Coastside Fire Protection District moves forward to oust Cal Fire

Moral to this story:   3 members on a 5 member board, district (or council) rule. Their decisions affect others.  

San Mateo County Times/Aaron Kinney, 7/5/12. "Coastside Fire Protection District to cut ties with Cal Fire."

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"The Coastside Fire Protection District could have a new chief within a month, district board President Douglas Mackintosh said Thursday, as the agency begins the process of severing its ties to Cal Fire. 

The board voted 3-2 after a marathon meeting Tuesday night to adopt a salary and benefits package for a new, stand-alone department and to ask the district's legal counsel to lay out the procedure for hiring a new chief.

Mackintosh and fellow board members Mike Alifano and Gary Riddell made the decision after several years of dissatisfaction with Cal Fire. They outvoted Gary Burke and Ginny McShane 3-2 to begin the dissolution. Cal Fire took over fire operations for Half Moon Bay and the coastside in 2008.

The San Mateo County grand jury issued a report in April saying Cal Fire is doing a good job, and the district should stick with the state agency. A group of residents has launched a campaign to recall Mackintosh, Alifano and Riddell over the issue." 

Related article -  San Mateo Daily Journal/Bill Silverfarb, 7/5/12. "Fire district seeks stand-alone department."  "The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection currently provides the service on the coast but the contract expires in June 2013."

Reference -  Coastside Fire Protection District. "The Coastside Fire Protection District, located in the San Mateo County coastal area of California, serves the City of Half Moon Bay, the unincorporated areas of Half Moon Bay and the unincorporated communities of Miramar, El Granada, Princeton-by-the-Sea, Moss Beach, and Montara."

Posted by Kathy Meeh