunteer Because they have created a more city/county like fire department instead of the forestry type, for which they were formed, the cost has sky- rocketed. creative and made them look for different avenues of fund- ing. This has made them more This is where we as taxpay- ers came in. of Forestry drew up some arbi- trary lines and said, if you are on the wrong side of the line The California Department The problem with this is what happens when the state needs this equipment for other fires; and who pays for the per- sonnel and equipment? The state's broke and we are being lead to believe that the unnecessary personnel we are paying for is a good deal. It may be a good deal for the state but not for us. We have an outstanding group of volunteers who now protect our county. But, they do need help in maintaining stations, equipment and train- ing. The cost of the state fire contract is way out of line and should be renegotiated. The responsibility of the Tehama County Fire Depart- ment and the Department of Forestry needs to be properly defined. And, most important- ly the fire tax needs to be elim- inated. Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Jim Nielsen (R) State Capitol Bldg., Room 6031 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 319-2002; Fax (916) 319-2102 STATE SENATOR — Doug LaMalfa (R) State Capitol Bldg., Room 3070 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 651-4004; Fax (916) 445-7750 GOVERNOR — Jerry Brown, State Capitol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 445-2841; Fax (916) 558-3160; E-mail: gover- nor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE — Wally Herger (R), 2595 Cean- othus Ave., Ste. 182, Chico, CA 95973; 893-8363. U.S.SENATORS — Dianne Feinstein (D), One Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94104; (415) 393-0707. Fax (415) 393-0710. Barbara Boxer (D), 1700 Montgomery St., Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94111; (510) 286-8537. Fax (202) 224- 0454. How about a park going to the dogs? Commentary When you're a married cou- ple in your 30s you often hear one question over and over again. kids? have had less trouble honestly answering this question. It's going to be a while. Laura has Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. It's a hormonal dis- order that disrupts her menstrual cycle and creates cysts on her ovaries. That makes getting pregnant pretty much impossi- ble. When are you going to have Lately, my wife, Laura, and I but let's just say when we're considering what to do for fami- ly fun on the weekend, choosing something the dogs would enjoy is always at the top of the list. That's why it's disheartening that one of our easiest and favorite activities can't be found in Red Bluff — a dog park. There are dog parks in Chico and Redding, but a 40-mile drive isn't always appealing — espe- cially in the heat. For those of you who have OK, it's not that disturbing, Due to a lack of personal wealth, adoption doesn't seem like a fair option at this time either. have dog-children. Yes, while most of you have pets, we sincerely believe our two Labrador mixes are our chil- dren. Instead, we tell people we from family members, wear hol- iday-themed scarfs and are the center of our world. They receive gifts in the mail never been to a dog park let me describe the complexity of them. There's a fenced in area and some sort of water supply. Vol- unteers often maintain the grounds and furnish the area with old lawn chairs and picnic tables. having fun, that's about it. I'm sure there's some sort of insurance liability involved, but the rest seems like something any motivated group could start and finish in a weekend. Since I moved here four years Other than a bunch of dogs ago I've often heard rumors that plans were in the works for a dog park. Yet a project has never got- ten off the ground. I think part of the reason for this is the misconception that dog parks are for dogs. In this economy it seems like dogs should be the least of our worries. So creating a park goes on the back burner. That's probably right, but the fact of the matter is dog parks are just as much for peo- ple. Chico and Redding and how much I would love to share that feeling in Red Bluff. The Tehama Coun- Rich Greene When we go to a dog park, Laura and I have as much social- ization with our species as Mar- ley and Hobbes do with theirs. We don't roll around in the mud, but we chat it up with the other dog parents. Most of the talk begins about dogs, but it soon turn to other interests. When I'm at a dog park, I feel a real sense of community. Then I realize I'm either in ourselves again. I'll be the first one with a shovel in my hand when we get to that point. So what do you say Red Bluff, when are we going to have a dog park? Connect with Daily News reporter Rich Greene at facebook.com/richgreenenews or call him at 527-2151, ext. 109. ty Fair exhibit showed a group of private citi- zens can come togeth- er to create something of pride for the com- munity. We can do this without any govern- mental bodies spear- heading the project, just their support. It's a small thing we can do, even in these times, to start feeling good about