Humboldt County Fire Chiefs’ Association Support for Measure O

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Letter of Support for Measure O,

Over the past 25 years, Sacramento has taken $368 million in revenue from Humboldt County, hurting our public safety, ambulance, roads, services for victims and witnesses of child abuse, among many other essential services that maintain our quality life – enough is enough! We must renew Measure O funding to maintain our local control over local needs. Specifically, I write today about the funding for the local fire service.

Our county is protected by over 40 fire agencies, most of them being rural volunteer departments.  Be it volunteer or career departments our agencies are plagued with limited funding.  The fire service has received $5.9 million from this sales tax and our community’s fire services have benefited by receiving personal protective gear, fire trucks, hose, buildings to house equipment, and paid our dispatch fees.  Renewing Measure O will continue to support your local firefighters and maintain resources that better – and more safely—protect County residents.

Measure O is on our local ballot to maintain this critical funding that cannot be taken by the state. Measure O simply extends – without raising taxes – existing voter-approved funding for critical public safety services that maintain our safety and quality of life.  As the president of the Humboldt County Fire Chiefs’ Association, I urge all readers to vote YES on Measure O – keep Humboldt County safe.

Sincerely,

Justin McDonald

President – HCFCA

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24 Comments
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tax payer
Guest
tax payer
5 years ago

how many support measure o “news” stories has there been on this website? it just makes a good place to talk about how we dont need the extra tax.
i was thinking if measure z got double the tax they anticipated then maybe we can just have no tax for five years then reintroduce the measure with only a quarter percent sales tax

Kym Kemp
Admin
5 years ago
Reply to  tax payer

These are not news stories. THese are letters to the editor. You can write one yourself. I post nearly every signed by a real person letter I get. Measure O just has a lot of support. Apparently, among those willing to write letters, those against O don’t have as much but I have posted at least one.

tax payer
Guest
tax payer
5 years ago
Reply to  Kym Kemp

hi Kym. i disagree with you on “measure o has lots of support” but we will see after the election who is correct. i feel the reason you get a lot of letters in support of measure o is because those writing the letters are those who are fighting for their raises. they are part of organizations who intend to receive our tax monies, no one gets paid to not support o except us taxpayers (by not getting the extra tax, but that is not a paycheck) but surely no one is funding an organization for no on o with paid employees. actually i have to correct this. i remember reading something for no on o on loco and it was from an organization and my voter guide says Taxpayers League opposes it too

VOTE NO ON O
Guest
VOTE NO ON O
5 years ago

How About they put a separate fire tax we could vote on. VOTE NO ON O General Funds With No Oversite

VOTE NO ON O
Guest
VOTE NO ON O
5 years ago

All Fire Chiefs do not support this. Just one signed his name Go ask your local fire dept how much they received from measure z.Very little over the years z has been in effect

TRFPD Chief
Guest
TRFPD Chief
5 years ago
Reply to  VOTE NO ON O

Can you back up your statement? Please name a Humboldt County fire chief against Measure ‘O’.
I am chief of Telegraph Ridge Volunteer Fire Company, one of many Humboldt County chiefs supporting measure ‘O’.
Million of dollars (I believe about seven million) has been spent from Measure Z funds providing almost every volunteer rural fire department with much needed new gear.
It’s true that the better funded urban departments, which have paid professional fire fighters, did not receive any ‘Z’ money. But even those fire chiefs not only supported ‘Z’, they also helped the volunteer
departments figure out how to get the most out of the money.

No money allotted to the fire service was spent on salaries. It went to buy hundreds of new SCBA’s (breathing apparatus), structure and wild land outfits (protective clothing), modern engines, and fire houses to shelter them.
By buying the needed gear for all the fire departments together, the Humboldt County Fire Chiefs not only saved money, but assured that the gear is the same for everyone. This means that when we respond, mutual aid, to help another fire department, our equipment, like air bottles, are interchangeable.
Many lives and homes will be saved over the years because of the better gear.

Remember, when measure ‘O’ passes, it will NOT raise taxes
Please show your support for the emergency responders who volunteer to help you,
Vote yes on ‘O’.
Peter Lawsky
chief 5500
Telegraph Ridge Fire Protection District
(Ettersburg)

Kym Kemp
Admin
5 years ago
Reply to  TRFPD Chief

Thank you, Peter. Your letter more nearly reflects how the firefighters I’ve spoken to believe.

tax payer
Guest
tax payer
5 years ago
Reply to  TRFPD Chief

i sure like how you say measure o will not raise taxes. i say ha. measure o is a tax. every tax is a tax increase.

TRFPD Chief
Guest
TRFPD Chief
5 years ago
Reply to  tax payer

I don’t follow your logic. Measure O just continues the already existing tax of measure ‘Z’.
It does not increase it.

Since every penny collected stays in Humboldt County, unlike property taxes, state taxes and federal taxes, we will get a lot more local benefit from measure O than any other tax.

tax payer
Guest
tax payer
5 years ago
Reply to  TRFPD Chief

“tax increase” is a relative term. if you go back to before a tax existed then it is a tax increase. some measures dont have taxes in them so those measures are not tax increases but measure o is a tax.

tax payer
Guest
tax payer
5 years ago
Reply to  TRFPD Chief

i could also say the measure z was supposed to expire after reaching 6 million or after five years. they got double what they expected. therefore it would not make sense to extend the measure therefore it is a tax increase

Somebody
Guest
Somebody
5 years ago

I’m a fire fighter and we barely got any compared to police vote no on o and most fire departments need people at this point funding helps but anymore a lot of good people moving away thanks supervisors for fucking up a good thing. I’m all for a separate tax for fire only!!!!!

tax payer
Guest
tax payer
5 years ago

HUMBOLDT COUNTY
TAXPAYERS LEAGUE
A Watchdog Organization to Advocate for, and Inform the Taxpayers

https://humboldttaxpayers.org/

ARGUMENT AGAINST MEASURE O

1. Don’t let Humboldt County fool you that essential services for public safety would need to be cut if Measure “O” is not passed. The projected income from Measure “S”, passed after Measure “Z”, is $7.8 million, which lists “public safety” as its purpose. The current Measure “Z” expenditures for sheriff, district attorney, probation and fire total $6,532,360, leaving $1,267,640 available beyond their current funding for other safety concerns.

2. In twenty years, if revenue stays the same, the taxpayers will pay approximately $240,000,000 that the supervisors can use for “general purposes” (anything).

3. Of the approximate $4.4 million the City of Eureka contributes, they get back $419,140, yet Eureka bears much of the negativity associated with County government.

4. The only change proposed in Measure “O” is to give Measure “Z” no sunset, rather than its current five year sunset. This eliminates citizens’ rights to vote every five years on whether we approve how our tax dollars are spent. Is this good?

5. Measure “Z” was sold to us as “generating 6 million dollars”. Why is this nearly 12 million after a few years?

6. The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury 2017-2018 final report summary states “Measure Z Citizens’ Advisory Committee has not been included in the Board of Supervisors process of allocating secondary funds, which is detrimental to transparency and accountability.” Additionally, “The public was told Measure Z would be subject to annual independent audits, but no such audits have taken place to date which compromises transparency and public trust.” This speaks for itself.

7. This is a regressive tax.

8. Humboldt County taxpayers pay a high tax with only 12 of 58 California counties paying more.

9. Honesty with trust is the basis of this tax. Has it been earned?

VOTE NO ON MEASURE “O”

Central HumCo
Guest
5 years ago

Essentially, the Only lawful personal tax available for operating a Government is a per capita-tax determined by dividing the proven cost of operating the Government by the number of people.

A Government/Public trust is supposed to operate on taxes, and if a Government operates commercial enterprises using tax money in competition with the free market people, then the money of the people is being used in competition with the people, and that will discourage the payment and collection of taxes. It will cause a tax rebellion (Conflict of Interest). Therefore, all revenue raised by officers of public trust must be obtained by the performance of Public Service not provided by ordinary free market businesses. Public Service is the Only sort of business in which Government is supposed to be employed.

Alleged ‘Public Servants’ are serving ‘Public Policy’ and ‘Public Administration’ of ‘codes,’ and enforcing such ‘codes’ to protect the CORPORATION, to the disinterest and detriment of the People, whom have been captured, searched, seized, boarded –as with a vessel, and the People have been murdered and/or placed into a warehouse storage as human capital and property, by a Corporation posing as Government, which/who have conquered and occupied the Office of the People, and unlawfully subverted and subordinated it into an Office of Inquisition upon the people.

Supervisors the problem
Guest
Supervisors the problem
5 years ago

No taxpayers honesty and trust has absolutely not been earned by this rip off,bully,extortion based,civel right violating county government and therefore should absolutely not be trusted with a PERMANENT tax to do as they please.definitly voting NO on o.like another concerned citizen on here yesterday stated these greedy politicians in Humboldt are just over feeding themselves at the public funds feeding trough.standing in there fecses wanting more and more slop

Hold up
Guest
Hold up
5 years ago

This is not a do or die situation. The defeat of Measure O will not reduce emergency services or any of the benefits gained from Measure Z tax dollars, because Measure Z is in effect until 2020.
If Measure O (with no sunset date) is defeated, the County can put it on the ballet again next year with a sunset date.

Bottom line:

If you agree with the tax forever, vote yes.

If you want the County to be more fiscally responsible and accountable, vote no and make them come back with a more palatable offer.

Central HumCo
Guest
5 years ago

No matter what – a yes or a no vote on either Measure K or Measure O says you recognize the Measures as being brought before you, as one of We, the People, with Full Disclosure.

Fill Disclosure means that the controllers have printed facts. Such as – “The County” Measures K and O, are only applicable in the unincorporated parts of Humboldt. Those living within incorporated City Limits really have no say. Hence, since I live in an unincorporated part of Humboldt, I have no say on the bed tax put before the people in Blue Lake to vote on.

Supervisors the problem
Guest
Supervisors the problem
5 years ago

Write a new measure solely for the firefighters we need them well equipped!!! Measure o isn’t the way though!!!!!!

Mr. A
Guest
Mr. A
5 years ago

Many folks (even some firefighters!) seem confused about Measure O. Most of us are happy with the Z funds distributed to our fire/safety crews. O is NOT an extension of Z! It is Z in sheep’s clothing.

Central HumCo
Guest
5 years ago

Humboldt County Public Safety – valid.

Humboldt County Public Safety SLASH “Essential Services Renewal Measure” – Void.

Could it be the vowel before two consonants use of semantic deceit to create fraud?

“Essential” is a no-agreed-upon-value word. No value, no contract. No contract, no jurisdiction.

This doesn’t take a rocket surgeon.

commenter
Guest
commenter
5 years ago

it is very cynical and misleading for yes on O supporters to say, “Well if you don’t like an endless tax in a few years vote it out.” the fact is it would take lots of time, money, effort, and organization to slog through an initiative campaign. (highly unlikely–look how the recall of Estelle has fizzled) all the no on O partisans are saying is just limit it to five years. that seems reasonable.
no on endless O.

Mike
Guest
Mike
5 years ago

SB1, measure O, Jerold’s pill mill parcel tax, abatement, water board bullshit, and repeat, then repeat again. In a struggling community all we hear about is how we need these taxes and how they benefit us even though they haven’t at all. I’m getting so [edit] tired of hearing about this and having to see it on taxpayer funded signs along the road.

Great location
Guest
Great location
5 years ago

The countys greed is never ending$$$$$$$$$$. Vote no on measure o people these extortionist supervisors and money mongering right violating county THIEVES don’t even deserve our support anymore.

Central HumCo
Guest
5 years ago
Reply to  Great location

Well said!

Lets not forget Exactly why the “Essential Services” was unlawfully added to the Humboldt Safety Measure title – the wizards ‘somehow’ believe they transformed Measure Z into a General Tax -requiring majority vote. Humboldt Safety was sold to the people as a “Special Tax” – requiring 2/3 vote in the affirmative.

Measure Z unlawfully “Passed” by majority vote.