06.07.2012 - Idyllwild Town Crier

Public speaks against SRA fees
By J.P. Crumrine
Editor
The pending State Regulatory
Area fee regulations were
the subject of public hearings
last month. Speakers came to
San Diego on May 16 and to
Shasta a week later to oppose
the fee’s imposition.
No representatives from
Riverside County or the
Idyllwild Fire District spoke
at either session. Local public
officials from throughout the
state were unanimous in their
opposition to the fee and its
appropriateness.
Many made the point
that local fire districts already
impose taxes or fees for fire
fighting and prevention. And
many of these local districts
have created aggressive fire
prevention programs, Rancho
Santa Fe Fire Protection
District was very outspoken
about its effort for this purpose.
This new state levy adds
another payment to property
owner costs without any additional
service.
One person recommended
the entire county of San Diego
should be exempted from
the fee. Part of this argument
relied on the county’s substantial
investment in rural
fire protection since the 2003
and 2007 fire sieges. One
speaker estimated that San
Diego County has spent an
additional $230 million for
rural fire protection, including
equipment such as helicopters
and an emergency
radio network, during the
period.
While no Riverside County
representatives spoke, this
county has implemented an
emergency network several
years ago and is currently
helping CAL FIRE rehabilitate
Hemet-Ryan Air base.
Many others argued that
the proposed $35 exemption
is much lower than the
local fire district collections.
One person argued for a
minimum exemption of $75
while another said they pay
the local district $400 annually.
Idyllwild has a special fee
of $65 plus a portion of the
county property taxes.
Another major concern
expressed at both hearings
was the effect of this fee
on local fire safe councils,
especially if a Community
Wildfire Protection Plan had
been approved. The Mountain
Communities Fire Safe
Council’s CWPP was approved
in 2006.
Representatives of the
California Fire Safe Council
attended and spoke at the
Shasta hearing and again
expressed support for fire
prevention funding. But they
recommended that the proposed
rule be modified to
strengthen this effort and
minimize funding directed
toward fire suppression.
The state Forestry Board
will review the draft regulations
at its meeting this
Lanterns
Gail Qi
Owner
week. A draft final rule and
an emergency implementation
rule are the likely result
according to George Gentry,
board executive director.
J.P. Crumrine can be
reached at jp@towncrier.
com.
Brenda Miller of Pine Cove won the drawing for a free rain
barrel from the Pine Cove Water District. Shown here are Vicki
Jakubac, PCWD office assistant, and Halie Johnson, Town
Crier production manager, drawing the winner.
Photo by Grace Reed
FSC
Continued from page 1
Idyllwild Town Crier, June 7, 2012 - Page 9
grantees have been identified
and were willing to contribute
25 percent of the cost
of roof replacement. The
first steps in the next few
months will be to re-assess
each prospective building
then submit a comprehensive
proposal for FEMA’s final
approval and funding.
“The people all want to replace
their roofs,” she said.
Ron Perry, Council board
member, learned of this grant
at a fire safe seminar. He returned
and discussed it with
the board and Scott.
“We got going and with
some help from Big Bear’s
council we began a proposal,”
she said. Then the board
learned they had a month to
submit a final application, “We
shifted in higher gear and got
it done,” Scott said proudly.
The Hazard Mitigation
Plan took a year to prepare
and involves more than 50
subunits within the county,
including the Idyllwild Fire
District and all three water
districts.
“While the [Hazard
Mitigation Plan] did not
specifically identify roof replacement,
fire was one of
the top hazards in the plan,
and fire resistant construction
(including roofs) is a
mitigation strategy,” said Peter
Lent, deputy director of the
county’s Office of Emergency
Services. They prepared the
overall plan and managed its
progress through the FEMA
approval process.
Trivia test
Ad Slogans: “The dogs kids love to bite” were made
by which company
Answer: Armour
Door Beads
(951) 659-5066
Reasonable
Prices!
LOCATED UPSTAIRS IN THE FORT
Clothing • King or Queen Size Korean Blankets
Lamps • Oriental Art • Gourmet Foods • Herbs • Import Gifts
THE IDYLLWILD COMMUNITY CENTER PLAYGROUND BUILD PROJECT
IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER!
WE NEED YOU!
WE NEED YOUR TIME AND ENERGY! WE NEED YOUR TOOLS & EQUIPMENT!
IF YOU’RE ABLE TO VOLUNTEER TO WORK ONE OR MORE SHIFTS, PLEASE, CONTACT:
DAWN SONNIER - EMAIL: INFO@IDYLLWILDRECREATION.ORG
If you’re willing to lend us your tools & equipment, here’s partial list of what we need:
Hammers, Screwdrivers, Wrenches, Pliers, Cutters / Scissors, Tape Measures,
Levels, Chalk-lines, Squares, Chisel Sets, Crow Bars, Stepladders, Tool Belts
Cordless Drills & Drivers, Saws, Sanders, Work Lights, Extension Cords
Shovels, Rakes, Sledges, Digging Bars, Garden Hoses, Wheelbarrows, Wagons
Saw-Horses, Portable Work-Benches, Portable Work Tables
A MORE DETAILED LIST IS AVAILABLE ON ICRC’S WEBSITE: WWW.IDYLLWILDRECREATION.ORG
For more information on tools & equipment needed, you may also contact:
RICK FOSTER at: 951-249-4702 or email: rick.foster@verizon.net
TOOL CHECK IN DATES: June 9 & 10, 2:00 - 6:00PM at the Community Center site.
YOUR LOANED TOOLS WILL BE INSPECTED FOR SAFE AND APPROPRIATE USE, LOGGED IN
& TAGGED WITH YOUR ID, TRACKED, AND RETURNED TO YOU
IN AS GOOD OR BETTER CONDTION AS WHEN YOU LOANED THEM.