San Bernardino County voters could end $41.5 million fire tax

Oct. 21--Voters in San Bernardino, Upland, Needles, Twentynine Palms and unincorporated parts of San Bernardino County could vote in the Nov. 3 election to repeal a fire tax that costs parcel owners $157.26 per year.

If they do, by voting yes on Measure U, the $41.5 million raised by the fire protection tax will go away -- and so could 19 fire stations, firefighters warn.

Slightly over 1,000 Helendale voters approved the tax in 2008 as part of forming a fire protection district, and elected officials in San Bernardino, Upland and other areas later extended the fire protection district to include their jurisdictions. Parcel owners had the opportunity to protest the move, which would have triggered an election if enough returned the form, but there was no direct vote outside of Helendale.

"We're not against firefighters," said Natalie Zuk, spokeswoman for the Red Brennan Group, which helped fund the measure. "What we are against is the imposition of an illegal tax on San Bernardino County residents without a proper vote."

If the fire protection district loses the money, the Board of Supervisors could replace it using funds from other parts of its budget, Zuk said, also suggesting that some fire stations could be run more efficiently.

That's not something firefighters want to bet lives on, said James Grigoli, president of the San Bernardino County Firefighters union.

"We can't control what the Board of Supervisors might do," Grigoli said. "They (firefighting administrators) have broken it down, and that's 19 fire stations we'd have to close, especially in mountain areas."

Those mountain areas are susceptible to devastating wildfires like the El Dorado and Bobcat fires this year, which he noted came before the typical worst part of the fire season -- when the Santa Ana winds begin.

Measure U runs the risk of "endangering everyone," Grigoli said, "and people won't even save money."

That's because cutting fire services will likely result in higher insurance rates for homeowners and apartment complex owners, who will pass that on to renters, he predicted.

Some might find it impossible to get any fire insurance, he added.

The parcel tax can be increased by a maximum of 3% per year.

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