No on Measure G!

For those of you who've been wondering what's up with the all the "NO on MEASURE G" & "SUPPORT MEASURE G" signs, the Russian River Fire Protection District is seeking a tax increase. Sigh. The last thing I want to do is to antagonize folks from my local Fire Department! I also want them to have the resources they need in order to keep us safe. Alas, I don’t feel that the proposed tax increases in Measure G is the right way to go about it.

I’ve talked with many knowledgeable locals, listened to Milo’s thorough interview with Fire Chief Sean Grinell & Measure G supporter Ann Marcino on KGGV FM, & have attempted to decipher the often convoluted language in the Voter Information pamphlet & ballot I received in the mail a few days ago.

If you missed Milo’s interview or have misplaced your ballot, you can follow the links below:

• Milo interview with Fire Chief Sean Grinell & Ann Marcino on KGGV FM: http://www.microbulletinboard.com/Touch/08'04_Apr/mt080401_Milo-Measure'G'(60m-16kBps11kHzM).mp3
• Voter Information Pamphlet: http://www.sonoma-county.org/RegVoter/pdf/20080506_sample_ballot.pdf

A Quick Summary of Measure G

The Russian River Fire Protection District has asked for a tax increase to pay for the hiring of three more fire fighters & to maintain their equipment properly. Currently, homeowners of single-family homes pay $40 per year in taxes for the RRFPD. Business owners pay considerably more.

They initially want single-family homeowners to pay $80 per year with the authorization to incrementally raise these fees up to $160 per single-family home. The RRFPD tax is assessed based upon units of risk (i.e. different types of dwellings & businesses have different levels of risk, which are referred to as “units”). We are currently paying $10 per unit. Mr. Grinell told Milo that the RRFPD currently needs $20 per unit, but that Measure G also seeks authority to increase these payments to a maximum of $40 per unit (yes, they ultimately want to QUADRUPLE the amount).

Below, I’ve created a table with some common types of properties & businesses, their assigned number of risk units, & the maximum amount of yearly tax that would be assessed if Measure G passes. I got these numbers from the Voter Information pamphlet:

Property Description	# of Units	Unit Cost	Amt. Per Year
Single family home	4	$40	$160
Condominium Unit	4	$40	$160
Parking Lot	8	$40	$320
SFH with 2ndary use	10	$40	$400
Dwelling w/granny unit	10	$40	$400
Beach/waterfront	10	$40	$400
Single story store	12	$40	$480
Convenience store	12	$40	$480
Mobile home park	14	$40	$560
Restaurant	15	$40	$600
Retail nursery	15	$40	$600
Gas station	15	$40	$600
Bar/Lounge	20	$40	$800
Religious building	20	$40	$800
Radio station	25	$40	$1000
Theater	30	$40	$1200
Mini golf course	30	$40	$3360
B&B	30	$40	$3360

Fire Chief, Sean Grinell says that they need more personnel because our population has increased; they haven’t received a tax increase since 1987; it’s harder to attract & retain volunteers due to stricter requirements & the 300 hours per year of training required; & much of their current funding is being redirected to the Russian River Redevelopment project.

RRFPD currently has two administrators, nine firefighters, & four volunteer fire department members. The majority of the tax increase would go to the salary & benefits of the three additional fire fighters they propose to add to the department. The three new hires would require about $250K per year.

The Fire Station responds to 1500 emergency calls per year, which averages to three per day. Many of these calls are medical emergencies, which require an ambulance & paramedics with highly specialized training.

Why I’m Against It:

Can’t the RRFPD simply request the additional $10 per unit increase they need right now? According to Mr. Grinnell, this would cover the costs of the three new fire fighters they need. Most of us care about public safety & our fire fighters & would probably vote in favor of increasing our taxes by this amount, which would be twice as much as they receive now.

My main problem with Measure G is that it would authorize the RRFPD to increase our taxes to $40 per unit, which is QUADRUPLE the current amount! Measure G makes no provision for public oversight, nor does it clearly stipulate exactly what conditions would trigger these future tax increases.

Paying the maximum $40 per unit would be financially prohibitive for many individuals & businesses. Of course we want our fire department to have the resources it needs. Alas, you can’t squeeze blood from a stone. The economic downturn has really hurt many of our residents. I know people who’ve been out of work for months on end. I also know people who are behind in rent or whose homes are on the verge of foreclosure.

Our businesses are also struggling. Three businesses in downtown Guerneville have declared bankruptcy this year. Now is NOT the time to ask them for more money. When you look at the table of business categories, units, & costs shown above, the amounts may not look terribly onerous. Until you consider the fact that some businesses fall into multiple categories. For example, Pee Wee Mini Golf on Drake Road also has a parking lot & a little store (that’s 50 units & $2000 per year) The Guerneville Community Church has a religious building, a radio station, AND a parking lot (that’s 53 units & $2120 per year).

Ouch! I think it’s incredibly rude to screw people that hard without first bringing flowers & treating them to dinner, drinks & a movie.

If we’re going to have tax increases, I would also like to see more money going to our schools, Parks & Recreation districts, & for building & staffing a residential rehab center/mental health facility for our homeless population (preferably somewhere WAY out of town & REALLY secluded).

Perhaps we need to simply create a single Russian River district to consolidate & finance all of these separate & under-funded special districts. In the long run, we will definitely need to increase the amount of taxes we pay in order to support our public services & infrastructure. This will require fairness, transparency, & some SERIOUS planning. We can’t afford to simply throw money at problems in a random, piecemeal fashion.

Comparison of Fire Protection District Fees

During his interview with Milo, Mr. Grinnell gave a quick run-down of what single family homeowners pay in other fire protection districts:

• Monte Rio: $0
• Occidental: $80
• Goldridge (South Sebastopol): $20
• Forestville: $40
• Rincon alley: $48
• Cloverdale: $88
• Valley of the Moon: $40
• Kenwood: $20, plus $10 per extra “out-building”
• Valley of the Moon: $40
• Schell Vista: $0, but they’ve raised public bonds for it.
• Windsor: $147.50
• Bodega Bay: $468 (omigawd! That’s totally INSANE)

Why I support Jim Maresca for 5th District Supervisor

"How now? A rat? Dead, for a ducat, dead!"
William Shakespeare, Hamlet, III, IV, 23

If you’ve ever tried to deal with the Permits & Resources (mis)Management Department for a minor home repair or alteration; attempted to start a business; or asked the Sheriff to come by & nicely ask those people at the playground to please put their pit bulls on leashes while the children are playing, you’ve probably noticed that something is really, REALLY wrong with how Sonoma County manages things (or doesn’t).

Sniff, sniff. River Rattina smells a rat … oops, never mind … that was me.

The election for 5^th District County Supervisor is coming up in June. Since we River Rats & Rattinas happen to live in the 5^th District, this is an awfully important election. We need to choose Mike Reilly’s successor wisely. For starters, our District Supervisor will have a major say in how all of those Russian River Redevelopment dollars are spent. In fact, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors is largely responsible for managing & allocating the County budget, which WE all pay for with our taxes.

NOTE TO TENANTS: If you think that property taxes don’t affect you, then think again. You pay your share of property taxes into our community (& possibly your landlord’s, too) with your monthly rent checks.

We need someone who is aware of the unique issues & challenges we face, & who can advocate our interests with persistence & effectiveness. Given the state of our County’s budget, we desperately need someone with a combination of public advocacy, business & management skills to get us through this difficult economic period & to support policies, processes, & projects which are fair, transparent, & which will encourage future prosperity for the River.

After considerable thought, research, & internal debate, I decided that for me, this person is Jim Maresca.

This was a hard decision for me, because we are blessed with an excellent & well-qualified group of candidates this year. Jim Maresca, Rue Furch, Tom Lynch, & Maddie Hirschfield all have impressive resumes, long histories of public service, & good intentions. I have commented on my views of other candidates & why I decided not to support them at the end of this article.

For published statements of these four candidates’ views, courtesy of Vesta Copestakes & the West County Gazette, please download the following PDF files:

• Jim Maresca & Maddie Hirschfield
  
• Rue Furch & Tom Lynch
  

I support Jim Maresca because he is a highly committed, experienced, & competent individual who lives with his wife Sandra here in Guerneville (previously in Jenner) & hence understands & cares about issues that affect folks like us who live in West County along the Russian River. He has lots of community & non-profit experience with environmental, youth, & social issues in our area, & also has substantial business, executive, & management experience. As a parent, I particularly appreciate his work with & advocacy for youth, because I believe that we (both the County & society at large) are failing our young people.

Mr. Maresca is the only candidate with a combination of non-profit, public advocacy, & business experience. He has been a prime mover for various local environmental, community, & youth organizations over the years, but he also has experience with managing, budgeting, developing processes, creating technologies, raising capital, & achieving positive results for major & cutting-edge businesses.

Sonoma County is struggling with finances & declining tax revenues, & needs somebody who is innovative & who wants the powers-that-be in Sonoma County to take a more pragmatic & customer-oriented approach. Mr. Maresca sees folks like us as being the “customers” (after all, we do pay for County services), & wants us to have a say in how things are done & how our money is spent.

Mr. Maresca plans to give us a stronger voice & encourage community involvement by renting space & keeping office hours in various towns throughout the 5^th District (including Guerneville, Rio Nido, Monte Rio, Jenner, Bodega Bay, & parts of Santa Rosa) on a regular basis so we – as individuals or as representatives from community organizations – can meet with him about concerns on a regular basis. He also understands the importance of transparency, processes, & technology.

Quite frankly, I would LOVE to elect someone who “gets” technology & understands why the Community Development Commission shouldn’t use Microsoft Excel spreadsheets for maintaining mailing lists & voter records for the Russian River Redevelopment area. No wonder the ballots for the recent RRROC election got messed up (the election was saved by a group of dedicated volunteers & ballot watchers). When I think of the hours & resources wasted by such archaic procedures, my inner Klingon programmer shrieks, “GAGH!”

For more information about Jim Maresca visit http://www.jimforsupervisor.com

Now, for those of you who are still reading this, here’s my take on the other candidates:

• Tom Lynch: (note to Tom, I’m SO sorry!) I absolutely ADORE Mr. Lynch – he’s a sincere, kind, well-informed person who (like Mr. Maresca) lives here on the River. He is a passionate & outspoken advocate for the environment, affordable housing, & other local issues. Additionally, Mr. Lynch truly has a flair for the dramatic & humorous. His “Manure Man” exploit (when he rented a manure spreader & covered downtown Santa Rosa with cow patties to protest their illegal sewer discharges back in 1986) was insanely brilliant
  
  But honestly, I feel that Mr. Lynch’s considerable talents would be totally wasted on the Board of Supervisors. I often feel that they’re also wasted on RRROC. It’s like that thing Barack Obama said about having the hope sucked out of you if you work within the establishment for too long (alas, I can neither remember or locate the original quote).
  
  I’d like to see Mr. Lynch contact Michael Moore, get some grants, & do some serious guerilla political theater & satire, & perhaps even make a documentary. His articulate, affable & humorous persona would be perfectly suited for this form of advocacy & public consciousness-raising.
  

• Rue Furch: I seriously considered her & she has an excellent record on our core issues. Until that whole property tax flap came to light. I do sympathize (my husband & I have had financial problems too), I just don't want her managing our budget. In addition to my previously posted views in She'll Rue (Furch) the Day, I resent the fact that she & her supporters think it’s okay for her to be seven years behind on her property taxes & installment plan because her good deeds & public service are worth far more than that. Hmph. If that’s the case, then, ALL of the people who do volunteer work in our community should be excused, or at least have a rich crony to bail them out of their financial messes with a low-interest loan.
  
  
• Maddie Hirschfield: This may come across as overly small-minded, but she simply comes across as too Sebastopol-ish for me. She’s an accomplished & sincere public advocate, but I’m looking for someone who can represent a broader segment of our community.
  
  
• Dan Kahane: Ummm ... Who?

Yeah, folks like Mr. Lynch, Ms. Furch, & Ms. Hirschfield like to shake things up & heaven knows, the County needs some shaking up. But we also need someone who can work with the other district supervisors & present our issues from a more rational & business-like perspective so the other supervisors won't keep voting our interests down.