Anti-Tax Sentiment Kills Fire-Protection Measures

In the aftermath of the wildfires that destroyed more than 3,200 homes in San Diego County, officials are searching for low-cost ways to increase fire protection, but the odds appear remote that more comprehensive and expensive upgrades will be made.

Officials say two factors are combining to thwart large-scale reform: the state’s fiscal crisis and local voters’ deep antipathy toward tax increases.

Even as embers from the Cedar and Paradise fires were still glowing, two fire-protection measures tentatively set for the March ballot were pulled by their sponsors.

In Escondido, where fire raced toward the city limits and forced evacuations, the City Council last week shelved plans to put a $40-million bond issue on the ballot to build a new police and fire administration building and several fire stations.

The pullback came after a poll done for the city showed that the fires had not changed deep-seated opposition to tax increases.

“We were surprised,” City Manager Clay Phillips said. “The fires didn’t change people’s minds at all.”

Two weeks earlier, county Supervisor Ron Roberts scuttled his plan to ask voters to fund a fleet of fire helicopters.

As did the Escondido council members, Roberts concluded that a tax increase was likely to be defeated.

Despite the fire protection inadequacies highlighted by the recent blazes, local officials are mindful that a cut in state support for local government may mean the tightest budgets in years.

As evidence of this concern, the San Diego City Council voted 6 to 3 to waive demolition and building fees for residents whose homes or businesses were destroyed.

The three council members who opposed the idea expressed concern that the council was setting a bad precedent and that the city could not afford the estimated $2.5 million in waived fees.

Last week, the county Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 against a request from two supervisors to allocate $11.5 million for debris cleanup and erosion control in burned areas.

Gary W. Erbeck, director of the county’s Department of Environmental Health, had warned that leaving mounds of debris could lead to problems such as mosquito infestations and contaminated drinking water and injuries to children drawn to an “attractive nuisance.”

Still, a majority of supervisors was concerned that the county government does not have the money. The issue is to be discussed again today.

Public officials appear caught between two conflicting attitudes: voter anger over a patchwork, underfunded fire protection system, and voter opposition to tax increases.

A poll released Monday indicated that 55% of the public felt a lack of preparation by San Diego officials made damage from the Cedar and Paradise fires worse than if the region had had better fire protection.

But the same poll found that 40% of the public was opposed to tax increases for better fire protection and felt that to free up money, other, unspecified government programs could be cut.

“That’s the usual San Diego approach: ‘We’ll get by. There’s waste in government, clean it up, and we’ll be OK,’ ” said pollster John Nienstedt Sr., whose firm, San Diego-based Competitive Edge Research, conducted the poll for KPBS television.

Although more than 55% of those polled accept that tax increases may be needed, most prefer taxes that they would not have to pay: taxes targeted to rural areas hit by fire, or a tax that would be paid by tourists.

San Diego City Manager Michael Uberuaga has warned City Council members that the city may have to reduce fire protection, including the layoff of firefighters, due to cutbacks in support from Sacramento.

The cuts have begun to be felt. On Monday the council was told that $3 million in promised state aid to pave pothole-ridden streets would not be arriving.

“When I saw these things on the agenda, I was thrilled, only to see it pulled back,” Councilwoman Toni Atkins said.

The political flashpoint of the fire issue may come in March’s mayoral primary, in which Mayor Dick Murphy faces Roberts and Port Commissioner Peter Q. Davis. The three were candidates in the 2000 mayoral election.

“The issues are all different now,” Roberts said.

Murphy has said that fire protection can be boosted through measures that are not overly expensive, such as banning shake roofs in new construction and tightening rules requiring homeowners to clear away brush.

Just moments after filing his candidacy papers at City Hall, Roberts challenged Murphy and Davis to debate on what he called the woeful state of fire and police protection in San Diego.

“You can’t have police driving in cars that are falling apart and firefighters going to fires with inadequate equipment,” Roberts said.

Reports issued last week by the city manager, police chief, assistant fire chief and director of homeland security found that the Fire Department’s ability to fight the Cedar fire was hampered by inadequate manpower, equipment, communication gear, planning and training. The fire destroyed 335 homes in the Tierrasanta and Scripps Ranch neighborhoods.

Councilman Jim Madaffer, who represents Tierrasanta, said he hopes the reports change what has been the long-standing tendency of local officials to skimp on fire protection.

“We have to fundamentally change the priorities of this city,” he said.

But Councilman Michael Zucchet, who served as intergovernmental relations director for the firefighters union before being elected to the council two years ago, was doubtful that the city will change its approach to funding fire protection.

“These reports were not a surprise,” Zucchet said. “For four years [before being elected] I spent the majority of my time trying to convince the council that the San Diego Fire Department is woefully underfunded, poorly equipped and understaffed.” The Fire Department’s problems have been no secret, he said.

“I see us slipping back before I see any major change,” he said. “Every elected official, if he has been paying any attention, has been aware of these problems for years.”