‘Vote Yes on Measure O to Invest in Our Community’s Safety and Future,’ Says Shelter Cove Fire Chief

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Letter to the Editor

To the Residents of Humboldt County,

On behalf of the Southern Humboldt Fire Chiefs’ Association, we support Measure O Humboldt County’s Roads/9-1-1 Emergency Response measure. As firefighters, we know how critical well-maintained roads are during emergencies. Poor roads have sidelined our engines after hitting potholes and delayed wildfire response when roads failed. In storms, patients are sometimes airlifted because roads are impassable. Natural disasters are part of life here, and reliable emergency access is essential.

Measure O will also allow us to secure state and federal grants, often providing $4 million for every $1 million locally raised. Let’s not wait until it’s too late. Vote YES on Measure O to invest in our community’s safety and future. Together, we can ensure we are ready for whatever challenges lie ahead.

Sincerely,

Nick Pape

President, Southern Humboldt Fire Chiefs’ Association

Fire Chief, Shelter Cove Fire

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17 Let us come and reason together. Isaiah 1:18
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Zipline
Guest
Zipline
26 days ago

Everybody has their hands out, and just like a church, they always want more,more,more. When will it ever be enough,? 15% tax, 20% tax??? Let’s all get over it and do with less, much less. Everytime someone does something stupid they call 911 and away we go….who does that make stupid? No on O which guarantees nothing execpt more tax dollars wasted……

I like stars
Guest
I like stars
26 days ago

No on O! It’s more money for the general fund, where it’s almost certain to be misappropriated.

Steve Madrone
Guest
Steve Madrone
16 days ago
Reply to  I like stars

Measure Z was not misappropriated. It went to improving Public Safety including law enforcement and fire protection.

Alf
Guest
Alf
26 days ago

“Before it’s too late.” Really? Here is how to get a yes from me. First, replace all five BOS members with five people with integrity, who won’t bow to special interest groups, who are willing to do the work of cutting spending to worthless, wasteful projects, who won’t squander funds for pet projects and be accountable to all taxpayers. It was too late over a decade ago, but stupid people keep voting in incumbents who refuse to do the job. There’s not a single BOS member currently who deserves a paycheck.

Then, if you do that, maybe a measure for a year 100% designated for roads with no exception to be revisited by the voters before continuing. If there’s no progress on the roads in a year, all funds must be returned to the taxpayers. The current corruption in the county must be addressed and tackled and there’s not a single staffer willing to do it. NO ON O.

Wally
Guest
Wally
26 days ago
Reply to  Alf

NO ON O. The BOS has squandered $12 million dollars per year since 2014 from Measure Z revenue. Now they want an additional $24 million annually to be put in the general fund to spend at their discretion. The results of Measure Z funds is obvious that they cannot be trusted with OUR money. The cannabis funds were also spent on things other than the purpose they were collected for. Steve Madrone says these funds were spent on county employees wage increases. Hmmm…. He voted yes which included all the BOS wages to $104,000 annually plus reimbursement for mileage. Michelle Bushnell submitted a mileage reimbursement last month for $1,200. The mileage reimbursement for all BOS’s is not verified, just trust them? When will the taxpayers/ voters start holding all members of the Board accountable for the use of OUR money? Just say no to O.

Steve Madrone
Guest
Steve Madrone
16 days ago
Reply to  Wally

Measure Z was not squandered. It went to public safety as requested by the public. None of Measure Z was spent on wage increases. Wage increases for employees were neccessary. Many are still at $16.50 per hour. Because of low wages we do waste a lot of funds on failed retention, failed recruitment, and low moral. For the record i voted against the wage increase, for the BOS, but since it passed i donate that increase to charity.

The Real Guest
Guest
The Real Guest
16 days ago
Reply to  Steve Madrone

Come on Supervisor Madrone…

With all due respect…

Even the tax money got wasted even putting Measure O on the ballot…!!!

Every penny of it got flushed down the toilet that is Measure O…

How many of the supervisors voted to do that…???

A total waste of taxpayer money…

It has always had ZERO chance of success…

What were you guys thinking…???

Spending taxpayer money to put Measure O on the ballot was very fiscally irresponsible…

It’s a lose/lose…

A very bad look…

Don’t judge everyone else’s financial situation by your own…

We ain’t making $100,000+ a year like all of you supervisors…
I make 10% less a month on my social security fixed income than Michelle Bushnell’s mileage reimbursement…

Understand…???

And you supervisors want to tax me more…???

Pound sand…!!!

It’s gonna represent a lot more skin off my nose, than it is off all of yours’…

The county already takes 1/3rd of my total income, just in property taxes that goes towards paying for all of your’ bloated salaries…

Enough is enough, damnit…!!!

You all got a lot of nerve, and are very out of touch with your constituency…

Snap out of it, will ya…???

Respectfully as possible…

A 50 year Humboldt County Resident.

Last edited 16 days ago
Farmer
Guest
Farmer
26 days ago
Reply to  Alf

💯

NO ON O money goes into GENERAL FUND
Guest
NO ON O money goes into GENERAL FUND
26 days ago

General fund, they will never go to the roads. We have done this dance for the last 35 years with no results. Hey fire Chief, they just put in plastic culverts, Not to be used in fire prone areas. Shelter cove rd will fail in a wildfire with no way out of the cove, Those are the real facts, not some promise of future matching funds. for half-assed repairs.

Yabut
Guest
Yabut
26 days ago

Even if it didn’t, any money used from a dedicated fund does not increase spending on roads. It just means money that had been required to be used previously gets freed up to go to other priorities.
The problem is not how much money is available. It’s that government at all levels has expanded into so many glorious and exciting social wants that the ugly pedestrian and uninteresting maintenance is constantly put off until dire. It’s like people want the government to build a big shiny new boat while they ignore the one they are current in is sinking. The problem is priorities.

Vote No on O
Guest
Vote No on O
26 days ago

Here we go again with another letter to spread false information and to deliberately deceive voters. ….. “we support Measure O Humboldt County’s Roads/9-1-1 Emergency Response measure. “….. Please stop this steaming pile of bullsh*t NOW!
It is quite dishonest to make the claim that this sales tax Measure O is a Roads//911 emergency response measure, because the way it is written , not one penny is EARMARKED SPECIFICALLY FOR ROADS/911 !
Every penny generated from this sales tax measure O goes DIRECTLY INTO THE GENERAL FUND to be spent on EVERYTHING and to offset the over $50 million budget deficit that the board of supervisors created through mismanagement.

This is getting quite exhausting fighting this disinformation campaign that you’re all running up there.

Fer F*cksakes, PLEASE STOP THE BULLSH*t Vote No on O

Tdm
Guest
Tdm
26 days ago

I watched the Briceland road slip in multiple spots .The cause was very clear -clogged culverts -.More taxpayer money will not fix county employees not giving a shit.What a waste of taxpayers money .

Last edited 26 days ago
Zipline
Guest
Zipline
26 days ago

Well, I’d say the responses so far are a resounding f**k you.

Whut
Guest
Whut
25 days ago
Reply to  Zipline

Pretty wild to say that to our firefighters.

Bozo
Guest
Bozo
26 days ago

“O No”
(Insert Jeremy Clarkson Photo)

Last edited 26 days ago
Bozo
Guest
Bozo
26 days ago
Reply to  Bozo

Yup

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Paul
Guest
Paul
26 days ago
Reply to  Bozo

Or “No O”.

Money from these kinds of bond or tax measures are never going to be useful. Even when they are strictly used for something like road repair the BOS will just reduced the general funds that went to road repair in the previous budget from the year before, thereby making funds available for road repair the same. Perhaps a new approach is needed. I would suggest a freeze on new hiring, across the board budget reduction, where all departments share the pain, or setting up a prioritised budget.

What do you want, good roads or more bureaucrats pushing paper?