"The most consistent and smartest thinking and writing about progressive politics isn't happening in Sacramento, but being churned out day after day on sites and by organizations like Calitics, Orange County Progressive, and the California Budget Project." - CalBuzz
(Wow. So is this how Skynet intends to use The Terminator to destroy human civilization? Well, at least they'll be doing it in time for the new "Terminator 4" release! - promoted by atdleft)
In an effort to scare voters, the Governator has launched a double-barreled assault on fire services even as wildfires threaten Santa Barbara, with state and local firefighters appearing in his commercials. He's essentially threatening to let the state burn if we don't support the complex mess of Constitutional amendments, borrowing, and budget raids that are on the ballot May 19th.
After a third year of below average rainfall, Arnold is threatening to make major cuts to the state fire agency, slashing 602 full-time positions and 1,100 seasonal firefighting positions from the state fire agency.
Add to that his threat to raid billions from local governments if the propositions don't pass, money that his ads say will cut 24,000 local police and firemen, and it's a scary picture indeed.
What does this mean for Orange County? Read more below the jump.
Fire agencies at every level in Orange County are already under pressure, with sales tax revenue dropping by double digits and declining revenue from every other source of taxes. Agency by agency, rolling hiring freezes are turning into actual layoffs.
And if you understand what happens when wildfires rage in California, you should be frightened. When wild fires burn in Yorba Linda or Orange, every fire agency, large and small, contributes men and equipment to strike forces that go where they are needed, while working cooperatively through mutual aid agreements to make sure that local needs are still met. They put every piece of equipment into the field, and every firefighter works overtime.
As an example, in last year's fires, Fountain Valley's small two-station fire department sent two engines with crews and a battallion commander into wildland fire areas, while units from Huntington Beach helped make calls into Fountain Valley. Every agency contributes everything they have to create a series of regional commands.
When wildfires burn, every resource is stretched to the maximum, and the combined resources can't even contain many fires in drought-stricken California.
Calfire fills local gaps.
Add to this the ill-conceived pressure to eliminate local volunteer resources from the Orange County Fire Authority, and Arnold might as well just be driving one of his Hummers around the state and starting fires himself.
What Arnold's crazy "let's burn down California - literally!" plan will actually do is show voters that Republicans, whether they are for or against the May 19 propositions, are really just hell-bent on destroying our government and leaving everyone to fend for themselves. The last time a Republican demonstrated that to the public, as Bush did after Hurricane Katrina, his party's public support collapsed and they were thrown out of power at the first available opportunity.
