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[Town Hall Meeting on June 22, 2020]
WELCOME.IF EVERYBODY COULD TAKE THEIR SEATS, PLEASE.
I'M THE ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER AND WE ARE HERE THIS EVENING FOR A TOWN HALL MEETING TO DISCUSS FIRE AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES, DELIVERY OPTIONS.
I WILL START WITH THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.
IF WE CAN ALL RISE, PLEASE, AND PUT YOUR HAND OVER YOUR HEART.
WE HAVE THREE WAYS OF PEOPLE TO COMMUNICATE THIS EVENING.
WE, I HAVE, AS OF NOW THREE SPEAKER CARDS, WE ALSO HAVE A COUPLE OF INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE REQUESTED TO CALL IN, AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE A NUMBER OF EMAILS WHICH WILL BE READ INTO THE RECORD.
SO I WILL START WITH THE FIRST SPEAKER CARD THAT I HAVE.
AND IT'S MR. JIM GRITCH EACH SPEAKER.
I SHOULD NOTE WE WILL BE GIVEN FIVE MINUTES.
HOPE YOU DON'T MIND IF I PROBLEM IS EVERYBODY'S OVER THERE.
SO, UH, ANYWAY, LET ME, UM, SPEAK TO THE PRIMARY ISSUE HERE, WHICH IN MY MIND IS THAT THE CITY NEEDS TO ACTUALLY REALLY CONSIDER OPTIONS FOR THE DELIVERY OF FIRE SERVICE.
UH, WHEN I FIRST STARTED ON THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE, I HAD ONE OBJECTIVE AND THAT OBJECTIVE IS STILL ON TOP, WHICH IS THE BUDGET AS BEING PRESENTED TO THE CITY COUNCIL FOR ADOPTION SAYS THERE'S $20 MILLION BUDGETED FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
AND AT THIS MOMENT, I DON'T THINK THERE IS ANYTHING BEING PROPOSED TO THE CITY THAT WILL MEET THAT BUDGET.
AND THAT IS EXTREMELY DISTURBING TO ME AFTER ALL THIS TIME, IT'S BEEN SEVERAL WEEKS.
AND YET AS OF THIS MOMENT, THERE IS NO OPTION.
LET ME TALK FIRST ABOUT THE CONTRACT WITH THE COUNTY FIRE.
ACCORDING TO MY CALCULATION, BECAUSE THE CITY HASN'T PRESENTED ANY ACTUAL CALCULATIONS, THEY COUNT FIRE CONTRACT WILL COST THE CITY $17 MILLION FOR THE CONTRACT ITSELF, AND I'M ESTIMATING $1 MILLION A YEAR FOR EQUIPMENT REPLACEMENT.
SO, UH, THE TOTAL, UH, THAT THE COUNTY WILL CHARGE DIRECTLY IS 18 MILLION, BUT THEN THERE'S ANOTHER 4 MILLION CHARGE TO THE CITY TO PAY FOR THE, UH, PERS UH, RETIREMENT SYSTEM AND THE RETIREMENT BENEFITS, MEDICAL BENEFITS FOR FIREMEN.
SO THE TOTAL COST OF THE FIRE CONTRACT IS $22 MILLION, $2 MILLION OVER THE BUDGET.
FOR THAT REASON, I THINK IT'S REJECTED OUT OF HAND.
THAT'S ON THE COST SIDE, ON THE BENEFIT SIDE, THE PROPOSES ELIMINATING TWO STATIONS, WHICH IS IN MY MIND, RIDICULOUS.
SO YOU'RE PAYING MORE MONEY FOR ONLY 60% OF THE ACTUAL SERVICES THAT ARE IN PLACE NOW.
UH, I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHY THAT OPTION IS EVEN BEEN TALKED ABOUT WITH THOSE PRICES AND THOSE BENEFITS.
THE OTHER OPTION THAT I PROPOSED WAS CALLED BROWNING OUT, AND I ALSO, UH, OFFERED A 2018, UH, MODEL THAT WAS DEVELOPED BY THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO.
IS THIS AN EXAMPLE? THERE'S HUNDREDS OF THEM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.
SO ANYBODY WHO WANTED TO DO RESEARCH, THEY CERTAINLY COULD BROWNIE.
NOW IT IS NOT SOMETHING YOU DO FOR RANDOM ABSENCES.
IT'S DONE FOR PLANNED ABSENCES.
THE NORMAL STYLE, THE WAY IT'S DONE IS YOU TAKE, PUT A WHOLE STATION ON VACATION AND SIMPLY DON'T REPLACE THEM WITH OVERTIME.
UH, UH, THAT'S THE NORMAL WAY.
AND THEN THERE'S ALSO OTHER KINDS OF PLANNED ABSENCES WHERE PEOPLE HAVE LONGTERM ABSENCES FOR OTHER REASONS, BESIDES VACATION, UH, THAT WILL SAVE ROUGHLY HALF THE OVERTIME.
UH, HOW ABOUT HALF OF ABSENCES ARE SIMPLY WHAT I CALL SCHEDULED ABSENCES? UH, BUT, UH, AND ONE OF THE COUNCIL PEOPLE OBJECTED TO THAT OPTION SAYING IT WOULD REDUCE SERVICE, WALKING OUT WILL ABSOLUTELY ONE, ONE STATION WILL BE OUT OF SERVICE AND THEREFORE RESPONSE TIME WILL BE SLOWER ON AVERAGE ALL OVER THE CITY BECAUSE OF THAT.
BUT THE COUNTY OPTION HAS TWO STATIONS OUT OF SERVICE, SO THAT THAT'S THAT'S TWICE AS BAD.
SO I, I'M NOT SURE I UNDERSTAND, UH, UH, THE OBJECTING TO THE ONE MODEL AND NOT THE OTHER, UH, THE FACT IS THE COUNTY FIRE STATIONS ARE FARTHER AWAY.
SO THOSE RESPONSE TIMES WILL EVEN
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BE WORSE.UH, THE, UH, UH, AN ANOTHER OPTION THAT I STILL THINK IS WORTH CONSIDERING IS A PRIVATE AMBULANCE.
UH, THE COUNTY OPTION WAS, UH, ON THE TABLE YET.
IT HAS PRIVATE AMBULANCE THAT USE QUITE A BIT OF IT ACTUALLY.
UH, SO WHY CAN'T WE PURSUE IT? UH, THEY HAVE, UH, THEY DON'T USE THEIR PARAMEDICS, UH, TO PROVIDE AMBULANCE USUALLY THEY'RE, UH, THEY'RE JUST TO, FOR MEDICAL PURPOSES.
UH, AND THEN OF COURSE WE TALKED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF TIERED RESPONSE, OR I LIKE TO REFER TO IT AS TRIAGE WHERE YOU ONLY SEND AN ENGINE ON A CALL WHEN IT'S ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.
I THINK IT'S A TOTAL WASTE OF RESOURCES, UH, TO SEND AN ENGINE, UH, ON EVERY SINGLE MEDICAL CALL.
AND SO WE'RE WASTING THE RESOURCES WE HAVE, UH, WE COULD OPERATE MUCH MORE EFFICIENTLY IF WE HAD A TIERED RESPONSE, NOT JUST FOR, UH, THE FIRE ENGINE THING, BUT ALSO FOR PARAMEDIC, UH, UH, A RESPONSE.
SO THAT IS ESSENTIALLY IT FOR THE CITY ITSELF.
AND THE OTHER THING I WOULD SUGGEST IN TERMS OF A ANALYSIS IS, UH, THE COUNTY IS FAMOUS FOR DOING WHAT'S CALLED FOOT IN THE DOOR CONTRACTING, WHICH IS THEY GIVE YOU A REASONABLE PRICE, SO TO SPEAK AT THE BEGINNING, BUT THEN THEY HAVE ALL THESE EXTRA COSTS THAT THEY TACK ON FOREVER.
UH, AND I KNOW IN POMONA, FOR EXAMPLE, RIGHT NOW, EACH OF THE LAST FIVE YEARS, THEY'VE HAD A COST INCREASE OF 5% OR MORE.
UH, AND THE, THE CITY COUNCIL WAS VERY UNHAPPY ABOUT IT.
UH, AND THE, UH, UH, COUNTY SAID THEY CAN GET OUT OF IT BY PAYING THIS HUGE FEE TO, UH, UH, TERMINATE THE CONTRACT.
WHY IS IT I HAVEN'T STARTED YET WHEN YOU GOT UP THERE, BILL ROBINSON, GOOD EVENING RESIDENT.
UH, WE DON'T WANT TO STAND IN ANYONE'S WAY.
I INVITE ANY WEST COVINA FIREFIGHTER OR PARAMEDIC THAT WISHES TO RESIGN HIS POSITION AND APPLY FOR WORK AT LA COUNTY.
WHEN I WAS A CANDIDATE FOR DISTRICT TWO COUNCIL, SEVERAL YEARS AGO, I DISCUSSED WITH VOTERS A VERSION OF THE BROWNOUT OPTION, WHICH WAS LABELED RADICAL BY THE TRIBUNE THEN, UH, BUT SEEMED SORT OF CONSERVATIVE TODAY, DESPITE THE ACTIVE DIVERSIONARY TACTICS, UH, THERE WAS A YEARS, YEARS, LONG ROAD, LONG, LONG ROAD TO GET TO THIS, UH, FISCAL EMERGENCY, UH, BEFORE THE, THE FINAL, UH, DETAILED FIRE RESCUE FINANCIAL ANALYSIS IS COMPLETE.
MY PRELIMINARY POSITION IS THAT I SUPPORT A COMBINATION OF OPTIONS TWO AND THREE, AS JIM JUST DESCRIBED, WHICH MAINTAIN A MAXIMUM OF LOCAL CONTROL.
I MEAN, POMONA IS A NIGHTMARE.
I MEAN, JIM JUST OUTLINED THAT, UH, TO, TO MAINTAIN A MAXIMUM OF LOCAL CONTROL TO, TO COMMUNITY STANDARDS, I DO NOT FAVOR GIVING OURSELVES UP TO COUNTY CONTROL.
THIS IS THE LEAST DESIRABLE, MOST EXPENSIVE OPTION FOR WEST COVINA RESIDENTS.
HOPEFULLY ADDITIONAL OPTIONS MAY EMERGE DURING NEGOTIATIONS.
A DETAILED COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS NEEDS TO BE COMPLETED FOR ALL THREE OPTIONS, INCLUDING OTHER IMPORTANT CONTRACTUAL TERMS AND FINANCIAL CONDITIONS NEGOTIATED BEFORE A CHOICE CAN BE MADE REGARDING AVAILABLE OPTIONS BY THE FIDUCIARY IS WITH THE RESPONSIBILITY TO WEST COVINA IS RESIDENTS AND VOTERS, ANYONE WHO OPPOSES A THOROUGH COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS, PLUS A PRIOR TO DECIDING A POLICY PATH FORWARD FOR COMMUNITY FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICES OUGHT TO BE SUMMARILY FIRED OR RECALLED FIRE AND RESCUE REPRESENTS NEARLY 20% OF THE BUDGET.
AND ALL OF THE RELEVANT DETAILS MUST BE EXAMINED AND DEBATED.
SO THAT FUTURE RESIDENTS WILL NOT LOSE CONTROL OF COSTS AND END UP PAYING MORE AND RECEIVING LESS SERVICE AND, OR RECEIVING EVEN A LOWER STANDARD OF SERVICE THAN WE CURRENTLY EXPERIENCE SINCE THE SEVERAL OPTIONS
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RANGE IN PRICE FROM 19 MILLION TO 22 MILLION, ACCORDING TO MEMBERS OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE, WE NEED TO TAKE A BREAK COOLLY AND CALMLY DELIBERATE, THE MINI CONTRACTUAL AND POLICY DEAL POINTS.SO NO RUSH TO JUDGMENT OCCURS.
MISTAKES CANNOT BE WALKED BACK EXCEPT BY COSTLY LITIGATION.
SOME REGIONS OF THE COUNTRY HAVE VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENTS.
THE CITY COULD, REOCCUPIED SOME SOON TO BE VACATED FIRE STATIONS, UH, UH, IN WEST COVINA STAFFED BY VOLUNTEERS, RESIDENTS BELIEVE IN PUBLIC SAFETY, BUT WE COULD PARTLY DEFUND CITY FIRE AND OR RESCUE AND STILL ACHIEVE ADEQUATE PUBLIC SAFETY, UH, REEMPHASIZE OTHER CITY OR SENIOR SERVICES THAT THE CITY MAY DESIRE.
I'VE GOT A MINUTE MORE AND NOTHING TO SAY.
SO THANK YOU, JERRY PATRISSE, JERRY PATCHES.
JERRY PATRAS WEST COVINA RESIDENT CONTRACTING WITH LA COUNTY FOR FIRE SERVICES DOES NOT FIX WEST COVINA STRUCTURAL FINANCIAL ISSUES.
IT WILL ACTUALLY MAKE THE SITUATION WORSE BECAUSE IT TRANSFERS LOCAL CONTROL OF A MAJOR PORTION OF THE CITY'S BUDGET AND SERVICES TO LA COUNTY.
I WILL PROVIDE TWO EXAMPLES INFORMATION AVAILABLE ON THE CITY OF POMONA'S WEBSITE.
THE CITY OF POMONA CONTRACTS FOR FIRE SERVICES.
EXAMPLE, ONE IS FROM THE POMONA'S JUNE 15TH CITY COUNCIL MEETING POMONA AS MOST CITIES ARE, IS WRESTLING WITH THE SALES TAX LOSS LA COUNTY FIRE IS ASKING FOR AN INCREASE TO THEIR BUDGET.
THE CITY MANAGER RESPONDED TO A COUNCIL.
MEMBER'S CONCERN ABOUT THE HUGE INCREASE AS FOLLOWS CITY MANAGER.
I WENT TO LA COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT.
I ASKED THEM FOR REDUCTION IN THEIR CONTRACT.
THEY HAVEN'T GOTTEN BACK TO ME ON THAT.
THEY SAID THAT THEIR BUDGET IS $60 MILLION IN DEFICIT RIGHT NOW.
AND THAT IT IS VERY DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO REDUCE THEIR CONTRACT CONTRACT COSTS TO THEIR CONTRACT CITIES.
I'VE TALKED TO OTHER CONTRACT CITIES AND THEY HAVE HAD THE SAME CONVERSATION WITH LA COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT.
AND YOU KNOW, OUR CONTRACT IS OUR CONTRACT WITH LA COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT.
AND IT SAYS THEY'LL PROVIDE X AMOUNT FOR FIRE STATIONS AND APPARATUS AND PERSONNEL.
AND WE'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT COST.
I'VE ASKED THEM TO LOOK AT THEIR STAFFING MODEL AND EVERYTHING AND THERE'S APPARATUS MODEL, BUT THEY SEEM TO THINK IT'S EFFECTIVE AND IT'S WHAT'S NEEDED FOR THE COMMUNITY NOW COUNCIL MEMBER.
SO THEY WILL CONTINUE TO SEND FIRE TRUCKS, EVEN THOUGH SOMEONE FAINTED ON THE SIDEWALK IS WHAT I'M UNDERSTANDING FROM YOUR, FROM YOU, FROM WHAT YOU JUST RELAYED CITY MANAGER, THEY WILL CONTINUE OPERATING THE WAY THEY HAVE BEEN OPERATING.
85% OF THE CALLS ARE FOR MEDICAL AID.
DOESN'T IT? THE SECOND EXAMPLE IS THIS BALLOON PAYMENT CONCEPT.
IT IS TRUE THAT CONTRACTS WITH COUNTY FOR FIRE SERVICES HAVE CLAUSES THAT LIMIT THE INCREASE EACH YEAR AND HAVE AN END DATE.
THE REALITY IS THE WAY THOSE CONTRACTS WORK IN REAL LIFE.
NO CITY CAN END AFFORD TO END THEIR CONTRACT.
LET'S SAY THE CONTRACT LIMITS INCREASES LIMITS INCREASES TO 5% A YEAR.
USING BUDGET DATA AGAIN ON THE POMONA WEBSITE, THEIR BUDGET SHOWS 2016, 17, NO 24.3 MILLION 2017, 1820 5.5 4.9% INCREASE.
19 IS 26.9 MILLION A 5.5% INCREASE 2019 TO 2020 8.9.
A THIRD IS 30.6 A 5.9% INCREASE WHEN COUNT THE COUNTY'S COST IS HIGHER.
THE CITY HAS THE CHOICE OF PAYING THE DIFFERENCE IN THAT, UH, IN THAT INCREASE OR THEY CAN DEFER PAYMENT TO WHEN THE CONTRACT ENDS MOST CITIES, THE FURTHER PAYMENT, THE ABILITY IS THAT THE DEFERRED COST PLUS WHATEVER COSTS GO INTO EFFECT.
WHEN THE CONTRACT IS TERMINATED, RE RESULTS IN A HUGE BALLOON PAYMENT, A CITY CANNOT AFFORD.
SO CITIES JUST EXTEND THE CONTRACT AND PUSH THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD, ASK YOURSELF WHAT CITY IN THE LAST 30 TO 40 YEARS HAS ACTUALLY CONVERTED TO
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COUNTY SERVICES, AND THEN GONE BACK TO OPERATE ITS OWN FIRE SERVICES.THE REALITY IS CONTRACTING FOR THE COUNTY FOR FIRE SERVICES IS BASICALLY A PERMANENT, A FOREVER DECISION.
WE RESONANCE ARE THE PRIMARY STAKEHOLDERS IN THIS.
IT IS OUR INTEREST THAT IS AT STAKE.
THANK YOU, 30
I HAVE A DIFFERENT OPINION ON THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
I MEAN, THEY'RE DISCUSSING BUDGETS.
I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE BUDGETS.
I HAVE BEEN IN THE CITY FOR 48 YEARS.
LET ME TELL YOU WHERE I LIVE RIGHT NOW.
I LIVE IN SENIOR COMPLEXES OVER ON BADILLO, ADJACENT TO THE BOMB PARK MALL PARK WENT COUNTY BIG MISTAKE, BECAUSE IF YOU WANT A FIREMAN, YOU HAVE TO WAIT FOR THEM TO COME ALL THE WAY FROM COVINA ALL THE WAY DOWN BADILLO.
I WAS AT THE EPO LOCAL IN BALLPARK.
ONE DAY, A YOUNG TEENAGER GIRL HAD HAD A SEIZURE.
OKAY? THE OWNER OF THE PLACE IS CALLING NINE ONE ONE AND EVERYWHERE.
AND THEY KEPT SAYING, THEY KEPT SAYING, CALL, CALL, CALL.
SO I ASKED THE PEOPLE IN THE RESTAURANT, HOW MANY OF YOU ARE RESIDENTS OF BOND PARK? THE MAJORITY RULES ARE HANDS I GO.
YOU DID NOT GO FIGHT THE CITY TO BLOCK COUNTY.
A LOT OF CITY RESIDENTS DON'T GET INVOLVED AND THEY DON'T KNOW.
IT TOOK 18 MINUTES TO GET THE FIRETRUCK FROM, I DON'T KNOW WHERE COVINA OVER HERE, BOND PARK AS WELL, LOCAL.
AND THEN WHEN YOU SEE THE FIRE, WHEN THEY'RE TAKING THE PERSON BACK IN A PRIVATE AMBULANCE, YOU HAVE A SMALL, IT'S LIKE A PARAMEDIC FROM THE COUNTY, BUT THEY'RE NOT.
THEY HAVE TO FOLLOW THAT AMBULANCE.
I MEAN, TO ME, THAT'S DOUBLE WORK.
WHY DON'T YOU JUST GET PARAMEDICS OVER THERE AND KICK HIM? I REALLY LIKED THE PARAMEDICS.
I'VE NEVER HAD TO USE THEM, BUT I'LL SAY ONE THING, YOU NEED TO START CHARGING.
IF PEOPLE, WHEN THE PARAMEDICS GET TO THE HOUSE AND THEY SAY, OKAY, DO YOU WANT TO GO? YOU SAY NO, START CHARGING THOSE PEOPLE.
BUT I DO NOT WANT TO SEE COUNTY COME IN.
THEY'RE JUST AS BAD AS COUNTY SHERIFFS.
THEY'RE SLOW BECAUSE THEY HAVE TOO MUCH TERRITORY TO COVER, TO COME FROM COVINA, PASSING THROUGH WEST COVINA TO BALLPARK.
THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH THAT PICTURE, BUT YOU PEOPLE CAN DO OTHER THINGS TO KEEP OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT HERE.
WE HAD THIS, I'M GOING TO SAY MAYBE IN THE EIGHTIES AND SOME OF THE FARMING WERE GOING DOOR TO DOOR.
WELL, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO GO COUNTY.
TURNING YOUR RESIGNATION GO COUNTY.
SO WE TOOK, WE PUT IT ON THE BALLOT.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE BUDGET IN WEST COVINA.
MAYBE WE GOT TOO MANY EMPLOYEES AND ROVER PAINT THEM.
BUT I PERSONALLY DO NOT WANT TO SEE WEST COVINA GOLD COUNTY.
AND I WOULD NOT WANT TO SEE THEM GO COUNTY SHERIFFS BECAUSE WE'LL REALLY BE IN TROUBLE.
CONNIE SHERIFFS HAVE TOO MUCH TERRITORY AND I'VE EXPERIENCED COUNTY SHERIFFS, ESPECIALLY IN WALNUT.
THEY ARE SLOWER THAN MOLASSES.
AND I'M SORRY, I'M HERE TO SAY, KEEP WEST COVINA FIREMAN AND THE FARM IN WHO WANT TO GO COUNTY, LET THEM EVEN GO.
NOW, IF ANYBODY WOULD TAKE A SURVEY, I KNOW THAT IN ORANGE COUNTY, ONE CITY BACK IN THE NINETIES WAS SORRY THAT THEY WENT COUNTY FOR FIREMEN.
AND THE FARMER'S GOT WAIT FOR AN AMBULANCE TO COME.
LIKE IT COULD BE A SHAFFER OR SOMETHING.
AND THEN THE FIREMAN HAS TO FOLLOW THE HOSPITAL.
NO, WE'VE GOT GOOD PARAMEDICS.
WE JUST HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, UPDATE THE EQUIPMENT.
AND THIS IS MY SECOND TIME COMING TO SPEAK.
I SHOPPED AT, UM, WHAT IS IT? A NORTH WHITTIER FIRST WORDS OUT OF MY MOUTH TO THE AGENTS IS THIS COUNTY.
THEN I WENT OVER TO HACIENDA HEIGHTS.
I WENT TO DIAMOND BAR BACK TO WALNUT.
THE MINUTE THEY TOLD ME WE'RE COUNTY, I EXPERIENCED COUNTY.
SO I WON'T EVEN GO INTO COUNTY AREA.
AND I MEAN, SURE THEY DO THEIR JOB, BUT THEY'RE SLOW.
AND THE RESPONSE TIME HERE IS EXCELLENT.
OF COURSE YOUR POLICE DEPARTMENT SLOWING DOWN A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE THEIR GUYS ARE RETIRING, BUT I BEG YOU ALL KEEP WEST COVINA FIRE AND KEEP WEST COVINA POLICE DEPARTMENT.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS AARON LOPEZ.
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HELLO.MY NAME IS ERIN LOPEZ AND I'M A RESIDENT OF WEST COVINA AS WELL AS A MEMBER OF CHANGE.
WEST COVINA, A GROUP OF YOUNG PEOPLE WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY THAT ARE COMMITTED TO SEEING THE DESIRES OF WEST COVINA.
MORE ACCULATE MORE ACCURATELY REFLECTED IN OUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
I'M HERE TODAY TO URGE THE WEST COVINA CITY COUNCIL TO MOVE FORWARD.
ECONOMICALLY WITH FAR MORE CAUTION THAN IS CURRENTLY BEEN EXHIBITED BY THE 2020 TO 2021 PRELIMINARY BUDGET.
AS OF MAY, 2020, THE CITY OF WEST COVINA HAS BEEN IN A DECLARED FISCAL EMERGENCY DUE TO THE ONGOING THREAT OF COVID-19 WITH THIS IN MIND, THE CITY COUNCIL STILL ACTED HAPHAZARD PASSING A 12% SALARY INCREASE TO THE WEST COVINA POLICE DEPARTMENT, DESPITE THE LACK OF ECONOMIC RESOURCES WITHIN THE CITY IN THE LAST CITY COUNCIL MEETING, SEVERAL MEMBERS RAISED THE QUESTION OF WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO DEFUND THE POLICE WHILE THE LANGUAGE OF THIS QUESTION CAN BE OFFPUTTING.
IT IS SIMPLY THE REALLOCATION OF FUNDS TO COMMUNITY BASED INITIATIVES.
MANY RESIDENTS WOULD BE SURPRISED TO LEARN FACTS LIKE THE FOLLOWING PUBLIC SERVICES, WHICH ENCOMPASSES COMMUNITY SERVICE AND MAINTENANCE MAKE UP A MERE 8% OF THE CITY'S 20, 20 TO 2021 PRELIMINARY BUDGET.
WE AS A COMMUNITY STAND TOGETHER IN THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19.
IT WILL TAKE THE EFFORT OF EVERY INDIVIDUAL, EVERY RESIDENT TO COME OUT ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS PANDEMIC STRONGER, THERE WILL MORE THAN LIKELY BE A SECOND WAVE OF THIS DEADLY VIRUS.
THEREFORE REVENUE CANNOT BE COUNTED ON AS A VIABLE OPTION SIMPLY BECAUSE THERE IS NO WAY OF KNOWING WHAT LIES AHEAD OF US ECONOMICALLY.
THERE ARE MULTI-YEAR PROJECTS IN THE WORK WHOSE REVENUE WILL NOT BE SEEN IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
WHEN FUNDS WILL MATTER THE MOST SIMPLY PUT, THERE ARE TWO OPTIONS RAISING TAXES, WHICH RESIDENTS OF WEST COVINA HAVE DECIDED AGAINST NUMEROUS TIMES OR TO REALLOCATING FUNDS FOR DEPARTMENTS WHO HAVE ENOUGH TO SUSTAIN THEMSELVES AT AN OPERATIONAL LEVEL.
THE PROSPERITY OF THE RESIDENTS OF WEST COVINA SHOULD ALWAYS COME FIRST.
FURTHERMORE, I ASKED THE CITY COUNCIL, WHAT ACTIONS IS THE CITY OF WEST COVINA TAKING TO ENSURE THE ECONOMIC SAFETY OF ITS RESIDENTS? AND HOW IS THE CITY WORKING TO ADAPT TO THE MASS LOSS OF REVENUE? THANK YOU.
YOU KNOW, YOU GUYS, DON'T PRETTY YOUNG, YOU KNOW, HOPE, HOPEFULLY YOU GUYS, UH, WANT TO LISTEN TO WHAT I HAVE TO SAY.
UM, BUT, UM, LIKE AARON I'M PART OF CHANGE WEST COVINA.
UM, WHEN WE FOUND OUT ABOUT THIS, WE TALKED TO FIREFIGHTERS, WE TALKED TO THE OPPOSING SIDE AND WE ACTUALLY GOT ATTACKED ON THE FACEBOOK FORUM YESTERDAY.
CAUSE WE WANTED TO FIND THE OTHER SIDE.
UM, BUT WE ACTUALLY TALKED TO A LOT OF PEOPLE ABOUT THIS AND WE'VE COME TO THE DECISION, UM, THAT SWITCHING TO LA COUNTY FIRE IS A DETRIMENT TO OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, THE REALITY IS THE FIRE EQUIPMENT THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW IS NOT UP TO PAR.
UM, BUT THE IDEA THAT WE HAVE TO SWITCH TO COUNTY IN ORDER TO FIX THAT IS JUST WRONG, RIGHT? SO, UM, NONE OF OUR COSTS WILL BE ALLEVIATED BY THE SWITCH TO COUNTY THAT COSTS A PENSION, THE COST OF THE 12% SALARY RAISE, WHICH YOU DON'T HAVE MONEY FOR.
UH, NONE OF THAT WILL BE FIXED IF WE SWITCHED TO COUNTY AND WE STILL HAVE TO PAY THOSE COSTS, UH, WITH ADDITIONAL TRANSITIONAL COSTS, $300,000 PLUS A YEAR.
UM, THAT BEING SAID, HERE'S SOME FACTS THAT I HAVEN'T HEARD THAT A LOT OF RESIDENTS HAVEN'T HEARD FROM ANYBODY UP HERE IN THE PAST FEW WEEKS.
UM, ONE OF THE FACTS IS DUE TO THE MUTUAL AID AGREEMENT.
IF THERE'S A FIRE LA COUNTY WILL STILL HELP, THEY'RE HELPING US RIGHT NOW.
UM, ANOTHER FACT IS THAT IN 2014, A FEASIBILITY STUDY LED BY LA COUNTY FIRE STATED THAT, UM, IF WE KEEP ALL FIVE STATIONS OPEN, THERE'S NO GUARANTEE THAT THERE'S AN RESPONSE TIME.
SO IF WE ALL USE OUR BRAIN POWER AND USE COMMON SENSE TOGETHER, WE ARE SHUTTING DOWN TWO STATIONS, WHICH WILL MEAN THAT RESPONSE TIMES WILL BE SLOWER, RIGHT? UH, SO, UM, LOGICALLY, YOU KNOW, USING OUR LOGICAL RESPONSE TIMES WILL BE SLOWER IF WE SHUT DOWN THOSE TWO STATIONS.
UM, IF YOU LOOK AT THE STUDY AND THEY SAID, IF WE HAVE FIVE STATIONS AND THE RESPONSE TIMES WON'T EVEN BE FASTER.
SO, UM, WHAT THE CHIEF AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT HAS TOLD US, UM, IS TO LOOK AT ALL THE RESOURCES.
UM, BUT LET ME ASK THE QUESTION.
UM, THE RESOURCES, UH, DO NOT MATTER IF THEY ARE SUPER FAR AWAY FROM US, RIGHT? SO IF WE SHUT DOWN TWO STATIONS IN OUR COMMUNITY AND SOMEONE HAS AN INJURY, OR IF THERE'S A FIRE ON THOSE TWO STATIONS, THOSE PEOPLE, THE RESIDENTS THAT LIVE NEAR THOSE TWO STATIONS THAT ARE SET DOWN, UM, THEY ARE MORE AT RISK.
UM, AND IT WON'T MATTER IF YOU HAVE ALL THESE, THESE, THESE FIRE STATIONS THAT ARE SURROUNDING THE AREA, BUT THOSE TWO STATIONS THAT ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR COMMUNITY ARE BEING SHUT DOWN.
UM, RESPONSE TIMES WILL BE LESS.
UM, I REMEMBER, UM, LENNY LOPEZ WAS UP HERE TELLING AN ANECDOTAL STORY, UM, ABOUT SAN DIEGO AND ABOUT, UM, THIS, THIS LITTLE GIRL THAT GOT HURT AND SHE DIED CAUSE OF BROWNING OUT.
UM, BUT THE REALITY IS IF WE SWITCHED TO LA COUNTY FIRE, UM, BROWNING OUT IS JUST SHUTTING DOWN THE FIRE STATIONS FOR A LITTLE BIT OF TIME.
BUT IMAGINE IF WE SHUT DOWN TWO FIRE STATIONS PERMANENTLY, UM, THAT LITTLE GIRL IS GOING TO BE A REALITY, WHICH WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY, UM, RESIDENTS
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THAT LIVE CLOSE TO THOSE FIRE STATIONS THAT ARE BEING SHUT DOWN WILL BE HURT BECAUSE OF THIS.UM, SO THE IDEA THAT THIS INCREASES RESPONSE TIMES, THIS MAKES WEST COVINA MORE SAFE IS JUST AN IDEA THAT IS NOT TRUE AND NOT FEASIBLE AT ALL.
UM, SO FINALLY, UM, FIREFIGHTERS ALSO STATE THAT THE PRIVATE AMBULANCES IN THE QUINN MODEL ARE DANGEROUS.
UM, BUT AS A COUPLE PEOPLE HERE I'VE SAID ALREADY, UM, NEWSFLASH LA COUNTY USES PRIVATE AMBULANCE AND THE, UH, THE QUINN MODEL.
SO, UH, THE REALITY IS WE'RE IN A DEEP FINANCIAL SITUATION.
I'M AN OLD, UM, WATCHING ALL THE CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS.
A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE KIND OF SCARED ABOUT WHAT DEFUNDING THE POLICE MEANS.
IT'S JUST REALLOCATING FUNDS AND WE ARE DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE FINANCIAL SITUATION WE ARE IN, UH, MEN SWITCHING LA COUNTY FIRE WON'T FIX THAT.
IT WON'T MAKE OUR COMMUNITY SAFER.
I THINK THAT'S JUST COMMON SENSE RIGHT NOW.
WE NEED TO PUSH FOR MORE TRANSPARENCY, FINANCIAL STABILITY, AND A DEEP TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE WITHIN WEST COVINA.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ON THE PHONE AND IT IS MISS ELSIE MEN.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE COUNCIL, NOBODY READS ON THE COUNCIL WHEN YOU'RE GOING THROUGH THE
I BOOKED THE COUNSELING
IF YOU'LL GIVE ME A COUPLE OF MINUTES TO CALL OUR NEXT SPEAKER
THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK TONIGHT.
I JUST WANTED, UH, FIRST JUST SAYING, SORRY THAT WE'RE THINKING ABOUT DOING THIS BECAUSE THE POPULATION IS SO, SO, UM, OVERWHELMING.
I THINK THAT IF WE GO TO, UH, OUTSOURCE, IT'S GOING TO POSSIBLY REDUCE THE LIVES OF OUR CITIZENS.
AND SECONDLY, UM, MY MAIN CONCERN IS I'VE TALKED TO MY NEIGHBORS AND NOBODY WAS UP FOR NOBODY KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON.
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DO WE HAVE ANYBODY ELSE IN THE AUDIENCE WHO HAS A SPEAKER CARD?I'M JUST TRYING TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY OTHER COMMENT CARDS IN THE AUDIENCE.
WELL, THIS IS THE TOWN HALL MENU.
WHY DON'T WE JUST HAVE SOME DISCUSSION? IT'S A COMMUNITY MEETING.
REALLY APPRECIATE EVERYBODY TAKING THE TIME TO COME TONIGHT.
AND ALSO WE HAD A NUMBER OF PEOPLE WRITE LETTERS, AND THOSE ARE ALSO MUCH APPRECIATED.
I'M OPEN TO THAT SUGGESTION BILL IN TERMS OF A DIALOGUE TONIGHT, I THINK THAT'S VERY CONSTRUCTIVE SUGGESTION.
WHAT NEXT? WE WANT TO INVITE OUR FIRE CHIEF TO MAKE A PRESENTATION, TO REVIEW THESE OPTIONS AND TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE FACTUAL QUESTIONS THAT HAVE COME UP.
AND I AM OFFERING THAT ALL STAY HERE AS LONG TONIGHT, AS ANYONE WANTS TO ENGAGE IN FURTHER DISCUSSION.
BUT NEXT WE'RE GOING TO ASK THE FIRE CHIEF TO MAKE A REPORT.
YOU'RE GOING TO FINISH READING.
YOU'RE GOING TO FINISH THE COMMENTS.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MR. FREDERICK SYKES.
HELLO, MAYOR, COUNCIL MEMBERS, CITY STAFF, AND MEMBERS OF THE AUDIENCE.
I AM FREDERICK SYKES 42 YEAR RESIDENT OF OUR CITY.
I AM A RETIRED LA COUNTY, DEPUTY SHERIFF, FORMER MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBER FOR CITY.
THE RESIDENTS MUST HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF THE COST OF KEEPING THE WEST COVINA FIRE DEPARTMENT OR CONTRACTING WITH LA COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT PRIOR TO MAKING A DECISION OF THIS MUCH IMPORTANT IMPORTANCE TO OUR QUALITY OF LIFE.
THE WEST COVINA RESIDENTS PAID ADDITIONAL TAXES TO HAVE OUR PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENTS EXCLUSIVE AND CONNECTED TO OUR CITY WITH ACCOUNTABILITY, MORE DIRECTLY ATTACHED TO THE WEST COVINA TAXPAYERS CURRENTLY EACH WEST COVINA RESIDENT IS APPROXIMATELY ONE IN 100,000 PEOPLE WHO COMMUNICATE WITH THE WEST COVINA CITY HALL ABOUT OUR SAFETY CONCERNS AND CITY HALL IS APPROXIMATELY SEVEN MILES AWAY FROM THE MOST DISTANT RESIDENCE.
I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT DISSOLVING WEST COVINA FIRE DEPARTMENT IS IN OUR BEST INTEREST AND SHOULD WE WANT TO RESTORE? IT WILL BE A VERY DIFFICULT UNDERTAKING CONTRACTING WITH LA COUNTY MAKES US ONE OUT OF THE 10 MILLION RESIDENTS WHO MAY WANT TO COMMUNICATE DIRECTLY WITH THE LA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND THE LA COUNTY OF ADMINISTRATION, WHICH IS 25 MILES FROM THE CITY OF WEST COVINA IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ARLEY CASTA, NEDA.
I HAVE BEEN A RESIDENT ON THE WEST END OF WEST COVINA FOR OVER 20 YEARS.
MY QUESTION FOR YOU TONIGHT IS IF THE CITY HAS SHOWN, THEY CANNOT PROPERLY MANAGE ITS OWN FIRE DEPARTMENT AND FINANCIALLY UPHOLD THE SERVICES TO OUR CITY.
THEN WHY SHOULDN'T WEST COVINA TRANSFER OUR FIRE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES TO LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT LAYING OFF FIREFIGHTERS WILL BE DETRIMENTAL TO OUR PUBLIC SAFETY.
I UNDERSTAND THAT HAVING OUR OWN FIRE DEPARTMENT IS IMPORTANT, BUT IF WEST COVINA CANNOT BUDGET AND STAFF PROPERLY, WEST COVINA, IT NEEDS TO TRANSFER TO LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT.
WHY IS WEST COVINA PUTTING OUR RESIDENTS AT RISK? OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MR. NICHOLAS LEWIS.
MY NAME IS NICHOLAS LEWIS AND I AM A RESIDENT OF WEST COVINA.
I HAVE SEVERAL QUESTIONS REGARDING THE PROPOSED MOVE TO COUNTY FIRE SERVICES.
THESE ARE ALL VERY DIFFICULT QUESTIONS.
MOST CITIES THAT CONSIDER A TRANSITION TO COUNTY SERVICES FOR FIRE TAKE MONTHS OR YEARS TO COME TO AN AGREEMENT, EXCUSE ME, WHATEVER IS CHOSEN.
WE NEED TO BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL ABOUT HOW THIS PROCEEDS HERE GOES.
NUMBER ONE, WHERE THE CITY COUNCIL COMMENT TO HAVING ANY PROPOSAL TO A CHANGE OF WHO PERFORMS BY OUR SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CITY TO BE VOTED ON BY THE RESIDENTS.
NUMBER TWO, WHAT IS THE CITY PROPOSING AND HOW DOES IT COMPARE TO THE CURRENT LEVEL OF SERVICE? I E HOW MANY FIREFIGHTERS ARE ON DUTY AT ANY GIVEN TIME? HOW MANY STATIONS WILL BE SERVICING THE CITY? HOW MANY WILL REMAIN IN THE CITY? IS THIS A COUNTY FIRE DISTRICT ARRANGEMENT OR A CONTRACT FOR SERVICE ARRANGEMENT? NUMBER THREE? WELL, THE CITY COMMITS RETAINING OWNERSHIP OF OUR FIRE STATIONS.
NUMBER FOUR, HAS THE CITY CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF OTHER CITIES WHO TRANSITIONED TO COUNTY FIRE OR THE AMOUNT SPENT BEFORE AND AFTER THE TRANSITION, WHEN IS THE FIVE-YEAR TO DIRECTORY OF COST INCREASE
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YEAR OVER YEAR, NUMBER FIVE, IF THE CITY OF TRANSITIONS TO COUNTY FIRE SERVICES, WHILE WE HAVE ANY LEGACY OBLIGATIONS, PURSE AND MEDICAL LEFT BEHIND BY THE FORMER DEPARTMENT, HOW MUCH, WHAT IS THE NET PROJECTED SAVINGS COME 2024? WHAT IS THE ESTIMATED COST OF THIS AND COUNTY FIRE SERVICES? NUMBER SIX, WITH REGARD TO LEGACY COSTS OF THE DEPARTMENT AND IN THE EVENT OF DISILLUSION OF WEST COVINA FIRE DEPARTMENT, WHAT IMPACT WILL A DISILLUSION AND TRANSITION TO COUNTY SERVICES HAVE ON THE PENSION OBLIGATION BONDS THAT THE CITY INTENDS TO ISSUE? WELL, THE AMOUNTS OF THE ISSUANCE DECREASE NUMBER SEVEN, WITH REGARD TO A TRANSITION TO COUNTY FIRE SERVICES.HOW UNDERFUNDED IS L A C E R A RELATIVE TO CALPERS? WHAT RETURN ASSUMPTIONS ARE BEING MADE BY LAC E R A? HOW DO THESE COMPARE WITH CALPERS? WELL, LAC E R A RETIREMENT COSTS SPIKE IN A MANNER COMPARABLE TO THAT BEING DONE WITH CALPERS IN 2024, HE HAS NUMBER SEVEN TWICE, BUT I BELIEVE IT'S NUMBER EIGHT.
IF WE TRANSITION TO COUNTY FIRE SERVICES, WHAT WILL THE PROJECTED RESPONSE TIME BE FOR AREAS IN WHICH STATIONS ARE PROPOSED TO CLOSE IN THE EVENT THAT WE ARE BROWN OUT FIRE STATION, NUMBER FOUR VERSUS CLOSING STATIONS, NUMBER ONE AND FIVE UNDER THE COUNTY PROPOSAL.
LIKEWISE, WHAT IS THE PROJECTED INCREASE IN RESPONSE TIME AND AREAS SERVICED BY STATION NUMBER FOUR IN THE EVENT THAT A BROWN OUT OF THAT STATION IS IMPOSED.
NUMBER NINE, BASED ON, UH, BASED UPON ITEMS PRESENTED BY STAFF TO THE AUDIT COMMITTEE.
ONE OF THE OPTIONS THAT WAS NOTICEABLY ABSENT WAS RENEGOTIATING THE COST OF FIRE SERVICES WITH WF, FFA, WC, FFA, EXCUSE ME.
AS THE CURRENT CITY STAFF HAS ALMOST NO NEGOTIATING EXPERIENCE WITH PUBLIC SAFETY UNIONS.
WHAT ARE WE DOING TO ENSURE THAT THIS OPTION IS FULLY EXPLORED AND WHAT, AND THAT WE HAVE DEAL MAKERS RATHER THAN DEAL TAKERS AND POSITIONS TO NEGOTIATE.
LASTLY, IS THE CITY LOOKING TO JOIN THE COUNTY FIRE DISTRICT FOR SERVICES? ARE WE LOOKING TO CONTRACT FOR SERVICES? I WANT TO NOTE THAT CONTRACTING AND STAYING OUT OF THE FIRE DISTRICT LEAVES US WITH THE OPTION OF KEEPING SELF DETERMINATION ON THE ISSUE OF PARCEL TAX INCREASE THAT ARE IMPOSED UNDER THE COUNTY FIRE DISTRICT SCENARIO.
A LOT OF RESIDENTS ARE CONCERNED WITH CONTRACTING OUR FIRE SERVICES OUT TO THE COUNTY.
THE FIRE CHIEF EXPRESSED HIS CONCERN AT THE LACK OF FUNDS AVAILABLE TO UPDATE EQUIPMENT AND RESPOND TO CALLS.
SO ALTHOUGH THE INITIATIVES, THE CHIEF OF POLICE DISCUSSED AT THE JUNE 17TH MEETING SOUND PROMISING WHEN IT STILL MAKES SENSE TO REALLOCATE FUNDS FROM THE SECTION, RECEIVING THE MOST MONEY AND DISTRIBUTE THOSE FUNDS TO A SECTION THAT CURRENTLY NEEDS EXTRA FUNDS LIKE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, WE ARE NOT ASKING TO DISMANTLE THE POLICE.
WE ARE NOT ASKING TO WIPE OUT THEIR FUNDING.
WE ARE ASKING THAT YOU REALLOCATE SOME OF THEIR FUNDS TO THE AREAS IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT CURRENTLY NEED IT THE MOST.
AND UNLIKE THE COUNTY CONTRACT, IN QUESTION, WE CAN ALWAYS ADJUST THE BUDGET AGAIN.
NEXT YEAR, GET THIS REALLOCATION DOES NOT WORK.
WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO ADJUST IT OR CHANGE IT BACK.
WE DO NOT HAVE THE OPTION TO TURN BACK.
ONCE WE ENTER INTO A COUNTY, IF OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT ALONG WITH OTHER COMMUNITY SERVICES ARE MAKING IT WORK WITH THEIR SMALLER BUDGETS, THEN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT CAN ADJUST TO MAKE IT WORK WITH A SMALLER BUDGET AS WELL.
INSTEAD OF TAKING UP 48% OF OUR BUDGET, LET'S TRY ONLY 42%, MAYBE EVEN 39%.
THIS WOULD BE A GREAT STARTING POINT FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THE COUNCIL TO START EARNING BACK OUR TRUST.
IF THAT'S TRULY WHAT MATTERS TO THEM, THERE SHOULD BE NO DEBATE AS TO WHERE MORE OF OUR FUNDS SHOULD BE GOING.
IF THEY WANT TO SHOW THAT THEY TOO ARE PART OF AND CARE ABOUT THIS COMMUNITY, THEN LET'S HELP THE AREA IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT IS CURRENTLY RISKING THEIR LIVES WITH AGED EQUIPMENT AND MINIMAL RESOURCES, BUDGETS, CONVEY PRIORITIES.
AND THE CURRENT BUDGET CLEARLY SHOWS WHERE YOUR PRIORITIES LIE, BUT IT DOES NOT REPRESENT THE PRIORITIES OF THE RESIDENTS WHO MAKE UP THIS COMMUNITY.
AND THAT'S FROM JENNIFER S OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MARK TAYLOR.
I NOW UNDERSTAND THAT THE PROPOSED COUNTY FIRE CONTRACT IS GOING TO COST MORE ALL OVERALL THAN OUR CURRENT FIRE CONTRACT.
HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN? IF THIS IS TRUE, THEN WE ARE SPENDING MORE MONEY AND WE'LL HAVE TWO LESS FIRE STATIONS.
HOW CAN THIS EVEN BE CONSIDERED? IF IT COSTS MORE? WHY WOULDN'T WE JUST KEEP OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT THEN ANSWER, THEN ANSWER IS THAT THE CITY MANAGER AND CITY COUNCIL PROMISED THE FIREFIGHTER'S ASSOCIATION.
IF THE TAX DIDN'T PASS GIVING A 12% RAISE ISN'T
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GOOD ENOUGH, THE RESIDENTS WILL SUFFER IF WE CLOSE ANY FIRE STATIONS BY OUR CAPTAIN, HAMBLE SAID IN THE LAST MEETING THAT HE IS AGAINST THE OTHER TWO OPTIONS.IF FIRE PERSONNEL IN THE CITY WHERE OUR CUT ISN'T CLOSING TWO FIRE STATIONS THAT CUT IN PERSONNEL, BUT HE WON'T CARE BECAUSE HE WON'T BE WORKING IN WEST COVINA.
THEY WILL BE MAKING ANY HIGHER MONTHLY SALARY BECAUSE OF THE Y RATING AS THE CITY MANAGER, HOW THIS WORKS.
HE WON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT BECAUSE IT WILL MAKE THE FIREMAN LOOK GREEDY, SAY NO TO GOING TO COUNTY FIRE, OR YOU WILL FIND YOURSELVES RECALLED THE CITY MANAGER SHOULD BE FIRED FOR HIS DECEPTION ON THE ISSUE.
TONIGHT, THE CITY OF WEST COVINA IS HOLDING A TOWN HALL MEETING.
SO THE RESIDENTS CAN VOICE THEIR CONCERNS ABOUT THE BUDGET.
IT IS NOTHING MORE THAN A SHAM OF A MEETING.
THE CITY MANAGER TOLD EVERYONE AT THE COMMUNITY BUDGET WORKSHOP HELD ON JUNE 9TH, THAT THE BUDGET WAS NEARLY COMPLETE.
IF THE BUDGET IS NEARLY COMPLETE, THEN WHY HAVE A BUDGET WORKSHOP? A BUDGET WORKSHOP IMPLIES THAT THE CITY IS WILLING TO HEAR WHAT THE RESIDENTS WANT.
A BUDGET WORKSHOP IMPLIES THAT THE CITY WANTS TO RECEIVE INPUT FROM THE PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY LIVE AND VOTE IN THIS COMMUNITY.
INSTEAD, WHAT YOU HEARD WAS THE CITY MANAGER REPEATING KEPT REPEATEDLY TELLING RESIDENTS HOW MUCH HE MISSED THEM AND HOW MUCH HE WANTED TO SEE EVERYONE'S FACES IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS.
AGAIN, DO NOT PATRONIZE THE RESIDENTS.
THEN THE CITY MANAGER WENT ON TO DEFLECT AND NOT ANSWER THE QUESTIONS, ASKED BY MANY RESIDENTS WITH HALF-TRUTHS AND GENERALIZATIONS.
IF YOU DO NOT WANT THE RESIDENTS INVOLVED AND TELL US THAT WE DO NOT MATTER IN THIS PROCESS, THIS BUDGET HAS ONE OF THE MOST BLARING MISTAKES THAT THE CITY IS CLAIMING THAT REVENUES AND EXPENSES WILL BE FLAT FOR FISCAL YEARS, 2020 THROUGH 2021 IN LATE MAY OF THIS YEAR, THE CITY MANAGER PROPOSED A FISCAL EMERGENCY ON THE BASIS OF COVID-19 JUST A FEW WEEKS LATER, THE BUDGET SHOWS THAT WE HAVE EQUAL INCOME AND EXPENSES.
THE BUDGET STARTS ON JULY ONE OF 2020.
SO ARE WE TO BELIEVE THAT MAGICALLY IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS WITH THE ADOPTION OF THE NEW BUDGET, WE'LL BE FINE.
WHAT IS IT, MR. CARMONEY STOPPED LYING TO THE RESIDENTS.
NOW WE ARE FACED WITH THE CITY MANAGER, PUSHING A FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE TO OUR CITY.
A CHANGE THAT CANNOT BE UNDONE FOR 10 YEARS IN REALITY, LIKELY CAN NEVER BE UNDONE.
THE CITY MANAGER AND THE UNION SPONSORED FIRE CHIEF ARE PUSHING FOR THE CITY TO MOVE TO THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT.
IRONICALLY, THE WEST COVINA FIREFIGHTERS HAVE BEEN PUSHING THIS FOR DECADES.
DO WE REALLY THINK THEY HAVE THE BEST INTEREST OF WEST COVINA IN MIND? OF COURSE NOT.
WE DID THINK THAT THEY HAD THE BEST INTEREST IN MIND WHEN THEY TRIED TO PUSH A SALES TAX INCREASE ON THE RESIDENTS TO FUND HUGE RAISES WHILE THE RESIDENTS SAW THROUGH THAT WITH NEARLY 80% VOTING, NO, I GUESS THE CITY MANAGER AND THE CITY COUNCIL NEED TO HEAR IT AGAIN.
THAT 80% NO VOTE WAS NOT ONLY A REFERENDUM ON THE LACK OF LEADERSHIP, THE CITY COUNCIL, BUT A LACK OF TRUST FROM THE CITY MANAGER AND THE CITY COUNCIL, THE CITY MANAGER MUST HAVE A SHORT TERM MEMORY LOSS.
AND THE CITY COUNCIL IS ALLOWING THIS TO CONTINUE.
THE CITY COUNCIL WAS ELECTED TO DO A JOB.
AND THAT JOB INVOLVES LISTENING TO THE RESIDENTS FOR SOME OF THE CITY COUNCIL.
THIS IS A DEFINING MOMENT THAT WILL LIKELY COST YOU WHEN YOU RUN FOR REELECTION FOR SOME MAYBE SOONER THAN OTHERS, FOR OTHERS, THAT WILL MEAN POSSIBLE RECALLS.
JUST REMEMBER THAT 80% OF THE VOTERS SAID NO BEFORE, NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU THINK THE WEST COVINA FIREFIGHTERS UNION WILL SUPPORT YOU.
NEXT TIME, THE RESIDENTS WILL NOT BE FOOLED.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MR. BRIAN JOBES.
I AM BRIAN,
I'M DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT OUR CITY.
MORE CONCERNED THAN I'VE EVER BEEN IN THE PAST THREE DECADES.
I UNDERSTAND OUR FISCAL CONDITION MEANS OUR CITY WILL NO LONGER BE ABLE TO PROVIDE VIRTUALLY ANY SERVICES TO ITS RESIDENTS, EXCEPT POLICE AND FIRE.
AND THOSE SERVICES WILL BE DELIVERED AT THE BARE MINIMUM REQUIRED REGARDING HOW TO PROVIDE FIRE SERVICES.
THE CITY COUNCIL REMAINS LARGELY SILENT UNWILLING TO ENGAGE IN DISCUSSION WITH RESIDENTS WHO ELECTED THEM, THE RESIDENTS THEY SUPPOSEDLY REPRESENT THAT HAS BECOME STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR THE CITY COUNCIL IN PARTICULAR MAYOR, TONY WOO MAY APPROACH HIM LOPEZ BEATO AND COUNCILMAN DARIO CASTELLANO'S WILL NOT ENGAGE IN DISCUSSION WITH THE RESIDENTS ABOUT FIRE SERVICES JUST AS THEY WERE ALMOST TOTALLY SILENT ON MEASURE WC PROJECT ROOM KEY, AND THE PENSION OBLIGATION BONDS.
YOU CAN NOT REPRESENT US IF YOU DO NOT ENGAGE IN DISCUSSION WITH US FOR FIRE SERVICES AND POTENTIALLY REPLACING THE WEST COVINA FIRE DEPARTMENT WITH LA COUNTY FIRE, NO OTHER ANALYSIS HAS BEEN PRODUCED THAT SHOWS THIS WILL ACTUALLY SAVE MONEY.
THE CITY COUNCIL AND ALL OF US ARE BEING ASKED TO TAKE THE CITY.
MANAGER'S WORD THAT THE MOVE TO LA COUNTY FIRES THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
MEANWHILE, THE 2014 ANALYSIS PERFORMED BY LA COUNTY ITSELF SHOWS A MOVE TO LA COUNTY.
FIRE WILL COST US MORE MONEY, NOT LESS FOR THE MORE LA COUNTY FIRE JUST ANNOUNCED A $60 MILLION
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DEFICIT.THEY ARE PASSING ON THAT DEFICIT IN FORM OF COST INCREASES TO EACH OF THE CITIES THEY SERVE MR. CITY MANAGER MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL.
WHEN WILL YOU SHOW US SOUND ANALYSIS THAT DEMONSTRATES DISBANDING THE WEST COVINA FIRE DEPARTMENT SAVES US MONEY? NO ONE UNDERSTAND WE'RE ALL STRONG SUPPORTERS OF PUBLIC SAFETY.
THAT INCLUDES THE WEST COVINA FIRE DEPARTMENT.
MINNIE SPEAKING TONIGHT ARE RESIDENTS OF WEST COVINA.
THE FIREFIGHTERS ARE NOT, THEY WORK HERE AND WE'RE DEEPLY GRATEFUL FOR THEIR SERVICE, BUT MAKE NO MISTAKE.
THE CITY COUNCIL DOES NOT REPRESENT THEM.
THE CITY COUNCIL REPRESENTS THE RESIDENTS OF WEST COVINA.
HI, MY NAME IS ROGELIO ROY ESQUIRE.
I AM A RESIDENT OF WEST COVINA.
MY QUESTION CONCERNS THE WEST COVINA POLICE DEPARTMENT.
I WAS WONDERING WHY THE CITY SPENDS SO MUCH OF ITS BUDGET, ALMOST HALF OF ITS REVENUE ON THE WEST COVINA PD, THE 2020 DASH 21 PRELIMINARY BUDGET CALLS FOR A 47% TO BE SPENT ON THE POLICE.
AS A FOLLOWUP QUESTION, I WAS WONDERING IF WE COULD DEFUND THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND REDIRECT THOSE FUNDS TOWARDS SOCIAL SLASH PUBLIC SERVICES IN THE CITY.
THESE SERVICES COULD INCLUDE PARK AND RECREATION FOR OUR YOUTH AS WELL AS MORE PROGRAMS FOR RESIDENTS WELLBEING OVERALL.
AND LASTLY, WHAT ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURES ARE BEING TAKEN TO HOLD THE WEST COVINA PD ACCOUNTABLE TO RESIDENTS LIKE MYSELF.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JIM BRADLEY QUESTION AT THE JUNE 9TH, 2020 COMMUNITY BUDGET WORKSHOP.
THE STATEMENT WAS MADE BY THE CITY FINANCE DIRECTOR AND THE INFORMATIVE BUDGET BRIEFING TO RE TO THE EFFECT THAT THE 2020 BUDGET RECOMMENDATION WAS BASED IN PART WITH ONE TIME REVENUE SOLUTIONS, FOR EXAMPLE, USING MONIES FROM THE DEBT SERVICE FUND, WHAT ARE THE OTHER ONETIME SOLUTIONS TO BE IMPLEMENTED IN 2020 COMMENT? I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT IT MAKES GOOD LONGTERM FINANCIAL SENSE TO CONTRACT WITH THE COUNTY FIREFIGHTERS SAFETY.
WE WILL BE CAPTIVE TO THE COUNTY AND THEY ARE KNOWN TO RAISE THEIR RATES ANNUALLY.
AFTER STARTING A CITY OFF WITH AN ATTRACTIVE OFFER.
THIS, WE WOULD BE AT THE MERCY OF COUNTY FOR THE COST OF FIRE SAFETY.
ONCE WE WENT WITH THEM, MOREOVER, MY OPINION IS THAT THE OBVIOUS SINGLE STEP TO TAKE A REASONABLE CHANCE AT THE BALANCED BUDGET IS TO REDUCE THE POLICE DEPARTMENT BUDGET.
WE HAVE 90 SWORN POLICE OFFICERS.
SURELY WE CAN REDUCE THAT NUMBER SIGNIFICANTLY AND STILL PROTECT PUBLIC SAFETY IN WEST COVINA.
HER NEXT LETTER IS FROM THE WEST COVINA PROFESSIONAL FIRE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION, LOCAL 45 94 HONORABLE COUNCIL.
MY NAME IS MIKE FOUNTAIN AND I REPRESENT THE WEST COVINA FIRE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION.
I HAVE PROUDLY SERVED THE COMMUNITY OF WEST COVINA FOR OVER 25 YEARS, SERVING AS A FIREFIGHTER FIREFIGHTER PARAMEDIC FIRE CAPTAIN, AND NOW ASSISTANT FIRE CHIEF.
THE POSITION I'VE HELD FOR THE LAST SIX YEARS, TRADITIONALLY THE FIRE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATIONS REMAIN NEUTRAL AS RELATES TO LOCAL POLITICS AND CONTROVERSIAL LOCAL ISSUES, BUT I FELT THE NEED TO REACH OUT TO ADDRESS CURRENT ISSUES DIRECTLY IMPACTING THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND THE SAFETY OF THIS COMMUNITY.
WE ARE PROUD OF OUR HISTORY OF WORKING WITH THE CITY, THE COMMUNITY, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, PROVIDING FOR THE WELLBEING AND SAFETY OF OUR FIREFIGHTERS.
AS YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TAKEN ON A DUAL ROLE, ESSENTIALLY TWO JOBS AS BOTH A BATTALION CHIEF AND THE ADDITIONAL ROLE AS AN ASSISTANT FIRE CHIEF.
OUR WILLINGNESS TO TAKE ON DUAL RESPONSIBILITIES HAS PUT US IN A UNIQUE POSITION TO GAIN SIGNIFICANT KNOWLEDGE AND INSIGHT INTO OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT, OUR SERVICE DELIVERY MODEL AND THE VERY UNIQUE CHALLENGES IT TAKES TO PROVIDE FIRE AND EMS SERVICE DELIVERY TO THE COMMUNITY.
DURING THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS, THE CITY AND OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT HAVE FACED SEVERAL CHALLENGES MAGNIFIED BY RECENT NATIONAL EVENTS, WHICH HAS HAD A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT TO OUR DEPARTMENT.
UNFORTUNATELY, WE CONTINUED TO SEE MISLEADING AND FALSE INFORMATION BEING REPRESENTED TO THE COMMUNITY AND FEEL COMPELLED TO OFFER OUR EXPERIENCE AND INSIGHTS AS THE REALITIES AND COST OF MAINTAINING A CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT HAS COME TO THE FOREFRONT.
THE FIRE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION CAN NO LONGER REMAIN SILENT CONTRACTING WITH THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT HAS BECOME A CONTROVERSIAL TOPIC, GENERATING INCORRECT AND IRRESPONSIBLE DISINFORMATION WITHIN THE COMMUNITY BY CRITICS OF CONSOLIDATION OF FIRE AND EMS SERVICES AS PART OF A THOROUGH NEEDS.
ASSESSMENT FACT FINDING AND PROPOSAL FOR SERVICES HAS BECOME ABUNDANTLY CLEAR THAT CONTRACTING WITH THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT IS A SOLUTION THAT WILL LIKELY OFFER THE BEST COMPROMISE FOR MAINTAINING FIRE PROTECTION AND EMS DELIVERY WITHIN THE COMMUNITY, A REGIONAL APPROACH TO PROVIDING FIRE AND EMS SERVICES WITHOUT EXCEPTION SUPERIOR, TO ANY OTHER OPTIONS AND OR CUTS CURRENTLY BEING PROPOSED FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, THE ONGOING DETERIORATION OF OUR FACILITIES APPARATUS EQUIPMENT AND OTHER NEEDS CAN NO LONGER BE IGNORED AND MUST BE
[00:50:01]
ADDRESSED.COUNCIL HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A DECISION THAT WILL PROVIDE STABILITY TO CITY FINANCES WHILE ENSURING THE SAFETY OF OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR FIREFIGHTERS VOCAL CRITICS OF OUR FIRE CHIEF ACCUSED HIM OF PREVENTING A SKEWED ANALYSIS OF THE AVAILABLE OPTIONS OF PROVIDING FIRE AND EMS SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY.
SOME ACCUSE HIM OF IN HIS OWN BEST INTERESTS, WHICH COULD NOT BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH.
THE WEST COVINA FIRE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION FULLY SUPPORTS FIRE CHIEF CAPELLI AND HIS LEADERSHIP.
AS THE FIRE CHIEF VINCE CAPELLA IS AN EXTREMELY CAPABLE, KNOWLEDGEABLE AND PRACTICAL LEADER.
WHO'S INVESTED IN ALL ASPECTS OF THE WEST QUEEN OF FIRE DEPARTMENT AND THE COMMUNITY.
HE SERVES HIS EXTENSIVE EXPERTISE AND KNOWLEDGE ARE WELL KNOWN THROUGHOUT THE FIRE SERVICE COMMUNITY.
CHIEF CAPELLI PROVIDES TRUE INSIGHT IN THE REALITIES OF WHAT IT TAKES TO EFFECTIVELY AND EFFICIENTLY MANAGE A FIRE DEPARTMENT.
FIRE CHIEF CAPELLA WOULD NOT RECOMMEND CONTRACTING FOR SERVICES WITH THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT WITHOUT THOROUGH CONSIDERATION OF ALL FACTORS AND OPTIONS.
THE FIRE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION FULLY SUPPORTS HIS RECOMMENDATION AS A 25 YEAR VETERAN WHO'S AS SERVED IN ALL ASPECTS OF WEST COVINA FIRE DEPARTMENT.
I WOULD NOT BE COMMUNICATING WITH YOU IF I FELT IT WAS NOT A PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE TO URGE YOU TO GIVE YOUR SERIOUS CONSIDERATION TO CONTRACTING WITH THE LA COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR FIRE AND EMS SERVICES, THE POSITIVE OF A PROVEN REASONABLE APPROACH FOR FIRE PROTECTION COMBINED WITH THE LONGTERM SAVINGS TO THE CITY CAN NOT BE IGNORED AND PROVIDE FOR MUCH NEEDED ECONOMIC STABILITY, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, MAINTAIN, NOT REDUCE SERVICE LEVELS IN THE COMMUNITY.
WE UNDERSTAND THE NEED AND ENCOURAGE YOU TO CAREFULLY EVALUATE ANY SERVICE DELIVERY MODEL AND COST ASSOCIATED.
BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE SAFETY AND WELLBEING OF FIREFIGHTERS WHO SERVE IN THIS COMMUNITY.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO GET IT RIGHT.
IT IS VITAL FOR SECURING THE SAFETY OF OUR COMMUNITY.
I ENCOURAGE YOU TO LISTEN TO THE EXPERTS, NOT THE FEW VOCAL CRITICS WHO LACK THE EXPERTISE AND INFORMATION TO MAKE AN INFORMED DECISION.
THE FIRE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION HAS OVER 80 YEARS OF COMBINED EXPERIENCE WITH THE CITY OF WEST COVINA.
NONE OF US STAND TO GAIN OR BENEFIT FROM A TRANSITION LA COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT, BUT AFTER CAREFUL CONSIDERATION, WE'RE UNITED IN OUR BELIEF THAT CONTRACTING FOR FIRE AND FIRE AND PARAMEDIC SERVICES WITH THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT IS THE BEST AVAILABLE AND BALANCED OPTION FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
RESPECTFULLY MIKE FOUNTAIN, PRESIDENT WEST COVINA FIRE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION, LOCAL 45 94.
OUR NEXT COMMENT AND SPEAKER IS MR. AND MRS. WALT QUEENSLAND.
IT IS APPALLING THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE FOLLOWED THE CITY MANAGER SUGGESTION REGARDING IT IS APPALLING THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE FOLLOWED THE CITY MANAGER'S SUGGESTION REGARDING CONTRACTING WITH LA COUNTY FIRE FOR SERVICES WITHOUT A COST ANALYSIS, DO NOT CONTRACT WITH THE LA COUNTY FOR FIRE SERVICES.
HAVE YOU NOT HEARD FROM THE WEST COVINA RESIDENTS THAT THEY HAVE HAD ENOUGH TAXES BY CONTRACTING WITH LA COUNTY? YOU ENSURE THAT THERE WILL BE INCREASES IN TAXES TO THE WEST COVINA RESIDENTS.
YOUR NEXT LETTER IS FROM SARAH BETH.
MCHARG YOU LOVE GREETINGS, MR. MAYOR, AND THE CITY COUNCIL, PLEASE SAY NO TO MOVING WEST COVINA TO LA COUNTY FIRE MY HUSBAND, AND HAVE OWNED OUR HOME IN WEST COVINA SINCE 2004 IN DISTRICT ONE, THE RECENT PRESENTATION TO PUSH LA COUNTY FIRE ON US.
TAXPAYERS UNDER THE GUISE OF FISCAL EMERGENCY IS EXTREMELY CONCERNING TO US.
WE AREN'T GETTING ALL THE FACTS.
WE HAVE VERY VOCAL CITY STAFFERS AND STAFFERS FROM SURROUNDING CITIES ON OUR WEST COVINA SOCIAL MEDIA SITES PUSHING THIS.
WHY WHERE'S THE COUNCIL? THIS COUNCIL WAS ELECTED BECAUSE THE PEOPLE WANT ACCOUNTABILITY.
THE CITIZENS SENT A VERY LOUD AND CLEAR MESSAGE BACK IN MARCH STATING THEY DIDN'T WANT TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION.
FIRST, WE HAD THE SUPPOSED GRASSROOTS EFFORT WITH MEASURE WC, AND NOW WE ARE GOING WITH THE PANDEMIC.
THE RESIDENTS WON'T BE FOOLED, CENSORSHIP OR GASLIGHTING ON WEST COVINA, SOCIAL MEDIA SITES BY CITY STAFF.
OUR ALLIES WON'T MAKE US GO AWAY.
DO YOU THINK WE WOULD FORGET TO PUSH LA COUNTY THAT BENEFITS CITY STAFFERS WHILE LEAVING US PAYING MORE FOR LESS SERVICES? I THINK NOT ELECTIONS STILL MATTER IN WEST COVINA.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ROBERT KIRK.
I WANT TO VOICE MY OPINION REGARDING CONTRACTING WITH LA COUNTY FIRE.
I THINK WE SHOULD KEEP OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT AND REDUCE THE POLICE BUDGET TO MAKE UP THE DIFFERENCE.
DON'T LET THE UNIONS DICTATE OUR WELLBEING.
OUR NEXT LETTER IS FROM MARIA DIAZ.
I'VE BEEN A RESIDENT OF WEST COVINA FOR JUST OVER 23 YEARS IN 2019 93% OF THE WC PDS FUNDING CAME FROM THE GENERAL FUND, WHICH AMOUNTED TO $30,959,722
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OF THIS FUND.91% OF THE EXPENDITURES FOR, FOR SALARIES AND BENEFITS FOR THE 99 SWORN OFFICERS 60 CIVILIANS IN 19 DISPATCHERS, 91% OF $31,959,000, 722 IS 28,000,173.
I BELIEVE THIS VALUE IS TOO HIGH.
CONSIDERING THE FISCAL EMERGENCY, OUR CITY HAS BEEN IN NAMELY THAT OUR OWN FIRE DEPARTMENT IS IN DIRECT DANGER OF BEING OUTSOURCED LA COUNTY FIRE.
I WAS APPALLED AT LAST WEEK'S MEETING TO LEARN THAT OUR CITY'S FIRE DEPARTMENT LACK THE FUNDS TO PROVIDE OUR FIREFIGHTERS WITH THE PROPER PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT THEY NEEDED TO FIGHT FIRES.
MADE ME UPSET TO THINK ABOUT WHAT THEY MUST HAVE BEEN LIKE FOR THEM TO FIGHT THE 150 AT FIRES THEY RESPONDED TO IN 2019, WITHOUT THE PROPER EQUIPMENT THEY NEEDED TO BE SAFE.
I ASKED THAT WE DO NOT SOURCE OUR DEPARTMENTAL OUT DELI COUNTY FIRE.
I ASKED THAT WE INSTEAD REALLOCATE FUNDS FROM THE POLICE DEPARTMENT TO OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT IMMEDIATELY MOVING FORWARD FROM THE FISCAL EMERGENCY.
OUR CITY IS IN, I DEMAND COMPLETE TRANSPARENCY FROM WC PD.
I WOULD LIKE TO UNDERSTAND WHY THE WC PD RECEIVES THE LION'S SHARE OF OUR CITY'S GENERAL FUND WHILE WITH OUR CITY'S OTHER DEPARTMENTS AND PROGRAMS RECEIVE.
SO LITTLE, I WOULD LIKE TO UNDERSTAND HOW A DEPARTMENT IN THE MIDST OF A POLICE BRUTALITY LAWSUIT CONTINUES TO RECEIVE SO MUCH MONEY FROM OUR CITY BUDGET WHILE OUR OWN FIRE DEPARTMENT DWINDLES TO THE POINT OF OUTSOURCE.
IS THIS A TRUE REFLECTION OF OUR CITY'S VALUES? SINCERELY MARIA DIAZ.
I HAVE BEEN A WEST COVINA RESIDENT FOR MY 30 YEARS OF LIFE.
PART OF BEING IN THIS COMMUNITY MEANS SUPPORTING OUR CITY AND MAKING DECISIONS THAT WILL HELP IMPROVE OUR CITY.
I URGE YOU TO VOTE, TO HAVE LA COUNTY FIRE TAKE CARE OF OUR CITY IN ORDER TO SERVE OUR CITY, MAKE THE MOST OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS AND SUPPORT VALUED.
LET'S LEVERAGE THESE FIREFIGHTERS TO TAKE CARE OF WEST COVINA.
OUR NEXT LETTER IS FROM TERESA COES AD COUNCIL MEMBERS OF THE CITY OF WEST COVINA.
MY NAME IS TERESA KOZAD AND I'M A LONG TIME RESIDENT OF WEST COVINA.
I WOULD LIKE TO REMIND YOU THAT YOU REPRESENT THE RESIDENTS OF WEST COVINA AND YOU NEED TO LISTEN TO US, NOT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT OR THE FIRE DEPARTMENTS UNION.
WE ARE SAYING THAT WE DO NOT WANT TO JOIN THE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES FIRE DEPARTMENT IN 2014, WHEN THE CITY OF WEST COVINA WAS LOOKING INTO THE SAME ISSUE, A PROCEDURE WAS FOLLOWED THAT INCLUDED THE RESIDENTS AND COST ANALYSIS.
IT WAS FOUND AT THAT TIME THAT MOVING TO THE COUNTY WOULD NOT LOWER COSTS, NOR DID THE RESIDENTS WANT THE MOVE.
DURING A RECENT PRESENTATION, THE FIRE CHIEF GAVE TO THE AUDIT COMMITTEE.
JIM GRITCH ASKED FOR A COST ANALYSIS OF MOVING TO THE COUNTY AND THE REPLY BY THE CITY MANAGEMENT SAID IT TAKES TOO LONG AND THERE ISN'T TIME.
ISN'T TIME FOR WHAT I THINK THE RESIDENTS DESERVE A BETTER ANSWER.
MOVING TO THE COUNTY WOULD ALSO CLOSE TO FIRE STATIONS PERMANENTLY.
IS THAT THE BEST FOR THE SAFETY AND WELLBEING OF THE RESIDENTS OF WEST COVINA? THERE ARE OTHER OPTIONS TO BE EXPLORED, TO KEEP OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT IN THE HANDS OF THE CITY AND CAN SAVE THE CITY MONEY.
PLEASE REPRESENT THE RESIDENTS OF WEST COVINA, WHOM YOU WERE ELECTED TO SERVE AND NOT THE INTEREST OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER DOES NOT HAVE A NAME.
THE COMMENT I OPPOSED DISSOLVING THE WEST COVINA FIRE DEPARTMENT.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS A LETTER FROM MONICA CASTRO.
THE THOUGHT OF THE CITY SWITCHING TO COUNTY FIRE SERVICE DOES NOT MAKE ANY SENSE WITH THE CLOSURE OF TWO FIRE STATIONS IN THE CITY.
WE WOULD NEED TO SAVE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS PER YEAR TO EVEN THINK ABOUT MAKING THE TRANSITION.
THE FIRE CHIEF ISN'T CONCERNED ABOUT CLOSING TWO STATIONS THAT'S BECAUSE HE DOESN'T LIVE IN THIS CITY AND WILL LIKELY RETIRE.
IF IT GOES THROUGH LET'S CLOSE TWO STATIONS AND KEEP WEST COVINA FIRE AND SEE WHAT HE THINKS WHEN HE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR LONGER RESPONSE TIMES, HE IS BEING USED BY A POND BY THE CITY COUNCIL AND CITY MANAGERS TO DO THEIR DIRTY WORK.
THE CITY MANAGER FIRED THE PREVIOUS FIRE CHIEF WHO WAS PRO WEST COVINA FIRE AND AGAINST GOING COUNTY, BUT NOT POPULAR WITH THE UNION BECAUSE HE HELD THEM ACCOUNTABLE.
THE FIRE CHIEF WAS ALSO ABLE TO MAKE A 10% CUT TO HIS BUDGET DUE TO TOUGH ECONOMIC TIMES YET FIRED.
SADLY CORRUPTION IS RAMPANT WITH THIS COUNCIL AND CITY MANAGER.
MAYOR WU CARES ONLY ABOUT HIMSELF.
HIS LEADERSHIP STYLE IS THAT OF A DICTATOR WHO HAS AT LEAST TWO OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS AFRAID TO THINK FOR THEMSELVES.
ALL MONICA CASTRO COREQ STREET RESIDENT.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JENNIFER GONZALES TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN.
I'M REACHING OUT AS A LONG TIME RESIDENT OF THE CITY.
I STRONGLY BELIEVE IT WOULD BE IN THE WEST.
COVINA IS BEST INTEREST TO LET LA
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COUNTY FIRE TAKE OVER OUR FIRE SERVICES, TO ALLEVIATE SOME FINANCIAL BURDEN AND MAKE MYSELF A FELLOW WEST COVINA CITIZEN FEEL SAFER.HER NEXT LETTER IS FROM J METER.
I'M A RESIDENT OF WEST COVINA.
I WOULD LIKE TO USE THIS TOWN HALL MEETING AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO REMIND THE CITY COUNCIL THAT DESPITE WHATEVER SUPPORT COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE RECEIVED FROM NON-RESIDENTS AND SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS, COUNCIL MEMBERS REPRESENT THE RESIDENTS OF WEST COVINA AND EXPECTED TO ACT IN OUR BEST INTEREST NON-RESIDENTS AND SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS DO NOT HAVE THE BEST INTEREST OF OUR CITY IN MIND AND DID NOT VOTE IN OUR ELECTIONS.
THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE ANY INFLUENCE IN THE AFFAIRS OF OUR CITY AND DO NOT GET TO HELP DECIDE THE FUTURE OF OUR CITY.
WE ALL UNDERSTAND BY NOW THE NEED TO TRIM THE CITY BUDGET, AND WE UNDERSTAND THE RESULT WILL BE LESS SERVICES.
THE FOCUS NEEDS TO REMAIN ON REDUCING SPENDING, NOT RESTRUCTURING THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, SIMPLY BECAUSE THE EMPLOYEES OF THAT DEPARTMENT DESIRE IT, EVEN WITH THE LACK OF ACTUAL COST FIGURES AND STATED SERVICE LEVELS THAT WOULD RESULT FROM ANY OF THE OPTIONS IS BECOME APPARENT THAT SWITCHING TO COUNTY FIRE WOULD NOT RESULT IN SAVINGS WOULD COST MORE.
ANOTHER REALITY THAT CANNOT BE LEFT OUT OF THE EQUATION IS THE VERY REAL POP PROBABILITY OF ANOTHER BALLOT MEASURE THAT WOULD INCREASE OUR PROPERTY TAXES TO SUPPORT COUNTY FIRE.
THE BALLOT MEASURE THAT WAS DEFEATED IN THE LAST ELECTION CYCLE WOULD HAVE INCREASED OUR PROPERTY TAXES.
HAD WE BEEN A PART OF THE COUNTY FIRE SYSTEM, OBVIOUSLY WE SHOULD BE LOOKING AT OTHER OPTIONS VERY CLOSELY, RATHER THAN TRYING TO JUSTIFY A MOVE TO COUNTY FIRE BASED ON THE AMOUNT OF MANPOWER AND EQUIPMENT THE COUNTY HAS.
REALISTICALLY, THE MAJORITY OF THAT EQUIPMENT WILL NEVER BE USED IN WEST COVINA.
ANOTHER LOGICAL PLACE TO LOOK AS UNPOPULAR AS IT MAY BE, WOULD BE THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
SINCE IT USES THE LARGEST PERCENTAGE OF THE BUDGET.
I WILL NOT ADVOCATE A DEFUNDING OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, BUT WE CANNOT ASK PEOPLE TO COME TO WORK.
IF WE DID NOT HAVE THE MONEY TO PAY THEM IN ANY EVENT.
LET'S REMEMBER THAT WHILE THERE IS AN ONGOING SPENDING PROBLEM IN OUR CITY THAT NEEDS TO BE DEALT WITH THIS CURRENT REVENUE DECREASE IS TEMPORARY AND DOES NOT JUSTIFY A KNEE JERK REACTION THAT WILL HAVE PERMANENT REPERCUSSIONS.
WE DO NOT NEED TO RUSH A DECISION OF THIS MAGNITUDE AND WE SHOULD NOT MAKE THIS DECISION AT ALL UNTIL WE HAVE THE INFORMATION NEEDED TO MAKE AN INFORMED CHOICE TO CONSIDER COST FIGURES AND RESPONSE TIMES AND STATE AS OUR CITY MANAGER DID THAT.
WE DO NOT HAVE A YEAR TO GATHER INFORMATION, DISCUSS THIS IN COMMITTEES IS RIDICULOUS.
AT SOME POINT, EACH COUNCIL MEMBER MUST BEGIN TO ENGAGE IN A DIALOGUE WITH THE RESIDENTS AND STOP HIDING BEHIND A WALL OF SILENCE, THE BROWN EGG OR WHATEVER THE EXCUSE DESIRE IS IT'S TIME TO LEAD, FOLLOW OR GET OUT OF THE WAY J METER.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS RANDY RICH, HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL.
AS A LONG TIME RESIDENT OF THE CITY OF WEST COVINA AND A RETIRED PUBLIC WORKS PROFESSIONAL.
I URGE YOU TO RECONSIDER STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION TO DISSOLVE THE WEST COVINA FIRE DEPARTMENT AND ENTER A LONGTERM CONTRACT WITH LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT.
REDUCING THE AMOUNT OF ACTIVE FIRE STATIONS THROUGHOUT THE CITY WILL SERIOUSLY IMPACT RESIDENTS.
YES, YOU CAN MAKE IT POINT THAT BY ALLOWING THE COUNTY TO TAKE OVER WILL RESULT IN MORE RESOURCES AT HAND WHEN NEEDED A POINT SUCH AS THAT CAN BE WELL TAKEN INTO INDIVIDUAL WHO DOESN'T UNDERSTAND THE BIG PICTURE OF HOW CIVIC RESPONSE WORKS MUTUAL AID CAN SERVE A COMMUNITY.
WELL, IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT LARGE FIRES, BUT NOWADAYS FIRES WITHIN WEST COVINA CITY LIMIT OCCUR FAR LESS OFTEN IMPROVED MANDATES AND FIRE CODES AND FIRE SUPPRESSION TECHNOLOGY HAS DRASTICALLY REDUCED THE NEED TO FIGHT STRUCTURE FIRES WITH AN INCORPORATED CITY.
LET'S NOT FORGET THAT MUTUAL AID WORKS IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE MUTUAL AID CAN ALSO BACKFIRE ON THE CITY OF WEST COVINA AND ITS RESIDENTS DUE TO OUR RESOURCES, POTENTIALLY BEING REDIRECTED AND ASSIGNED ELSEWHERE.
IF ANOTHER MEETING CAPACITY IS IN NEED BY REDUCING THE AMOUNT OF ACTIVE FIRE STATIONS THROUGHOUT THE CITY, THE RESIDENTS WHO WILL SUFFER MOST ARE THE ONES INVOLVED IN SERIOUS TRAFFIC COLLISIONS, HEART ATTACK, AND STROKE VICTIMS, AND ANY OTHER SINGLE FAMILY EMERGENCIES LIKE DROWNING OR FALLS.
IT'S THESE VICTIMS WHO WILL SUFFER FROM THE LONGER RESPONSE TIMES AND THOSE WHO WILL KNOCKING BENEFIT FROM MUTUAL AID.
ALSO WITH CONTRACTING FIRE SERVICES, THE DIRECTION THAT THE CITY IS GOING TO TAKE, ALI'S SHARE WITH ITS RESIDENTS AND YOUR CONSTITUENTS, THE WHOLE STORY.
DON'T JUST TELL US IT'S GOING TO SAVE MONEY.
SHOW US WHEN A CITY DEPARTMENT CHOOSES TO CONTRACT RATHER THAN USING IN HOUSE EMPLOYEES, THE RESIDENTS DESERVE JUSTIFICATION.
SHOW US HOW THE CITY PLANS TO CONTROL THE CONTRACT AGREEMENT, ANNUAL RISING COST PER SERVICE, THE POTENTIAL FOR FURTHER STATION REDUCTIONS TO NAME A COUPLE OF CONCERNS, NOT TO MENTION WHAT HAPPENS TO ALL THE CURRENT DEPARTMENTAL SUPPORT GIVEN TO OUR CITY OF WEST COVINA FIRE DEPARTMENT.
WHAT HAPPENS TO THE PUBLIC WORKS HUMAN RESOURCE FINANCE STAFF THAT CURRENTLY AIDS IN THE DAILY MANAGEMENT OF THE CITY'S FIRE DEPARTMENT, WILL
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THEY BE LAID OFF OR THEY SIMPLY HAVE LESS WORK, ULTIMATELY COSTING THE CITY MORE TO OPERATE LAST.I WOULD REGRET NOT POINTING OUT THAT THE MOST OBVIOUS FAILURE ON THE CURRENT CITY MANAGEMENT AND THE LAST THREE YEARS, THERE HAS BEEN AN EMBARRASSING UPTAKE IN ILLEGAL FIREWORKS AND EXPLOSIONS THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF COVINA.
I LEFT BIOWORKS AS MUCH AS ANYONE WHEN THEY'RE PROFESSIONALLY MANAGED.
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY PERFORMED ON THE PROPER CALENDAR DAY IN WHICH IT CALLS.
I EXPECT TO HEAR THEM ON NEW YEAR'S LEAVE AND THE 4TH OF JULY, BUT ALL OF A SUDDEN IT'S A THREE-MONTH OCCURRENCE.
AND FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF A RESIDENT, IT SEEMS THE CITY IS NOT ADDRESSING IT AT ALL.
I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND IF CITIZENS CHOOSE TO DISOBEY THE LAW, BUT IT WOULD BE NICE TO KNOW THAT THE RESIDENTS HAVE CONFIDENCE THAT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IS DOING ALL.
THEY CAN MEANING HELICOPTERS, DRONES, AND PATROLS AS A RESIDENT.
I DON'T SEE ANY OF THIS TERRIBLE PROBLEM THAT IS AFFECTING EVERYONE.
AND WHEN A PROBLEM OCCURS WITH THE ILLEGAL FIREWORKS, THE FIRST RESPONDING AGENCY WILL NOW BE THE ONE WITH LESS STATIONS, FURTHER SPREAD OUT.
AND FOR THE RESPONSE TIME, HOW DOES THIS MAKE ANY SENSE? THE MAYOR AND THE CITY COUNCIL'S JOB IS TO PROTECT THE RESIDENTS, NOT SUBJECT THEM TO ADDITIONAL VULNERABILITY IN SHORT.
HOW CAN YOU REACH OUT TO THE RESIDENTS WITH THIS TOWN HALL MEETING AND HOPE TO GET A POSITIVE REACTION, TO LIKELY THE LARGEST CONTRACT AGREEMENT IN THE CITY'S HISTORY THAT IS SURE TO NEGATIVELY IMPACT THE COMMUNITY? HOW CAN YOU EXPECT SUPPORT WITH THIS MAJOR DECISION? WHEN SOME OF THE MOST BASIC FUNDAMENTALS OF GOVERNING ARE NOT OCCURRING, I RECOMMEND FIRST USING YOUR CURRENT RESOURCES EFFECTIVELY AND EFFICIENTLY.
THAT WOULD BE ONE WAY TO GAIN THE TRUST OF THE CITIZENS OF WEST COVINA SO THAT WE CAN GAIN THE CONFIDENCE IT TAKES TO SUPPORT BIG DECISIONS LIKE DISSOLVING THE CITY OF WEST COVINA FIRE DEPARTMENT, VERY LARGE CONTRACT AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY.
HER NEXT LETTER IS FROM BETTY TAYLOR AS THE 37 YEAR WEST QUEEN RESIDENT.
I'VE ALWAYS BELIEVED WE HAVE GREAT FIRE SERVICES HERE.
I WANT TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF THE CONVERSION OF OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT TO COUNTY PARK DEPARTMENTS.
I UNDERSTAND THE REASONING IS SOLELY FOR THE PURPOSE OF SAVING MONEY.
AND YET, FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, NO MONEY WILL BE SAVED BY THE CITY.
IT MAY EVEN BE MORE OF AN EXPENSE.
I ASK ALL INVOLVED IN THIS DECISION MAKING TO LOOK AT IT FROM THE RESIDENT'S PERSPECTIVE AND DO WHAT IS RIGHT FOR US AFTER ALL YOU'RE THE CITY COUNCIL ELECTED BY THE SAME RESIDENTS WHO PLACED THEIR TRUST IN YOU WHEN THEY VOTED FOR YOU AND CITY MANAGER, PLEASE MANAGE THIS CITY WITH THE RESIDENTS' CONCERN AND SAFETY IN MIND, WHICH BRINGS ME TO QUESTION WHY US, THE RESIDENTS WILL NOT BE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO VOTE ON THIS MEASURE.
ISSUE GRAVELY AFFECTING OUR SAFETY, BETTY TAYLOR
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS GAY ADAMS. HELLO, MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS.
MY NAME IS GAYE ADAMS. I'VE BEEN A RESIDENT OF WEST COVINA FOR OVER 60 YEARS.
BOY, HAVE I SEEN A LOT OF CHANGES OVER THE YEARS? AND THE RECENT CHANGE HAS NOT BEEN GOOD.
WEST COVINA NEEDS TO KEEP ITS FIRE DEPARTMENT IN HOUSE.
I HAD A STROKE A FEW YEARS BACK AND I APPRECIATE THE GREAT SERVICE I RECEIVED FROM OUR WEST COVINA FIREFIGHTERS.
I AM THE RETIRED EL MONTE FIRE CHIEF SECRETARY.
I WAS THE LAST AFTER I RETIRED EL MONTE TO LA COUNTY FIRE.
I HAVE WORKING KNOWLEDGE ON HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO KEEP LOCAL CONTROL AND TO NOT OUTSOURCE IMPORTANT FUNCTIONS SUCH AS FIRE.
I KNOW HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO KEEP PUBLIC SAFETY POLICE AND FIRE AS A PART OF THE CITY GOVERNMENT, PLEASE LISTEN TO YOUR RESIDENTS.
RESIDENTS SUCH AS MYSELF HAVE LIVED HERE LONGER THAN MOST AND HAVE FIRSTHAND KNOWLEDGE OF THE IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING FIRE SAFETY.
PART OF WEST COVINA IS LOCAL GOVERNMENT, SINCERELY GAY ADAMS. HER NEXT LETTER IS FROM JEAN TRIPE.
I'VE BEEN A WEST COMMUNITY RESIDENT SINCE 1976, AND I'M GREATLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE PROPOSAL TO END CITY FIRE SERVICES AND MOVE THEM TO COUNTY CONTROLLED SERVICES.
I UNDERSTAND THE CITY IS FACING DIFFICULT BUDGET PROBLEMS DUE TO POOR MANAGEMENT, BUT THIS IS NOT AN ACCEPTABLE SOLUTION.
UNLESS A THOROUGH COST ANALYSIS HAS BEEN DEVELOPED AND EVALUATED.
A COST ANALYSIS SHOULD BE PREPARED BY AN INDEPENDENT SOURCE BEFORE ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION TAKES PLACES.
I DO NOT APPROVE MAKING A DECISION TO MOVE FIRE SERVICES OUT OF THE CITY UNTIL SUCH TIME AS AN INDEPENDENT COST ANALYSIS IS AVAILABLE TO THE CITIZENRY JEAN JAIPUR.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS RONALD AND DEBORAH.
OUR VOTE IS NO, SINCE YOU CANNOT GIVE US AN ACCOUNTING AND EVERYTHING POINTS TO LOSING TWO FIRE STATIONS AND THE COST GOING UP INSTEAD OF DOWN THEN NO, AND OUR HOUSEHOLD HAS TWO VOTES.
ARE YOU LISTENING? LEDDY
OUR NEXT LETTER IS FROM JANE RICH.
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BEEN A RESIDENT OF WEST COVINA FOR OVER 50 YEARS.I AM AGAINST CONTRACTING FIRE SERVICES WITH LOS ANGELES COUNTY FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS.
ONE CONTRACTING OUT WE'LL LOSE FISCAL CONTROL, AN IMPORTANT FUNCTION, FIRE SAFETY.
AFTER THE HONEYMOON PERIOD OF A SET CONTRACT COST, THE COST FOR LA COUNTY FIRE WILL GO UP.
EACH YEAR IN WEST COVINA WILL NOT BE ABLE TO CONTROL THE YEARLY COST.
OTHER CITIES THAT HAVE CONTRACTED WITH LA COUNTY FIRE SEE SUBSTANTIAL INCREASES TO THEIR CONTRACT EACH YEAR TO TRANSITION TO LA COUNTY FIRE WILL BE EXPENSIVE.
CURRENT WEST COVINA FIREFIGHTERS WELL HAVE TO HAVE THEIR ACCRUED TIME ON THE BOOKS PAID OUT.
HAS ANYONE RUN RAN THE NUMBERS ON OF THIS COST THREE, THERE WILL BE TRANSITION COST LA COUNTY FIRE FOR EQUIPMENT COMPATIBILITY.
HAS ANYONE RAN THE NUMBERS OF THE COST TO UPGRADE ALL THE EQUIPMENT, TO MEET LA COUNTY FIRE STANDARDS AND TO KEEP THE EQUIPMENT TO LA COUNTY FIRE STANDARDS FOR THE CITIZENS OF WEST COVINA, INCLUDING MYSELF VOTED NO ON TRANSITIONING TO COUNTY FIRE YEARS AGO.
WHAT MAKES YOU THINK WE WOULD WANT IT NOW? WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD WEST COVINA THINK THIS IS A GOOD IDEA.
WHEN THE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES FIRE HAS THEIR OWN DEFICIT, THEY'RE DEALING WITH WEST COVINA IS OBVIOUSLY FINANCIALLY DISTRESSED.
HOW WE'RE MAKING QUICK IRRATIONAL, PERMANENT DECISIONS SUCH AS SWITCH SWITCHING DELI COUNTY FIRE IS NOT THE SOLUTION.
SLOW DOWN, BE TRANSPARENT AND INVOLVE YOUR CITIZENS.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS GLORIA GRANADA, GRANADA, EXCUSE ME.
IT IS APPALLING THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE FOLLOWED THE CITY MANAGER SUGGESTION REGARDING CONTRACTING WITH LA COUNTY FOR FIRE SERVICES WITHOUT A COST ANALYSIS, DO NOT CONTRACT WITH LA COUNTY FIRE FOR FIRE SERVICES.
HAVE YOU NOT HEARD FROM THE WEST COVINA RESIDENTS THAT THEY HAVE HAD ENOUGH TAXES BY CONTRACTING WITH LA COUNTY? YOU ENSURE THAT THERE WILL BE INCREASES IN TAXES TO WEST COVINA RESIDENTS.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS KAREN BOW FOSSETTE BEFORE ANY DECISION IS MADE REGARDING THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, WE NEED AND DEMAND A BALANCED PRESENTATION SHOWING COST FIGURES FOR EACH SIDE, INCLUDING THE COST OF RETIREMENT DOLLARS, STILL OWED BY THE CITY TO CALPERS COMPLETE COST ANALYSIS FOR BOTH SIDES.
THE EFFECT EACH PLAN WILL HAVE ON THE RESIDENTS OF THE CITY.
THE DIFFERENCE IN SERVICE LEVELS OF SERVICE PROVIDED BY BOTH.
THANK YOU AS A PART OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION, WE ALSO ALLOWED THE PUBLIC TO, UH, SEND TEXT MESSAGES IN.
AND SO I'M GOING TO READ THEM.
DENATO ATTENTION, TOWN HALL MEETING MEMBERS.
THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I HEAR ABOUT DISSOLVING TO WEST COVINA FIRE STATIONS.
WHERE HAVE THE RESIDENTS BEEN NOTIFIED OF THIS ACTION? I WOULD STRONGLY RECOMMEND THE CITY COUNCIL POSTPONE THIS ACTIVITY UNTIL ALL RESIDENTS HAVE BEEN INFORMED PROPERLY.
I STARTED ASKING MY NEIGHBORS AND NO ONE KNOWS MOST ARE SENIORS AND HAVE NOT GONE OUT OF THEIR HOMES BECAUSE OF THE COVID-19 VIRUS.
THIS BY NO MEANS THEY THIS BY NO MEANS THEY ARE IN AGREEMENT.
PLEASE DO NOT VOTE ON THIS MATTER.
DURING THIS CRITICAL TIME, I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM SOMEONE AND BE INFORMED OF THE OUTCOME QUESTIONS FOR CITY COUNCIL.
IF YOU VOTE TO NOT CONTACT FA CONTRACT FIRE SERVICES TO LA COUNTY, HOW WILL YOU GO FORWARD TO FUND YOUR FIRE DEPARTMENT AND BRING THEM UP TO DATE WITH EQUIPMENT FACILITIES AND APPARATUSES? THERE IS NO NAME.
OUR NEXT COMMENT IS FROM USIF.
HOW IS SHUTTING DOWN TWO STATIONS GOING TO MAKE THE RESPONSE TIMES FASTER WHEN A 2014 OR 2013 FEASIBILITY REPORT HAD ALL FIVE FIRE STATIONS, BUT NOT A GUARANTEE OF QUICKER RESPONSE TIMES.
WHAT ARE THE TRANSITIONAL COSTS GOING TO BE? OUR NEXT COMMENT IS FROM FRANCIS SMOTHERS.
HI, I AM A SENIOR CITIZEN, 68 YEARS OLD, AND I WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO DO TO STOP FIREWORKS.
THEY KEEP GOING OFF AROUND MY HOME ON EMAR AND SHADOW OAK, AND IT IS SO LOUD SETS OFF CAR ALARMS AND SCARES ME IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.
THE NEIGHBOR'S DOG IS MISSING BECAUSE HE IS TOO SCARED.
HAVE SEEN AN INCREASE DUE TO COVID-19 CORONA VIRUS, PLEASE PATROL MORE.
AND THE WOODSIDE VILLAGE AREA MORE IS NEEDED.
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ALSO IT IS TOO MESSY NEAR BUSINESSES AND PARKS AROUND AZUSA AT THE AZUSA AREA.HOW CAN WE GET MORE CLEANED, TOO MANY HOMELESS, GET STUFF FROM THE GOODWILL, WHICH IS CLOSED AND MOVE GARBAGE EVERYWHERE AROUND SHOPPING CENTER.
PLEASE SEND A TEAM TO CLEAN UP.
SHE MEANT THE AZUSA EMAR SHOPPING ON THE 99 CENT STORE SIDE.
DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER SPEAKERS WHO WISH TO SPEAK? YEAH.
UH, SO I'M A FIRE CAPTAIN OF OUR STATION TWO AND I REPRESENT THE, UH, WEST COMING OF FIREFIGHTERS.
UM, I REALLY WANT TO JUST WAIT FOR THE PRESENTATION.
ALMOST EVERY CONCERN THAT I'VE HEARD IS EASILY DEBUNKED, UH, THROUGH SOME GOOD INFORMATION.
THE REASON THERE ISN'T A FACTUAL PROPOSALS, CAUSE IT'S NOT IN YET.
WE'RE STILL WAITING ON THE COUNTY.
THE FINAL NEGOTIATIONS EVERYONE'S GOING OFF OF A 2014 NUMBER.
PEOPLE ARE GETTING THEIR INFORMATION FROM FACEBOOK BECAUSE THE SAME PEOPLE WHO LIED ABOUT WHAT THE TAX MEANT ARE NOW LYING ABOUT WHAT THIS MEANS.
WE HAVE 90%, 99% OF OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT THINKS THAT THIS IS THE BEST MOVE FOR FIRE SAFETY.
THE INDUSTRY EXPERTS, OUR FIRE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION CHIMED IN TONIGHT.
THESE ARE THE PEOPLE ON THE FRONT LINES.
USUALLY THE PEOPLE WHO DRIVE TO THE SOUTH SIDE OF TOWN, WHEN YOU CALL NINE 11 FROM VALUABLE OF ART IN WEST COVINA, AND THE PARAMEDICS ARE BUSY, THE NEXT UNIT COMES FROM SUNSET AND CAMERON.
THAT'S WHY RESPONSE TIMES REGIONALLY MAKE SENSE.
I'M NOT GOING TO DRONE ON, BUT I WILL SAY THAT WHEN A FIRE HAPPENS IN WEST COVINA, I PERSONALLY HAVE A ONE IN THREE CHANCE OF BEING IN THAT HOUSE AND WHO I DEPEND ON IS OTHER FIREFIGHTERS.
AND WHEN WE HAVE 12 FIREMEN LEFT IN THE CITY AND A MUTUAL AID AGREEMENT THAT WE, I GOTTA WAIT 20 MINUTES FOR THAT IS NOT THE RIGHT WAY TO DO BUSINESS.
AND THIS FIRE DEPARTMENT IS NOT FUNDED, RIGHT? AND THERE IS NOT A LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL TO DO IT RIGHT? SO WE GOTTA START THINKING ABOUT THE ACTUAL FACTS HERE AND NOT GETTING OUR NEWS FROM FACEBOOK, NOT GETTING OUR NUMBERS FROM PEOPLE LIKE JIM, WHO MEANS WELL, BUT HE PUTS UP STUFF THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE.
JOHN SHOEMAKER, WHO WANTS TO GO OUT THERE AND PUT EVERYTHING ONLINE AS A, AS A FISHING FOR A QUESTION WITH HALF INFORMATION, SOMEONE WHO'S RUNNING FOR A COUNCIL SEAT WHO JUST WANTS TO CREATE CHAOS.
THIS IS NOT THE WAY WE LOOK AT THIS.
YOU COULD RESPECT THE INDUSTRY EXPERTS WHO ACTUALLY KNOW WHAT RESPONSE TIMES MEAN BY CLOSING A FIRE STATION BECAUSE THERE'S FOUR FIRE STATIONS, CLOSER TO STATION FIVE.
THEN THE NEXT CLOSEST WEST COVINA ONE IT'S IN THE PRESENTATION.
SO HAVE SOME PATIENTS AND LET YOUR CITY STAFF GIVE YOU WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR AND QUIT TRYING TO STIR EVERYONE UP AND CREATE CHAOS AND LISTEN TO THE ACTUAL PRESENTATION.
DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER SPEAKERS? CAN I GO AGAIN? NOT YET.
I HOPE WE CAN HAVE THE PRESENTATION.
GOOD EVENING, CITIZENS THAT ARE HERE FOR THE MEETING AND THOSE ONLINE WATCHING LIONS, VINCE CAPELLI, FIRE CHIEF WEST COVINA FIRE DEPARTMENT.
HOW HERE TO GIVE A PRESENTATION ON A FIRE EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES AND DELIVERY OPTIONS, UH, THAT HAVE BEEN, THAT HAVE BEEN PRESENTED AND TALKED TO, UH, EXCESSIVELY EXTENSIVELY OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS, COUPLE OF WEEKS.
AND HERE, WE'RE GOING TO GIVE YOU SOME MORE INFORMATION DURING THIS TOWN HALL MEETING.
AND HOPEFULLY AT DAN, WE CAN HAVE SOME DISCUSSION HAS BEEN REQUESTED.
OUR OBJECTIVES IS DO AN OVERVIEW OF THE FIRE EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES, AND THAT WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT FOUR FIRE SERVICE DELIVERY OPTIONS.
THOSE OTHER OPTIONS ARE NUMBER ONE, CONSOLIDATING FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY.
SECOND OPTION IS CONTRACT AMBULANCE, TRANSPORT SERVICES.
THIRD OPTION BROWN OUT AND HAVE REDUCED OVERTIME.
NUMBER FOUR WOULD BE CONTINUED.
FIRST I CAN TALK ABOUT OVER YOU, THE FARMERS, THE MEDICAL SERVICES.
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A LITTLE OVERVIEW SO PEOPLE CAN UNDERSTAND ON WHAT EQUIPMENT IS.THERE'S A LOT OF DISCUSSION OF WHAT APPARATUS ARE AND WHAT COMES TO YOUR HOUSE.
WHAT DOESN'T COME TO THE HOUSE.
WE WANT TO GIVE EVERYBODY A, JUST A VISUAL, WHAT THEY ARE CAUSE SEE ON THE LEFT, THERE'S A FIRE PUMPER ENGINE.
UH, CURRENTLY WE, UH, FIELD FOR THOSE EVERY DAY AND ON THE RIGHT IS A FIRE LADDER TRUCK.
UH, THE ONE WE HAVE IN WEST COVINA, WHICH IS RUNNING AS A FIRE ENGINE AND A TRUCK COMPANY OUT OF STATION FOUR IS QUINT CAPABLE, WHICH MEANS IT'S A TRUCK COMPANY THAT HAS LADDER GROUND LADDERS, WATER HOSES, AND A PUMP ON THE LEFT IS A PARAMEDIC RESCUE AMBULANCE WILL WE CURRENTLY USE IN WEST COVINA AS PARAMEDICS, TWO PARAMEDICS ON THAT TWO FIREFIGHTER PARAMEDICS.
THIS IS WHAT YOU'D GET ON THE LEFT.
IF YOU HAD ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT IN WEST COVINA ON THE RIGHT IS WHAT'S CALLED A PARAMEDIC RESCUE SQUAD WHERE YOU ALSO HAVE TWO PARAMEDICS ON THAT TWO FIREFIGHTER PARAMEDICS THAT RESPOND TO, UM, ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT CALLS THAT YOU'RE NOT TRANSPORT.
AND THE NEXT SLIDE TALKS ABOUT BASIC LIFE SUPPORT TRANSPORT, UH, JUST TO DIFFERENT VENDORS LOCALLY.
WE HAVE CARE AMBULANCE AMERICAN MEDICAL RESPONSE, AMBULANCE.
THOSE ARE EMT, EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIANS TRAINED AT THE LOWEST LEVEL OF EMERGENCY CARE, AND THEY ARE ABLE TO TRANSPORT THE SECOND INJURY.
THERE'S BEEN DISCUSSION ABOUT TIER DISPATCH, TIER DISPATCHES, UH, IS WHERE THE CALL TAKER.
WHEN YOU CALL NINE 11 EVALUATES A TYPE OF INCIDENT THAT YOU'RE CALLING ABOUT.
AND AT THAT TIME THEY WILL SEND THE APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF CARE DISPATCHED.
IF THEY'RE UNABLE TO TEAR WHAT DETERMINED WHERE IT IS, THE AIR ON THE HIGHER CARE, THEN THERE'S EMERGENCY MEDICAL DISPATCH ALSO KNOWN AS EMD.
THAT'S WHERE THE DISPATCHER WILL GIVE PRE-ARRIVAL MEDICAL CARE.
CURRENTLY IN WEST COVINA, WE WERE UNABLE TO DO TIER DISPATCH OR EMT AND ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT.
TRANSPORT IS A CALL WHERE THE PATIENT NEEDS ADVANCED LIFE CARE AND DURING THE TRANSPORTATION.
AND HE USED TO HAVE TWO PARAMEDICS ON THE SAME UNIT.
THAT RULE IS A LOCAL EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES AGENCY POLICY, A BASIC LIFE SUPPORT TRANSPORT IS A, WE HAVE TO EMT TRANSPORT THE PATIENT BECAUSE THEY DON'T NEED PARAMEDIC CARE.
AND THAT'S ALSO A LOCAL EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES AGENCY POLICY.
SO IF YOU CALL NINE ONE ONE, UH, YOU CURRENTLY WILL GET, UH, FOR EMERGENCY MEDICAL CALL.
YOU'LL GET ONE FIRE ENGINE, A THREE PERSON CRUISE HAS A CAPTAIN AND ENGINEER AND A FIREFIGHTER, AND YOU'LL GET A PARAMEDIC AMBULANCE WITH TWO PERSONS CREW.
IT WOULD A FIREFIGHTER PARAMEDICS.
UH, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF DISCUSSION ON WHY ARE WE SEND A FIRE ENGINE? AND DON'T WHY DON'T WE JUST SEND AN AMBULANCE? AND THE DISCUSSION SHOULD BE KNOWN AS THAT THERE'S, UH, EXTENSIVELY MORE FIRE ENGINES THROUGHOUT THE LOCATION.
THE REGION TO GO TO A CAR CAN GET THERE QUICKER TO START DOING CARE PRIOR TO THE NUMBER OF PARAMEDICS.
IT'S A FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE, A REGIONALLY APPROACH.
WE DO IT EVERYWHERE IN THE FIRE SERVICE FOR A FIRE EMERGENCY CALL.
YOU'LL GET 21 PERSON YOU'LL GET FOUR FIRE ENGINES, ONE FIRE TRUCK, TWO RESCUE ALEX'S AND ONE COMMAND UNIT.
CURRENTLY RIGHT NOW, WEST COVINA IS AS IF YOU LOOK AT THIS, WE CURRENTLY FEEL, UH, ONE MORE RESCUE AMBULANCE THEN WOULD GO TO THAT FIRE CALL FOR A TOTAL OF 23 DAILY.
SO IF THERE WAS ANY OTHER TYPE OF CALL IN THE CITY, YOU WOULD ONLY HAVE ONE AMBULANCE AVAILABLE.
FIRST OPTION A FIRE SERVICE THAT WE'RE GONNA DISCUSS IS CONSOLIDATED FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY.
THE OPTIONS FOR CONSOLIDATE LOS ANGELES COUNTY MODEL WOULD BE THAT STATION ONE WOULD BE CLOSED AND IT WOULD BE AVAILABLE FOR SALE OR LEASE OR ANY OTHER USE FOR THIS CITY STATION TWO WOULD HOUSE, A TRUCK COMPANY THAT WOULD BE QUICK CAPABLE.
THE ONE ENGINEER, TWO FIREFIGHTERS, THERE WOULD BE A PARENTHOOD SQUAD WITH TWO FIREFIGHTER PARAMEDICS STATION THREE WOULD HOUSE AN ENGINE COMPANY WITH A CAPTAIN ENGINEER, ONE FIREFIGHTER AND A PARAMEDIC SQUAD TWO FIREFIGHTER PARAMEDICS STATION FOUR WOULD HAVE AN INTERCOMPANY, ONE CAPTAIN, ONE ENGINEER, ONE FIREFIGHTER PARAMEDIC, TWO PARAMEDIC, AND THE PARENTS GO OUT TO FIRE FRANK'S MISTAKE THERE, AND STATION FIRE WOULD BE CLOSE AND IT'D BE AVAILABLE FOR SALE OR LEASE OR OTHER YOUTH BY THE CITY CONTRACT FEE FOR SERVICE LOGS IN THE COUNTY FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT IS THE REGIONAL APPROACH FOR FIRE SERVICE ANNEXATION INTO LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE PROTECTION PROVIDES EQUIPMENT PERSONNEL, TRAINING, STATION MAINTENANCE AND FEE FOR SERVICE AGREEMENT.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY ASSUMES ALL LIABILITY FOR FIRE SUPPRESSION AND PREVENTION SERVICES.
OUR CURRENT WEST COMMUNION FIRE DEPARTMENT MEMBERS ARE ELIGIBLE TO TRANSFER AND LOS ANGELES COUNTY
[01:25:01]
ASSUMES ALL FUTURE RETIREMENT COSTS.NOW YOU SHOULD NOTE THAT THE CITY COSTS INCLUDE A UNFUNDED LIABILITY AND RETIRE MEDICAL.
AND THIS ALSO ASSUMES IS NOT, IS NOT, IS NOT TAKEN INTO EFFECT INTO THE COUNTY NUMBER.
AND IT ALSO ASSUMES IN THE 2021 BUDGET THAT THERE IS GOING TO BE BROWN OUTS AND YOU WILL BE SHUTTING DOWN TO GET THAT NUMBER FOR 2021 SECTION A SECOND OPTION IS CONTRACT MEDICAL TRANSPORT SERVICES IN THIS OPTION.
THERE'S A PRIVATE AMBULANCE CONTRACT AND IT'S HAS TWO OPTIONS.
AND THE LEASE FOR SERVICE MODEL OPTION ONE PROVIDES UNLIMITED AMBULANCES THAT IS SET STANDARD NINE MINUTES AND 90% INCLUDES ALL PATIENT BUILDING ALL REVENUE ABOVE A NON-PARAMETRIC TRANSPORT, WHICH IS ESTIMATED THROUGH OUR 2018.
19 TRANSPORTS IS REFUNDED BACK TO THE CITY.
AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION PROGRAM IS NOT AVAILABLE TO THE RESIDENTS OFTEN TOO.
AND A PRIVATE ALICE CONTRACT IS A LEASE FOR SERVICE MODEL DEDICATED TO UNITS WITHIN A CITY AT ALL TIMES FOR A COST OF ESTIMATE OF $1 MILLION.
EXTRA AMBULANCE NEEDS BEYOND TO CHARGE AT $90 PER HOUR ESTIMATE, APPROXIMATELY $200,000 IN REVIEW OF OUR 19 2018, 19 TRANSPORTS CITY RETAINS BILLION SERVERS WITH CURRENT VENDOR ANNUAL REVENUES, ROUGHLY TWO POINT $3 MILLION.
THE AMA SUBSCRIPTION PROGRAM IS STILL AVAILABLE TO THE RESIDENTS.
THIS REORDERING, THIS REORGANIZATION THROUGH ELIMINATION, TWO FIRE ENGINES, A THREE PARAMEDIC RESCUE EMPHASIS CONTRACT PATIENT TRANSPORT, PRIVATE AMA SERVICE.
THERE WERE TWO ENGINE COMPANIES WITH THREE PERSONNEL WOULD BE STAFF AT FOUR PERSONNEL.
ONE TRUCK COMPANY WITH FOUR PERSONNEL REMAIN FOUR PERSONNEL.
TWO INTO COMMENTS WITH THREE PERSONNEL WILL BE ELIMINATED.
AND THREE S GALLERISTS WITH TWO PERSONNEL BE ELIMINATED.
THE DAILY STAFFING FOR THIS WOULD BE 13.
NUMBER THREE IS THE BROWNOUT WOULD REDUCED OVER TIME.
THE BROWNOUT WE CONTINUE WITH OUR CURRENT FIELDING OF RESOURCES IN YOUR COMPANY WOULD ONE CAPTAIN ENGINEER AND FIREFIGHTER PARAMEDIC AT STATION ONE WITH TWO FIREFIGHTER PARAMEDICS AND A PARAMEDIC RESCUE STATION TWO WOULD ENGINE COMPANY, CAPTAIN ENGINEER, FIREFIGHTER PARAMEDIC TWO PARAMEDIC RESCUES TWO FIREFIGHTER PARAMEDICS, ONE COMMAND VEHICLE ASSISTANT CHIEF STATION.
NUMBER THREE WOULD HAVE AN ENGINE COMPANY, ONE CAPTAIN, ONE ENGINEER, ONE FIREFIGHTER STATION NUMBER FOUR WOULD HAVE A TRUCK COMPANY THAT'S QUAINT, CAPABLE, CAPABLE WITH A CAPTAIN ENGINEER FIREFIGHTER AND ONE FIREFIGHTER PARAMEDIC AND A PARAMEDIC RESCUE WITH TWO FIREFIGHTER PARAMEDICS STATION FIVE WOULD HAVE AN ENGINE COMPANY, ONE CAPTAIN, ONE ENGINEER, ONE FIREFIGHTER CONTINUE CURRENT FIRE EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES, EMS OPERATIONS.
AND AS I JUST DESCRIBED, UH, OPTION THREE SAME SERVICES
THERE'S TWO ENGINES, A QUINT AND TWO RESCUE AMBULANCES ARE ALSO NEEDED OR WERE IN NEED OF, UH, EQUIPMENT, PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT, BREATHING APPARATUS AND COMMUNICATIONS.
UH, WE CURRENTLY NEED ENGINE FOUR BACK IN SERVICE, THE PERSONNEL FOR THAT DEPUTY FIRE MARSHALL ON A FIRE SPECTER.
WE ALSO NEED TRAINING FOR HAZARD MATERIALS
[01:30:01]
AND URBAN SEARCH AND RESCUE IN THIS SLIDE.AND THIS SLIDE, IT SHOWS THAT, UH, THE CITY OF WEST COVINA IN RELATED TO THE CITY OF MANHATTAN BEACH, BEVERLY HILLS AND PALACE VERDE IS, UM, THE STATES, WHICH ARE THE OTHER THREE CITIES ARE CITIES THAT ALSO DO NOT HAVE ANY INCREASE UTILITY TAXES OR SALES TAX.
AND THEY FUND THEIR FIRE DEPARTMENTS AT THE NUMBERS.
YOU CAN SEE THEY'RE IN A COST PER POPULATION.
THE COST PER CAPITA NATIONALLY IS $348 THAT WE SPEND ON A FIRE DEPARTMENT IN CALIFORNIA.
THE STANDARD FOR COST PER CAPITA IS 414 IN WEST COVINA.
WE ONLY SPENT $191 PER CAPITA FOR OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT.
THE SECOND CHART IS THE CITIES WITH SALES TAX INCREASE OR A USER UTILITY OR UTILITY USERS TAX.
THESE ARE CITIES THAT HAVE DUAL SERVICE, WHICH MEANS THEY PROVIDE FIRE AND POLICE.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE AGAIN, A WEST COVINA SERVES WELL BELOW WHAT THE OTHER CITIES THAT DUAL SERVICE DO AND FIREFIGHTERS PER CAPITA NATIONALLY IS A THOUSAND.
LOCALLY IS 1100 AND CURRENTLY WEST COVINA HAS, UH, HAS TO HAVE A ONE FIREFIGHTER FOR EVERY 1500 FIREFIGHTERS, EXCUSE ME, 1041 PER POPULATION COST AND COMPARISON FOR CONSOLIDATED FIRE DISTRICT.
YOU SEE THE COUNTY HAS CONSOLIDATED FIRE DISTRICT STATION TWO WITH A QUANT FOR POSITIONS AT 3 MILLION, $333,716 ONE PERMANENT SQUAD AT TWO POSITIONS FOR $840,000 STATION THREE, AN ENGINE COMPANY AT THREE POSITIONS FOR $2,629,351.
PARENTS SQUAD TWO POSITIONS, 1 MILLION, $260,000 AND STATION FOUR ENGINE COMING, THREE POSITIONS, 2,629,351 AND A PARENT'S SQUAD FOR TWO POSITIONS, 1 MILLION, $260,048.
AND, UH, AND YOU MAY BE ASKING WHY ARE THE NUMBERS SEPARATE? IS THAT A DIFFERENT BECAUSE THEY OPT IN A COST SHARE AND THEY WILL PAY FOR SOME OF THE RESOURCES ON THESE APPARATUS AND THIS WAY, UM, CAUSE THEY KNOW IT DOES SORT OF WEST COVINA AND ALSO OTHER COMMUNITIES AS WELL THAT ARE COMMUNITIES, REGIONALLY APPROACH SEARCH WEST COVINA.
ON THE RIGHT SIDE, YOU SEE A CITY OF WEST COVINA CURRENTLY AT STATION FOR IF WE HAD THE SAME MODEL STATION TWO AND WE HAD A QUINN OF FOUR POSITIONS, IT WOULD BE A COST OF $2,940,000 ONE RESCUE ADMINS, TWO POSITIONS, 1 MILLION, 343,000 STATION THREE ENGINE COMPANY, THREE POSITIONS, 2 MILLION, 400,000 REST GAMBLERS, TWO POSITIONS, 1 MILLION, 343,000 STATION FOR INTERCOMPANY THREE POSITIONS, 2 MILLION, 400,000 REST GALLONS, TWO POSITIONS, ONE POINT 343,000.
AND IN THIS MODEL THERE'S NO COST SHARING OR REGIONALIZATION WHERE WE'LL HAVE A SHARING OF RESOURCES.
AND IF YOU SEE ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE, UH, SORRY, UH, LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE STATIONS, ONLY IF WE, WE TOOK THIS MAP AND EVALUATED, UM, ALL THE COUNTY FIRE STATIONS THAT ARE AROUND WEST COVINA AND WE DID NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE THREE FIRE STATIONS THAT WOULD REMAIN IN WEST COVINA.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE THE LA COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT, AGAIN, JUST UTILIZING THE FIRE STATIONS OUTSIDE OF OUR DISTRICT OUTSIDE OF OUR CITY BOUNDARIES CAN REACH THE ENTIRE CITY WITHIN SIX MINUTES.
AND THERE'S A NUMBER OF OVERLAPPING WHEN YOU SEE THE NUMBER, THE COLORS THAT ARE DARKER, THAT MEANS THERE'S OVERLAPPING OF LA COUNTY STATIONS THAT CAN REACH CITY RESIDENTS IN SIX MINUTES ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, IT TAKES AN EFFECT AND TO AFFECT THE, UM, STATIONS AS WELL AS THE WEST COVINA STATIONS EXISTING DURING REGIONAL MODEL.
AND YOU CAN SEE THAT THE DOUBLING THE OVERLAP IS A LOT MORE AND WE HAVE REASONABLE STATIONS COVER THE ENTIRE AREA.
YOU CAN SEE, WE ARE SURROUNDED BY A NUMBER OF FIRE STATIONS AND, UM, THERE'S A NUMBER OF FIRES HERE IN THE CLOSER TO NUMBER AREAS WITHIN THE CITY, AS WELL AS SOME OF OUR AREAS ARE CLOSER TO LA COUNTY, UM, SPEAR OF INFLUENCE, UH, AND THEIR JURISDICTION THAT CAN BE UTILIZED DURING REGIONALIZATION.
THIS SLIDE HERE IS A LOS ANGELES COUNTY, A FIRE MODEL.
UH, WE TOOK IN CONSIDERATION, UH, CITIES OF AZUSA, COVINA, EL MONTE AND POMONA.
AND WE LOOKED AT THE YEAR THAT THEY BEGAN THEIR CONTRACT WITH LA COUNTY AND WE GOT THE CONTRACTS FROM THERE AND SPOKE TO THEM AND LOOKED AT WHAT THEIR CONTRACT WAS FOR 20 1920.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE IN, UM, AZUSA OVER THE 24 YEARS, 23 YEARS,
[01:35:01]
THEIR AVERAGE INCREASE PER YEAR WAS 3.2%.EL MONTE IS, IS 3.8 AND POMONA IS 3.5.
SO WITH THIS GOING BY THE CITY BUDGETS, WE ALSO TOOK AN EFFECT.
WE TOOK AN ACCOUNT, THE CITY OF WEST COVINA AND OUR OWN BUDGETS FROM 1996 UNTIL 2019.
AND, UM, AVERAGE PERCENT INCREASE PER YEAR IS 4.5%.
AND I'M SURE THERE'S QUESTIONS.
WHAT I FIND SO INFURIATING AND IT IS INFURIATING.
IT'S BEEN ON SOCIAL MEDIA BEFORE THE ELECTION.
I'VE DEALT WITH MIKE, I'VE DEALT WITH MATT ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE ONE ANSWER, THE ONE CONSTANT IS NO CHANGE TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, NO CHANGE TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, NO CHANGE TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
WE'RE HAVING TO BE FORCED TO WORK OVERTIME, NO CHANGE TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
EVENTUALLY THIS PARTICULAR PROCESS, NONE OF YOU WERE HERE.
ALL OF THE INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE GOT FIRED, PUSHED OUT.
NOW IF WE WERE RESPECTED BY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND MANY OF US AREN'T, WE COULD DIALOGUE.
I DO THINK THERE'S SOME NEEDS THAT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED, BUT THEY HAVE A HIGH ABSENTEEISM, RIGHT? AND THAT WHOLE INDUSTRY IT'S PRETTY WELL KNOWN.
AND YOU HAVE TO COVER THEM WITH OVERTIME.
IF WE COULD JUST SEE A LITTLE BIT OF EFFORT ON THEIR PART TO RECOGNIZE THIS IS NOT A WEALTHY CITY OF BEVERLY HILL RESIDENTS.
OKAY? MOST OF THEM, TO MY KNOWLEDGE, ALL OF THE FIREFIGHTERS DO NOT LIVE IN WEST COVINA.
I WOULD LOVE TO BE WORKING WITH THE CITY AND SOLVING THIS PROBLEM.
I DO THINK THEY NEED SOME EQUIPMENT, BUT THEY HAVE TO GIVE SOMETHING BACK ONCE IN A WHILE TOO, WHICH IS A RESPECT FOR OUR BUDGET.
THIS IS INFURIATING BECAUSE IT'S MORE OF THE SAME, ABSOLUTELY MORE OF THE SAME.
WHAT HAPPENS TO THE LOCAL CONTROL COUNTY? FIRE HAS MEASURED OVERTIME ISSUES.
WE WANT OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT BADLY.
WHEN THE FINANCE DIRECTOR IN AN AUDIT COMMITTEE MEETING HAPPENED AND I'VE TRANSCRIBED.
IT HAPPENED TO MENTION THIS AS ONE OF THE OPTIONS BEING EXPLORED WITH THE BUDGET.
THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN RESPECTIVELY, RESPECTFULLY TRANSPARENT TO THE PUBLIC.
LIKE IT HAD ALWAYS BEEN IN THE PAST.
THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IS THE ONE THAT IS CONSTANTLY WANTING TO GO FIRE.
SO WHY IN THE WORLD DID IT HAVE TO GET SHOVED ON US AT THE TAIL END OF THE BUDGET PROCESS.
PUBLIC SECTOR WORKS ON PROCESS AND LAWS AND TRANSPARENCY.
AND IN MY VIEW, HONESTY, AND WHEN YOU GUYS DO IT THIS WAY, YOU INFURIATE US.
YES, YOU NEED SOME STUFF, BUT WE ALSO NEED SOME RESPECT TO OUR BUDGETS AND IT'S JUST MISSING MIKE.
WHEN I DID THE, THE RIDE ALONG WITH, AT THERE, I CAME AWAY THINKING WHY IN THE HELL DID THE CITY BUY THAT DAMN QUINT? BECAUSE ALL THEY DO IS COMPLAIN ABOUT IT.
THEY WANT MORE AND MORE AND MORE.
THIS IS WEST COVINA, NOT BEVERLY HILLS.
DEVELOP WAYS, PLANNING FOR SOME
[01:40:01]
OF YOUR EQUIPMENT NEEDS AND PRIORITIZING AND GETTING THE SAFETY EQUIPMENT.MOST OF US WANT TO SEE THAT, BUT MOST OF US WANT, I HEAR SOMETHING TEAR, DISPATCHING SOME CHANGE, BUT WHAT ARE WE GET? WE JUST WATCH NOTHING.
I REALLY LIKE TO ENCOURAGE THE DIALOGUE.
CHIEF WOULD LIKE TO ANSWER A COUPLE OF POINTS IF THAT'S ALL RIGHT, WE'LL GET TO YOU NEXT.
IS THAT OKAY? APPRECIATE THAT.
AND I UNDERSTAND YOUR FRUSTRATION.
I DON'T SHOW THAT TO YOU, BUT I'M TRYING, AND IT'S AN EVALUATION INSPIRED APARTMENT THOUGH.
I HAVEN'T BEEN HERE AND I'M NEW TO THIS FIVE YEARS IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT FIRE SERVICES I'VE EVALUATED MANY JURISDICTIONS.
I KNOW A LOT OF FIRE DEPARTMENT FIRE CHIEF.
UH, CONTINUING IS SO A COUPLE COMMENTS THAT YOU MADE WAS, UM, IT'S ALL ABOUT BUDGET AND SAVINGS.
AND I WILL TELL YOU THAT EVALUATING THE FIRE SERVICE IN THE CITY.
AND I WILL SAY THAT IN MANY YEARS IN THE PAST THAT HAS BEEN DISCUSSED ABOUT CONSOLIDATING ANNEXATION OR REGIONALIZED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
I DON'T THINK IT WAS DONE GOOD AND BROUGHT AND USE THE CITIZENS AS PART OF IT TO SHOW THEM EXACTLY WHAT SERVICES YOU'RE GETTING.
AND I'M HERE TO TELL YOU THAT THE SERVICES WE'RE GIVING RIGHT NOW, IT'S PUTTING THE CITIZENS AT DANGEROUS, NOT ONLY TO SAVINGS, IT'S NOT ONLY THE SAVINGS OF THE MONEY, BECAUSE IF IT WAS MORE FOR THE COUNTY, I'M STILL TELLING YOU SAFETY AND SERVICE TO THIS COMMUNITY.
THE BEST WAYS FOR UTILIZATION RIGHT NOW WITH THE CURRENT RESOURCE THAT WE HAVE IN THE CITY.
OUR AVERAGE RESPONSE TIME IS SIX MINUTES, 43 SECONDS, A THIRD PARTY, INDEPENDENT NON-FIRE DEPARTMENT.
UM, EVALUATION COMPANY HAS SAID THAT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IN LA COUNTY CAN DO WITHOUT THE CITY AT STATIONS HERE CAN DO IT IN SIX MINUTES.
THAT'S LESS THAN WHAT, WHAT WE CAN DO.
THE OVERTIME THAT'S BEEN DISCUSSED.
YES MA'AM
I'M GOING TO ADD A NEW THING CAUSE YOU WEREN'T HERE.
BUT THE PREVIOUS CITY MANAGER, THE STATE FIRE STATION ON POINTY AND SUNSET, WHICH GOT ME VERY INVOLVED WAS THE ONE THEY WANTED TO CLOSE, MOVED DOWN TO PALM VIEW PARK.
THAT PARTICULAR STATION'S FALLING APART.
AND YOU WANT TO KEEP IT OPEN WITH THIS? THIS IS A FLAWED PLAN.
YOU'RE WHY IS IT THAT STATION STAYING IT'S OKAY.
CAUSE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO PUT IN A TON OF MONEY TO FIX IT.
LET'S PUT THE TON OF MONEY IN IT AND FIX IT AND KEEP YOU THAT'S THE POINT WHEN YOU GO APPROACH SOMETHING WITH WHY YOU HAVE TO GO COUNTY, WHICH HE HAS WANTED TO DO FOR YEARS.
THAT'S THE ONLY THING YOU'RE LISTENING TO GO COUNTY.
WHAT IF WE CAME UP WITH A WAY AND STARTED FIXING THINGS.
I WOULD HAVE TO SAY I, I AGREE WITH SOME OF THAT.
UM, AND WE HAVE ADVOCATE WELL AS THE CITY MANAGER AND, AND THE REST OF US THAT IF WE WERE ABLE TO FIND WAYS TO REVENUES INTO THE CITY BUDGET, TO FUND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT PROPERLY SO WE CAN HAVE THE CORRECT RESOURCES TO MITIGATE THE EMERGENCIES THAT ARE HERE AND BE AN ALL RISK FIRE DEPARTMENT.
I THINK EVERYBODY WOULD AGREE THAT WE WANT TO KEEP THE ESCALATE IN A FIRE DEPARTMENT, BUT AS WE'RE DOING BUSINESS NOW, AND THE WAY IT LOOKS FOR A LONGTERM FUTURE, WE'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE THOSE REVENUE STREAMS COMING INTO FUND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, GOOD OR BACKWARDS WHAT THE BIG, RIGHT? AND THEN THIS IS NATURE BUDGETING.
AND THEN CONTINUING WITH YOUR STATIONS IS, UH, WITH REDISTRICTING THROUGH REGIONALIZATION, YOU CAN ACTUALLY DECIDE WHAT STATIONS YOU WOULD NEED.
AND ALSO WHEN YOU'RE REGIONALIZATION, YOU DISCUSS WITH THE OTHER DISTRICT, ANY OF THOSE STATIONS, CAUSE WE COULD KEEP STATION ONE.
THE PROBLEM IS AT THIS TIME STATION WHILE WOULD NEED TO BE REBUILT AND STATION THREE WOULDN'T IT WOULD JUST NEED SOME WORK TO IT TO KEEP IT UP AND GOING.
WE WOULD HAVE TO REBUILD IT STATION ONE NEEDS TO BE REBUILT.
AND THAT WOULD BE AN ALTERNATIVE TO KEEP THAT AND HAVE THE COUNTY USE THAT ONE AS A REGIONAL ISTATION AND THEN REDISTRICT A DIFFERENT WAY.
SO WITH REGIONALIZATION, YOU CAN DECIDE WHICH WAY YOU WANT TO REDISTRICT DEPENDING WHAT FIRE STATIONS YOU USE.
[01:45:01]
OPTION.IF WE CHOSE TO READ THE ORIGINAL EYES TO USE STATION ONE OR STATION THREE, THE REASON STATION THREE WAS CHOSEN.
STATION ONE IS BEYOND REPAIR IT'S COSTLY.
AND THEN REVENUE STREAM IS NOT THERE.
YOU ALSO CALL IT ABOUT OVERTIME.
THERE HAS BEEN MUCH DISCUSSION ABOUT OVERTIME AND THE EXUBERANT OVERTIME COSTS.
WHAT WAS FAILED TO MENTION IS THAT ARTICLE FROM, UM, THE OVERTIME DID MENTION THAT MAJORITY OF THE OVERTIME WITHIN THE 20 1890 BUDGET OF LA COUNTY WAS DUE TO MUTUAL AID, FLOODS, EARTHQUAKES THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE NATION THROUGHOUT THE REGION.
A LOT OF THAT WAS, WAS DUE TO THE UNITS GOING THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE WORLD.
AND IT WAS REIMBURSED TO THE COUNTY TIER DISPATCHING.
WE SHOULD BE HAVING, WE ARE THE ONLY DEPARTMENT IN LA COUNTY DOES NOT HAVE TIER DISPATCHING LA COUNTY FIRE DOES TIER DISPATCHING.
AS I DISCUSSED, WE DON'T HAVE THAT HERE.
AND WE DON'T SEE THE REVENUE STREAM TO ALLOW THAT TO BE USED WITHIN WEST COVINA.
THE DISPATCH CENTER WOULD NEED PER NEW PERSONNEL.
WE NEED NORMALLY TO GET THE SOFTWARE MORE AND MORE EQUIPMENT.
SO THAT RESOURCE AND THAT VERY VITAL TOOL TO GET THE PROPER RESOURCES TO SERVICE THE COMMUNITY IS NOT AVAILABLE IN WEST COVINA, BUT IT IS AVAILABLE AT REGIONALIZATION PROMISE.
WELL, THIS IS A PRETTY, UH, SELF-EVIDENT CON JOB PUT ON BY THE WEST COVINA FIRE DEPARTMENT.
I MEAN, I CAN, I CAN TELL WHEN I'M BEING HAD, UH, THIS IS GOING TO HAVE TO GO BEFORE THE WEST CAMINO VOTERS.
IT'S IT'S BEEN BEFORE THE VOTERS BEFORE, AND IT REALLY IS.
THERE'S NO NEED TO GET IT BEFORE THE VOTERS AGAIN, BECAUSE BEN, WHEN IT'S BEEN BEFORE THE VOTERS IN THE PAST, YOU KNOW, IT'S GOING TO GO DOWN BY 70 OR 80%.
THEY'VE BEEN WANTING TO GO COUNTY FOR YEARS.
AND UNFORTUNATELY I DON'T, I, I DON'T SEE ANY CITY COUNCILMAN HERE.
THEY'RE PRO THEY'RE PROBABLY NOT TOO INTERESTED IN INPUT FROM THE PUBLIC.
MAYBE THEY'RE MAYBE THEY'RE THE THEY'RE AT THEIR HOMES DOING THE ZOOM THING, BUT THEY'RE, THEY'RE NOT HERE.
UH, LISTENING TO ALL THE COMMENTS.
WE HAVE A VACUUM OF LEADERSHIP IN THE CITY.
THEY'VE ADVOCATED A FISCAL EMERGENCY MEANS THEY'RE NOT POLICY MAKERS ANYMORE.
THE STAFF MAKES THE DECISIONS AND ALL THEY DO IS DO THEIR RUBBER STAMP.
THERE THERE'S NO POLICY MAKERS.
AND EVEN IF THERE WERE POLICY MAKERS, THE PEOPLE ON THE COUNCIL HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO NEGOTIATE A CONTRACT WITH THE LA COUNTY.
MOST OF THE CITIES THAT HAVE DONE THAT HAVE, UH, REGRETTED IT, THEY'VE GONE COUNTY AND THEY'RE STUCK THERE.
A JIM GRITCHES NAME WAS MENTIONED IN A NEGATIVE LIGHT, UH, DURING THE TESTIMONY.
WELL, THAT'S VERY INTERESTING.
HE'S PROBABLY THE ONLY RESIDENT OR A FEW RESIDENTS IN WEST COVINA THAT IT'S ACTUALLY STUDIED THE NUMBERS.
HE'S THE ONLY ONE, YOU KNOW, THE FIREFIGHTERS COME UP HERE AND SAY, WE'RE THE EXPERTS AND BELIEVE US WHILE THEY'RE CANNINESS TO GO TO LA COUNTY, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT'S ABSURD.
I MEAN, HE SHOULD GO ON AS A COMEDIAN, YOU KNOW, UH, LATE AT NIGHT AND TELL THOSE STORIES.
BUT, UH, JIM'S THE ONLY ONE THAT HAS ACTUALLY SERIOUSLY STUDIED THE NUMBERS AND, AND HE'S NOT ONLY MEAS.
WELL, HE'S ALSO ABSOLUTELY CORRECT.
AND THE ONLY WAY TO PROVE THAT IS TO, TO PUT THIS ISSUE ON THE BALLOT AGAIN, AND THE, THE, THE VOTERS ARE WISE, THEY'LL FIGURE IT OUT AND IT'LL JUST DISAPPEAR.
I COULD TALK ABOUT NUMBERS FOR A LONG TIME, BUT I'M I'M AS, AS WAS SAID, UH, I AM A NUMBERS PERSON.
I'M CONSIDERED A STATE EXPERT ON FISCAL, UH, ISSUES.
[01:50:02]
I'M REALLY IRRITATED WHEN INFORMATION IS PUT UP NO NUMERICAL INFORMATION, THIS IS PLAIN FALSE.AND IN THIS CASE, THERE WAS A CHART ON THAT TABLE THAT SAID, COMPARED THE COST OF THE CITY OF WEST COVINA TO THE COST OF THE COUNTY, IT WAS JUST WRONG.
WHAT WAS LEFT OUT WAS THE FACT THAT WEST CABANA, LIKE EVERY OTHER CITY HAS TO PAY AN EXTRA CHARGE, UH, IN THE COUNTY CONTRACT.
THE COUNTY MAKES A DETERMINATION THAT THEY NEED CERTAIN EQUIPMENT OR WHATEVER, AND THEY JUST TACK IT ONTO THE BILL THAT WAS NOT ON YOUR CHART.
AND RIGHT NOW WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO PAY A BIG NUMBER BECAUSE WE NEED A LOT OF STUFF.
AND THE SECOND THING THAT WAS LEFT OUT, LET ME FINISH MY STATEMENT.
IF YOU WANT TO TALK, WE SHOULD HAVE A POSITION.
WHERE IS THAT BASIS? THAT FACT IS THAT'S NOT TRUE.
THERE IS A SECTION THAT TALKS ABOUT, IF YOU DON'T HAVE, YOU HAVE DEFICIENCIES IN EQUIPMENT OR FACILITIES, IT'LL HAVE TO BE FIXED.
AND WE HAVE A LOT OF DEFICIENCIES IN EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES THAT HAVE TO BE FIXED AND THAT'S GOING TO COST US AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO PAY FOR IT.
THEY'RE NOT GOING TO PAY FOR IT.
LIKE WE TALKED, WE'RE GOING TO GET THAT CONVERSION COST, JIM, AND WE CAN DISCUSS IT.
THAT'S GOING TO BE, AND THEN ANYTHING UNDER A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS A CONTRACT, THEY DON'T CHARGE.
SO HE DOESN'T GET CHARGED FOR THAT.
MY POINT IS THAT THAT WASN'T ON YOUR CHART WHEN YOU'RE DOING A COMPARISON BETWEEN WHAT WE'RE PAYING AND WHAT THE COUNTY IS GOING TO CHARGE US.
YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE ALL THE NUMBERS THERE, THE BIG NUMBER THAT'S MISSING.
THE WHOLE THING IS THE FACT THAT WE ARE STILL ON THE HOOK FOR PENSION AND MEDICAL, FOR RETIREES.
THAT'S 4 MILLION A YEAR THAT COMPLETELY SWITCHES THE NUMBERS.
INSTEAD OF US LOOKING LIKE WE'RE MORE EXPENSIVE.
THE COUNTY, ALL OF A SUDDEN WE'RE CHEAPER WITH BECAUSE WHEN WE DO OUR OWN, WE PAY FOR OUR MEDICAL AND OUR PENSION, THE COUNTY DOESN'T PAY FOR THAT.
SO WE'RE STILL GOING TO HAVE TO FORK OVER $4 MILLION A YEAR.
THAT'S THIS YEAR, THE NUMBER KEEPS GOING UP.
UH, UH, AND THAT, THAT'S WHAT IRRITATES ME ABOUT, I THINK WE MENTIONED THAT IN THE SLIDE.
YEAH, WE POINT WE POINTED THAT OUT IN THAT SLIDE.
YOU JUST SAID THAT, BUT I'M TRYING TO SAY THAT THE BARS REVERSE ALL OF THEM.
ALL OF A SUDDEN WEST COVINA IS CHEAPER THAN THE COUNTY AND THAT'S THE WHOLE DEAL.
THE WHOLE REASON I STARTED THIS, I FORGOT EXACTLY WHEN THE PRESENTATION WAS, BUT WHEN IT STARTED, I SAID, WAIT A SECOND.
THE PRELIMINARY BUDGET SAYS THE COUNTY, UH, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, I'M NOT THE COUNTY, THE CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT BUDGET WAS $20 MILLION FOR NEXT YEAR.
I SAID, HOW IN THE WORLD IS THAT GOING TO HAPPEN? THAT WAS MY ACTUAL QUESTION.
THAT WAS WHAT I ASKED TO START WITH THIS WHOLE PROCESS.
AND AS OF THIS MOMENT, I SEE NO ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION.
THE COUNTY PROPOSAL, DOESN'T DO IT.
THE CITY, YOU HAVE NOT PUT FORWARD ANY, ANY PROPOSAL AT ALL THAT DOES IT.
UH, THAT'S ALL I ASKED AND I LOOK AT THOSE NUMBERS.
AND WHEN SOMEBODY PUTS UP A NUMBER THAT I BELIEVE IS NOT TRUE, I ASK AND I'VE BEEN ASKING, I THINK THAT'S BEEN FIVE, SIX WEEKS NOW, SAME QUESTION OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
AND THE REASON WHY THAT'S IMPORTANT IS BECAUSE IF WE DON'T DEAL WITH THAT AND WE DON'T DEAL WITH THE OTHER ISSUES, WHICH IS SHORT REVENUE, BECAUSE THAT'S REVENUE IN THAT BUDGET, IT'S ALSO IS, IS WRONG.
THERE'S TWO NUMBERS, TWO BIG NUMBERS THAT ARE WRONG.
THE REVENUE AND FIRE DEPARTMENT, THAT MEANS WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A $4 MILLION DEFICIT SPENDING THIS YEAR 5 MILLION.
THAT MEANS WE'RE NOT GOING TO MAKE PAYROLL SOMETIME DURING THE YEAR, EITHER THAT, AND THAT'S, THAT'S THE REAL ISSUE.
THAT'S WHY I KEEP TALKING ABOUT THIS WITH THE REVENUE WRONG AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT BUDGET WRONG.
AND, UH, I, UH, AND I, YOU KNOW, I UNDERSTAND YOU DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH THE COUNTY IS GOING TO CHARGE US FOR OUR, ALL OUR BROKEN STUFF.
I, THAT I'VE JUST PUT IN A PLUG NUMBER OF A MILLION DOLLARS FOR THAT, BUT, BUT THE 4 MILLION IS REAL.
AND, UH, AND THAT'S GOING TO LEAD TO A DEFICIT SPENDING AGAIN THIS YEAR.
UH, AND I, I, YOU KNOW, I SPENT, UH, 10 YEARS OF MY LIFE DEALING WITH BANKRUPT GOVERNMENT AGENCIES.
AND MY JOB WAS TO TRY TO REMEDY, UH, THE BANKRUPTCY THAT HAD ALREADY HAPPENED.
UH, AND BASICALLY THE REMEDIES, JUST FIRE PEOPLE.
AND, UH, UH, UH, AND I DON'T WANT THAT TO HAPPEN IN A CITY.
THAT'S REALLY, WHAT'S MOTIVATED ME THIS WHOLE TIME.
I PAID, YOU USED TO PAY ME A LOT OF MONEY TO DO IT, BUT, UH, THE, UH, UH, IT'S MY CITY.
[01:55:01]
AND I, I REALLY GET IRRITATED WITH BAD NUMBERS AND THAT'S IT.SO I JUST WANTED TO SOME OF THE POINTS THAT I MADE EARLIER, OR I'M THERE ARE, WE HAVE TO GO BACK TO ANYTHING HERE, RESPONSE SIGN, OVERLAY.
THIS IS, THIS IS ONE OF THE BIG ONES, RIGHT? THIS IS WHAT WE LOOK AT THE SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY.
I WISH THAT WE HAD A PICTURE OF BOTH OF THOSE TO SEE HOW DARK BLUE IT WOULD BE WITH THREE WEST COVINA STATIONS AND THE COUNTY SURROUNDING ONES, IT WOULD BE BETTER AND DARKER BLUE THAN JUST THE ONE ON THE RIGHT.
WHAT I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE DIALOGUE, JERRY, I INVITED YOU TO THAT RIGHT ALONG THE TRAIN, BRING YOU UP TO WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT IT.
I TRIED TALKING TO EVERYONE THROUGH WHATEVER MEDIUMS THEY WANTED TO USE.
I QUIT BECAUSE YOU GUYS DON'T WANT TO LISTEN.
I CAN SEE JIM NAUGHTY AND SAY, NOPE, HE JUST DOESN'T BELIEVE IT.
YOU GUYS DON'T BELIEVE THIS STUFF.
WELL, I WANT TO BE VERY SPECIFIC.
NO ONE BELIEVES WHAT WE'RE SAYING, EXCEPT WHAT YOU SAY.
WHY? I DON'T BELIEVE THAT CHART.
YOU ELIMINATE ENGINE OF STATION WINE.
AND YOU'RE GOING TO TRY TO TELL ME THIS JUST AS FAST TO GET THERE FOR BALDWIN PARK, WHICH IS FIVE MILES, FOUR MILES AWAY THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE CENTER OF THAT CITY RIGHT THERE, WHERE THE BIG THERE'S NO, NONE OF OUR STATIONS RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR ENGINE.
ONE IS, AND SOMEHOW WE'RE ON THIS STATION, WAY UP INVOLVING PARTS GOING TO GET THERE FASTER.
WHY WOULD IT BE BAWLING PARK? HE'S STILL STATION THREE.
AND THE BACKUP OF STATION 26 AND THE BACKUP OF STATION FOUR.
I'M TALKING ABOUT THE COUNTY STATIONS.
THE COUNTY STATIONS ARE NOT CLOSER THERE, A LONG WAYS AWAY.
AND YOU'RE TRYING TO SAY THE SERVICE IS GOING TO BE THE SAME.
NO WE'RE SAYING IS THAT THERE'S AN OPTION BETTER THAN LAYING OFF AND DECREASING BROWNING OUT, HAVING CARE, AMBULANCE AND 12 FIREFIGHTERS IN THE CITY.
THERE'S AN OPTION BETTER THAN MAKING DO WITH OUR BROKEN EQUIPMENT.
THE FACT THAT COUNTY WON'T TAKE US OVER WITHOUT MILLIONS OF DOLLARS SHOULD BE TELLING THAT WE'RE UNDER FUNDED AND UNDER EQUIPPED FOR A LOT OF THINGS.
AND THAT IF WE DON'T MEET COUNTY STANDARDS, BUT YET THEIR SERVICE IS SLOW.
AND THE BIG BAG CANADA WAS TO TAKE US OVER, BUT WE ARE NOT MEETING THEIR STANDARD, BUT SOMEHOW WE'RE DOING BUSINESS BETTER RESPONSE TIMES CAN IMPROVE WITH THE OPTIONS ON THE TABLE.
YES, THERE ARE PENSION COSTS ASSOCIATED THAT WILL SCALE BACK BECAUSE IT WILL NO LONGER BE PAID OUR $17 MILLION.
PLUS THE CONVERSION COST GOES AWAY AFTER THE CONVERSION COSTS ARE PAID OFF, WHATEVER THEY MAY BE.
THAT'S HOW YOU REBUILD THE OTHER PARTS OF THE CITY AND COMPLAIN ABOUT CONTINUING TO HAVE TO PAY FOR YOU.
DON'T BELIEVE THE CHART, BUT WE GO UP MORE 4.5% EVERY YEAR FOR THE LAST 24 YEARS.
SINCE WE VOTED IN 97 TO KEEP WEST COVINA FIRE, WE'VE GONE UP 4.5% EVERY YEAR.
IT'S NOT 10%, WHATEVER PEOPLE WANT TO REALIGN THAT CHARTS ACCURATE BECAUSE I HAVE TO DO THE NUMBERS FOR IT.
I'M NOT THE LOCAL BECAUSE WE HAVE LOCAL RESPONSIBILITIES THAT WE'RE MISSING.
YOU HAVE AN ASSISTANT FIRE CHIEF THAT'S HERE.
THAT'S SOMETHING FOR THE, TO COME IN AND TELL YOU HOW THAT WORKS.
YOU KNOW, COUNTY BUREAUCRACY, I'VE WORKED WITH COUNTY BUREAUCRACIES, POLICE IN DOWNTOWN LA INSTEAD OF THIS PLACE, COME ON.
WE'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO CHANGE ANYTHING.
AND IF YOU HAD ANY EXPERIENCE, I SUPPOSED TO GO TO THIS TOWN HALL.
I JUST WANTED TO GET CLARIFICATION IS THAT OUR STANDARD IS INADEQUATE FOR THE SERVICE PROVIDERS.
SO IT'S UP, OR IT'S JUST NOT ADEQUATE FOR THE STANDARD THAT THE COUNTY PROVIDES BECAUSE THEIR SERVICE AREA IS FAR GREATER.
SO THEREFORE THEIR STANDARDS ARE GOING TO BE FAR HIGHER THAN THE ONE WE OPERATE IN.
BUT THE ONE THAT WE CURRENTLY OPERATE UNDER, ARE YOU SAYING IS, AND HAS BEEN INADEQUATE.
THE UNFUNDED CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS THAT YEAR AFTER YEAR, SINCE 2012, WHEN I STARTED PAYING ATTENTION TO THIS BUDGET, WHEN IT SAYS CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS, NEW TURNOUTS REBUILD STATION ONE, REBUILD STATION THREE, AND THERE'S NO MONEY EVERY YEAR.
AND PEOPLE STILL WORK IN THOSE BUILDINGS, COUNTY FIRE.
ISN'T GONNA STEP OVER COCKROACHES TO GET OUT OF BED LIKE WE DO AT STATION ONE, ONE OTHER FOLLOWUP QUESTION.
[02:00:01]
HAS A PROBLEM WITH ALL THE TIME WITH ME.I ALSO NOTICE THAT WE HAVE PARAMEDIC.
FIREFIGHTERS COMES AT A COST SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY WHERE MY DAUGHTER'S A BULLY WITH THE FIRE.
NOT ONLY ARE THEY ON A TIER SYSTEM, BUT THEY HAVE JUST PARAMEDICS, WHICH IS FAR LESS OF A COST TO THE CITY, TO THE COUNTY, EXCUSE ME.
THAT IS TO OUR CITY WEST COMING IN BECAUSE WE'RE OPERATING UNDER THIS PREMISE OF THE NEED OF A FIREFIGHTER PARAMEDIC, WHICH HAS COME THAT UP, BAR OUR PRESENCE.
I SAID, WHY IS THAT? WHY CAN'T WE, INSTEAD OF CHANGING THE MODEL, WHICH IS RATHER DRACONIAN TWEAK THE CURRENT MODEL IN THE AREAS OF REVENUE ENHANCEMENT, RIGHT? SO THAT WE CAN MAINTAIN OUR CURRENT NUMBER, FIRE STATIONS NOT HAVE TO LOSE, TO KEEP THE EMOTIONAL TOUCH THAT COMES WITH OUR OWN FIRE DEPARTMENT.
AND THEN ALL OF THIS IS WRAPPED IN A SPIRIT OF NOT LONG AGO.
YOU GUYS KINDA FORCED A 12% INCREASE RATE, A PAY RATES THAT WAS PREDICATED ON MONEY THAT EITHER WOULDN'T BE FOUND OR THE HOPE THAT A SALES TAX WOULD PASS.
SO YOU KIND OF PUT THE FIRST QUESTION, I'LL SAY, I'LL JUST OPEN THAT UP REAL QUICK, 10 BACK AND FORTH.
SO PARAMEDIC FIREFIGHTERS IS BECAUSE WE HAVE FIREFIGHTERS AND WE NEED A CERTAIN AMOUNT IN THE CITY.
AND THAT CITY, JUST WEST COVINA, FROM MY PERSONAL POINT, FROM THE SAFETY OF MYSELF, GOING INTO A BURNING BUILDING, I DON'T WANT TO RELY ON 12 FIREFIGHTERS LEFT IN THE CITY.
IF WE DECIDE TO GET AWAY WITH A PARAMEDIC RESCUE AMBULANCES, BECAUSE THEY'RE ALSO FIREFIGHTERS, THEY'RE DOING THE DUAL ROLE BECAUSE WE NEED FIREFIGHTERS.
WHEN WE NEED THEM, WE NEED PARAMEDICS MORE OFTEN, BUT YOU CAN'T PUT ALL YOUR EGGS IN THE PARAMEDIC BASKET AND THEY TAKE ALL FIREMEN AWAY BECAUSE YOU'LL NEED THEM THEM BY LONG.
YOU STILL NEED THE SAME AMOUNT OF FIREFIGHTERS TO FIND A FIRE WHERE THERE'S A ONCE ONE DAY OR THREE TIMES IN THE SAME DAY.
THAT'S WHAT'S ON THE TABLE THOUGH.
THEY CAN'T BANG YOU THE FIND COST SAVINGS.
AND THAT'S IT THAT WOULDN'T BE A COST SAVING A MEASUREMENT AND TO NOT HAVE TO HIRE OR HAVE THE REQUIREMENT, THE STANDARD
NOW THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE'VE IN ADDITION TO THAT, I DON'T SEE OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT AND I MAY BE WRONG, BUT BEING OVERWHELMED BY FIRE AS COMPARED TO MEDICAL SERVICE, RIGHT? THE MAJORITY OF OUR CALLS ARE EMS, RIGHT? THESE ATTEMPTS OR IDEA THAT YOU DON'T WANT TO BE LEFT OUT IN THE COLD OR THE HEAT BETTER SAID, YOU KNOW, WITHOUT FIRE OR A SERVICE OR BACKUP, I DON'T THINK IS AS LIKELY AS THE NEED OF MEDICAL SERVICES BEING READILY AVAILABLE TO THE RESIDENTS, WHERE WITH THIS CHANGE IN MODEL, WE WOULD SEE A REDUCTION IN THE NUMBER OF FIRE STATION.
AS MR.
UH, THAT THAT'S JUST THAT, THAT, THAT FLIES AGAINST MY RIGHT.
WHAT IS YOUR NAME, SIR? WHAT'S YOUR NAME? JEFFERSON, MR. MR. MR.
RIGHT? KNOW, I'M BEING TOLD, I DON'T WANT TO HAVE A DIALOGUE, STUFF LIKE THAT WHEN I'VE REACHED OUT.
PLENTY OF TIMES, I WAS REALLY OFFENDED BY THE BIRD RUNNING INTO BERNIE BUILDING RHETORIC, BECAUSE WE HAD GUYS THAT STORMED OFF OMAHA BEACH, RUNNING INTO MACHINE GUN FIRE, AND THEY WEREN'T IN A VERY HIGH PAY RATE LEVEL.
THAT WAS ALL LOHA BEACH, BERNIE BUILDING RHETORIC.
I MEAN, THIS IS JUST A CON JOB FIRE DEPART.
SO TO ANSWER YOUR ORIGINAL QUESTION, THE FIRST ONE WAS THE DISCUSSION ABOUT TIME'S RESPONSES IS, UH, CURRENTLY AS OUR CURRENT FOOTPRINT OF RESOURCES THAT ARE ALLOCATED TO RESPOND TO CALLS, WE DO AN AVERAGE OF SIX MINUTES AND 43 SECONDS WITH THE NATIONAL STANDARD IS BELOW FIVE MINUTES.
AND WE'RE AT SIX MINUTES OF 43, JUST WITH THE WEST COVINA FIRE DEPARTMENT.
UH, CURRENTLY RIGHT NOW WITH OUR CURRENT FOOTPRINT, WITH FIVE FIRE STATIONS FOR A MEDICAL CALL,
[02:05:01]
ONCE ENGINE FIVE IS ON A CALL AND WE JUST TOOK INTO FIVE IS, UM, THE COMMUNICATION OR IS THE EVALUATION IT'S ROUGHLY 11 MINUTES TO GET TO A CALL THERE.AND WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO GET TO UNDERSTAND THIS REGIONALIZATION, IF STATION FIVE, LET'S SAY THEY'RE ON A CALL NOW.
AND A WEST COVINA UNIT HAS TO GO TO THAT CALL, NOT UTILIZING REGIONALIZATION.
IT'S ROUGHLY 11 MINUTES TO START MEDICAL CARE FOR THE FIRST DO UNIT TO GO WITH REGIONALIZATION.
IT'S SIX MINUTES DUE TO THE CRAWL MAPS AND THE TIME SPEED LIMITS AND AMOUNT OF TIMES IT TAKES WITH THE OTHER JOINT STATIONS.
SECONDLY, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT SAN BERNARDINO AND, UM, LA COUNTY TWO DIFFERENT EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES AGENCIES.
AND THE REQUIREMENTS IN LA COUNTY REQUIRE US TO HAVE TWO PARAMEDICS RESPOND TO THE CALL.
NOW, IF WE HAD PARAMEDICS AND WE HAD TO PAY THEM TO RUN THOSE CALLS AND ALL THE, OBVIOUSLY THE FINANCE PROBLEM WOULD HAVE TO DETERMINE WHAT IT WOULD COST TO HAVE FIRE DEPARTMENT DON'T HAVE PARAMEDICS ONLY, AND THEN ALSO HAVE FIREFIGHTERS, AS YOU STATED, I BELIEVE.
AND I'M JUST OFF THE CUFF THINKING ABOUT COSTS FOR EMPLOYEES.
IT WOULD COST US MORE TO HAVE ONE PERSON THAT'S A PARAMEDIC.
AND ONE PERSON IS A FIREFIGHTER.
I THINK THAT WOULD COST A WHOLE LOT MORE.
HAVE YOU REACTING AN ADDITIONAL FIREFIGHTER, BUT I'M SUGGESTING THAT YOU REDUCE IT TO PARAMEDIC SCHOOL, RIGHT? AND I UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT THEN WHAT DO WE HAVE TO RESPOND TO A FIRE CALL? CAUSE LIKE I SAID, IF WE GO TO A FIRE CALL AND WE ONLY HAD 12 INDIVIDUALS ON DUTY A DAY, THE LIKELIHOOD OF THEM BEING ON A MEDICAL CALL BECAUSE JUST TO PARAMEDICS AND EVEN A SAN BERNARDINO, AS I UNDERSTAND THAT SYSTEM, THEY DO NOT JUST SEND A PARAMEDIC TO THE CALL.
SO FIRE ENGINE GOES TO, AND IF ANY PENDING, BECAUSE IT IS ON A TIER BASIS, CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT.
BUT IF IT'S A, IT'S A CRITICAL CALL, A CARDIAC ARREST, THE CHEST PAIN, SHORTNESS OF BREATH, JUST HEART FAILURE, STROKE, PATIENT THAT FIRE AND FOLLOWS UP WITH THAT PRIVATE AMBULANCE TO THE HOSPITAL.
SO NOW THAT ENGINE COMPANY IS OUT OF SERVICE.
WHAT'S PROPOSING HERE IS OUR PARAMEDICS BECAUSE THEY ONLY COUNTY REQUIRES TWO PARAMEDICS ON THE SAME VEHICLE, TREAT THE PATIENT AND FOLLOW UP PATIENT.
WE WOULD HAVE NO VEHICLE TO RESPOND TO A MEDICAL CALL AFTER YET.
YOU DON'T HAVE A PARAMEDIC IN INDIAN TEA THERAPY AND LESS COST AS WELL.
RIGHT? SO WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT REALLY YEARS COST SAVINGS.
THE DRUG WILL AFFORD THE CURRENT MODEL WE HAVE.
UH, I SEE THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN THERE'S A MEDICAL CALL, YOU HAVE, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S A QUANT.
I'M NOT VERY GOOD AT THE TERMINOLOGY WITH THESE VEHICLES, BUT I SEE TWO VERY LARGE, UH, ENGINES THAT'LL COME OUT WITHIN A RAPE.
AND MY EXPERIENCE, THOSE THAT ARE IN THE FIRE ENGINES, DON'T PARTICIPATE IN THE MEDICAL SERVICE.
UH, THIS JUST RECENTLY HAPPENED.
NOW MY GO OFF, RIGHT? THE TWO FIRE TRUCKS, THEY REMAINED INDUSTRIES WITH THEIR STAFF ON BOARD AND THE PARAMEDIC RIG WHO HAD ARRIVED FIRST, WENT IN AND THEY PUT IT UP.
IT WAS OBVIOUSLY NOT A NEED TO TAKE THE FAMILY WAY, BUT I THOUGHT I WAS SITTING THERE WATERING MY GRASS.
I'M THINKING, WHY DO WE HAVE THESE TWO FIRE ENGINES SITTING ON MARK OUT WITH JACOB PARAMEDIC REED ON THE SHORT TERM RIGHT NOW? THE COVID IS WHY WE ALWAYS SEND IT IN ONE AT A TIME WE ALL STAY UP FRONT TO PREVENT.
STILL DOESN'T ANSWER THE QUESTION.
WE DON'T SEND, WE DON'T SEND TWO FIRE ENGINES TO CALL.
SO RIGHT NOW IN WEST COVINA, WE DON'T HAVE A TRUCK THAT HAS WATER ON IT BECAUSE OUR TRUCK IS BEING SERVICED.
SO TO KEEP WATER IN DISTRICT FOUR, YOU HAVE TWO PIECES OF APPARATUS THAT'S CURRENTLY RIGHT NOW.
SO OUR CURRENT TRUCK, WHICH DOESN'T HAVE WATER ON IT, THERE'S A FIRE ENGINE WITH ONE PERSON DRIVING THAT THAT'S FALLING.
SO IN CASE THERE'S A FIRE, I COULD STILL HAVE WATER IMMEDIATELY, TWO FIRE ENGINES FOR A MEDICAL CALL WITH THE, SO WE DON'T, WE DON'T SEND TO FIRE INTO MEDICAL CALL AND LESS WHAT I JUST EXPLAINED.
IT'S OUR CURRENT STATION FOR WHETHER IT'S A TRUCK COMPANY AND ENGINE COMPANY, EVERYWHERE ELSE IN CITY, WE SEND ONE FIRE ENGINE AND WE SEND ONE PARAMEDIC UNIT.
WELL, THE REASON, THE REASON WE DO THAT IS BECAUSE THE FIRE ENGINE GETS THERE FIRST MORE TIMES THAN NOT.
AND THEY CAN RENDER YOUR CARE AND THE PARENTS COULD STAY AVAILABLE FOR ANOTHER EMERGENCY CALL.
SO THAT'S VERY COMMON IN THE FIRE SERVICE THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES.
THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN WITH MY DENTIST OVER TIME.
THAT'S THE STRUCTURE OF THE PARAMEDIC PARAMEDIC FIRE FIGHTER, UH, COMPARED TO SAN BERNARDINO WHERE THEY HAVE THE, ACTUALLY, I DON'T WANNA SAY DUMB OR LOWER THE STANDARDS, BUT THEY HAVE AN EMT, WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY LESS PAID, UH, COST TO THE, TO THE ACCOUNT.
WHY CAN'T THESE MEASURES BE LOOKED AT, UH, IMPLEMENTED HERE IN THE CITY AS A COST SAVING MEASURE? WHY IS IT THAT WE ARE GOING LEAPING INTO A NEW MODEL WITHOUT REALLY HAVING TESTED OR EVEN EXPLORED THE POSSIBILITIES OF HOW MUCH CAN WE SAY? WHY IS THERE A POLICY THAT MAYBE ADDRESSES THE AMOUNT OF ABSENTEEISM? BECAUSE IT
[02:10:01]
SEEMS TO BE, SO WE DID THAT.SO CITY MANAGER AND CITY COUNCIL, UH, WENT WITH FULLY STAFFED FIRE DEPARTMENT AND WE HAVEN'T DONE IT.
WE HAVEN'T EVEN DONE ONE YEAR YET.
WE'RE FULLY STAFFED TO SEE WHAT THE COSTS WOULD BE AN ESTIMATED, WHAT THE BUDGET WOULD BE.
IT WOULD BE WISE TO GO ONE YEAR AND THEN USE THE SAVINGS TO HELP THE DEPARTMENT.
BUT WE'RE NOT FUNDING THAT SAVINGS MA'AM IS WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO SAY.
HOW DO YOU FIND SAVINGS? YOU HAVE TO SAY BEFORE YOU CAN IMPROVE, REALIZE THAT SORT OF BENEFIT FROM IT RIGHT NOW.
IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S BEING USED UP AND AS FAST AS IT COMES IN, RIGHT? I MEAN, IN TERMS OF OVERTIME, THAT WAS A RUNAWAY TRAIN, UM, TERMS OF THE, THE, THE STRUCTURE YOU HAVE THE PARAMEDIC CLARIFIED THAT COULD BE LOOKED AT WHETHER, I MEAN, THERE'S NO LAW THAT OBLIGATES YOU TO HAVE THAT STRUCTURE.
JUST TO ME, IT REQUIRED TWO PERMITS.
IT REQUIRES AN LA COUNTY TO HAVE TO RESPOND TO THEM.
YOU KNOW, THE MODEL OF CYNTHIA WAS TO BE IN AS ONE I'M CONCERNED WITH, WELL, WE WERE MANDATED BY THE LA COUNTY BURNS MANGO TEAM.
THEY WERE REQUIRED TO BE, TO GIVE ADVANCED LICE LIFE, ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT CARE.
WE'RE REQUIRED AT TWO PARAMEDICS, GO TO THE CALL.
THAT'S THE LAW IN LA COUNTY, SEPARATE FROM SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY WE'RE REQUIRED.
OTHER THROUGH THE SAN BERNARDINO MOUNTAINS, THAT'S CORRECT.
WE COULD NOT HAVE, WELL, WE SEND ONE EMT AT ONE PARAMEDIC TO A MEDICAL AID CALL AND SERVE IT AS AN ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT CARE.
WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO TREAT THEM AS PARAMEDICS, THE REDUCTION, BUT WITH TWO PARAMEDICS, AS OPPOSED TO THE TWO PARAMEDIC FIREFIGHTERS, WHICH IS FAR MORE CORRECT.
AND THAT'S WHAT YOU WERE SAYING.
SO THE COST FOR THAT, WE STILL HAVE TO PAY FOR THE FIREFIGHTER FULLY BURDENED AND THEN A PARAMEDIC FULLY BURDENED.
I THINK THAT THOSE COSTS THEY WOULD HAVE TO BE VETTED OUT WOULD BE COST EVEN MORE.
WELL, WE DON'T KNOW, THAT'S MY POINT.
WE HAVEN'T ACTUALLY EXPLORED THESE POSSIBILITIES.
WE KIND OF, UH, I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE GENTLEMAN'S NAME, BUT HE GOT IT STOPPED ME AT THE POINT THAT I WAS TRYING TO MAKE THAT IS THAT AS A RESIDENT.
AND I KNOW IN SPEAKING WITH MANY OTHER RESIDENTS, YOU KNOW, THIS COMES ON THE TAIL END OF THAT RACE AND WE'RE NOT IGNORANT AND WE'RE NOT GOING TO IGNORE THAT BECAUSE WE'RE SAYING, OKAY, WAIT A SECOND.
YOU, WE GAVE YOU A 12% RAISE AND NOW YOU WANT TO BOUNCE OUT OF HERE AND GET AN ADDITIONAL RAISE BECAUSE GOING WORK WITH THE COUNTY, I UNDERSTAND THERE'S A FINANCIAL GAIN FOR YOU, AND I CAN UNDERSTAND WHY YOU WOULD WANT IT, BUT IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S KIND OF LIKE A DOUBLE INSULT TO THE CITY RESIDENTS BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT, YOU WANT TO COMMUNICATE, BUT YOU'RE NOT WILLING TO STOP AND COMMUNICATE WITH US HERE AND SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT? YEAH, MAYBE BEFORE WE BOUNCE OUT OF HERE, MAYBE LET'S TRY DOING SOME COST SAVINGS HERE.
LET'S LET'S WE REDUCE THE OVERTIME.
LET'S SEE HOW WE CAN CHANGE, TWEAK THE MODEL SO WE CAN SAVE SOME MONEY IN TERMS OF FIREFIGHTER PARAMEDICS.
I'M NOT HAVE, WELL, LET'S GET SOME WATER ON THEIR STATIONS.
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO SEND OUT TO A FIRE ENGINE.
THERE MUST BE OTHER WAYS OF SAVINGS AND NECESSARILY SWITCHING THE MODEL, BUT ACTUALLY FINDING THE SAVINGS SO THAT WE CAN RETAIN OUR SERVICE IN OUR CITY AS IT IS IN OUR CURRENT DON'T.
IN FACT, CITY COUNCIL AND CITY MANAGER HAS REALLY BEEN MUTE ON SHARING WITH RESIDENTS.
THESE POSSIBILITIES, I SAW MATRIX PUBLISHED BY MR. GRAY, WHICH THAT I WAS UNDER, THE IMPRESSION WAS GOING TO BE PRESENTED TO THE RESIDENTS.
I'M NOT SURE WHY IT WAS, IF IT WAS A VERY ILLUSTRATIVE MATRIX, UH, AT THREE DIFFERENT MODELS.
THE ONLY MODEL I'M SEEING HERE TONIGHT IS YOUR MOM, RIGHT? WITH KIND OF THE CAVEAT THAT, HEY, IT'S BETTER THAN THE CURRENT SITUATION, BUT NO REAL COMPARISON.
AND HONESTLY, NO REAL NUMBERS, BECAUSE YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO RECONCILE THE DIFFERENCE HERE FOR ME BETWEEN, UH, WHAT ONE OF YOUR MEMBERS IN YOUR AUDIT COMMITTEE IS SAYING, AND WHAT CAN I SAY, ROBIN, HAS HE EVER SPOKEN, BUT WHAT IS G BUDGETING? AND SO THAT CREATES A LITTLE BIT OF SENTENCES.
I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT THE CITY SPEND SOME MORE TIME ON THIS ISSUE.
WE HAVE RESPECT FOR HIM AND HIS PARTICIPATION ON THE FINANCE
[02:15:01]
AND AUDIT COMMITTEE.UM, THERE'S SOME MISSING NUMBERS IN THIS EQUATION TONIGHT.
ONE OF THE BIGGEST MISSING NUMBERS IS IF WE ARE LOOKING AT OPTIONS IN SERVICE PROVISION, AND ONE OF THOSE OPTIONS IS COUNTY FIRE.
WE REALLY NEED TO KNOW TRANSITION COSTS.
SOME OF THESE THINGS ARE QUICKLY COMING INTO SHARPER FOCUS AS THEY PROBABLY SHOULD.
WHAT ARE OUR DEFICIENCIES? WHAT ARE OUR STATION DEFICIENCIES? WHAT ARE OUR EQUIPMENT? DEFICIENCIES CHRISTMAS.
WE HAD A SITUATION WHERE ONE OF OUR AMBULANCES BROKE DOWN WHILE TRANSPORTING A PATIENT THIS WEEK.
AND WE'VE GOT EQUIPMENT IN THE SHOP THAT NEEDS TO BE IN FRONTLINE SERVICE.
SO MOST OF OUR LIABILITIES HERE ARE COMPLETELY UNFUNDED WITH NO REAL PLAN FOR HOW WE'RE GOING TO DO BETTER.
IN MY MIND, THE NUMBER ONE FACTOR HERE IS THE SAFETY TO THE RESIDENTS.
AND I KNOW PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO HEAR FISCAL EMERGENCY, BUT LOOK AT OUR CASH FLOWS, NOT FUND BALANCE, NOT BUDGET, NOT PRELIMINARY BUDGET, BUT GENERAL FUND CASH.
WE'RE PROJECTING TO BE NEGATIVE CASH IN THE GENERAL FUND ONE POINT $9 MILLION BY SEPTEMBER.
SO I THINK THIS IS THE TIME TO LOOK AT ALTERNATIVES AND WE'RE NOT PUTTING THIS ON THE AGENDA FOR TOMORROW NIGHT.
WE PUSH THAT AGENDA OUT THE DOOR THIS EVENING, THINKING WE'D HAVE SOME OF THESE COUNTY NUMBERS COME IN AT THE LAST MINUTE AND THEY HAVEN'T.
WE'RE GOING TO SLOW IT DOWN A BIT AND LOOK AT THESE NUMBERS SOME MORE BEFORE THIS ISSUE RETURNED, LEASE OR BUY REAL ESTATE VOTE, RIGHT? THAT WAS AN ECONOMIC TIME THAT WAS DRASTIC FOR THE ACTRESS, OUR CITY, FOR ALL, ALL CITY STATEWIDE.
WE WERE ABLE TO SUPPLY IT WITHOUT HAVING TO GO THROUGH THESE MASSIVE DRACONIAN TYPE OF CHANGES NOW, BECAUSE I'VE HEARD, YOU MENTIONED THAT IT'S DUE TO THE EPIDEMIC FOR THE PANDEMIC THAT WE'RE SUFFERING FINANCIALLY SO GREATLY, BUT I'M NOT CONVINCED THAT THAT'S TRULY THE REASON.
I THINK IT'S, IT'S MORE THAN JUST ONE FACTOR HERE.
AND I THINK FIRE AND BELIEFS, WHICH WE ALL KNOW CONSUMES THE MAJORITY OF THE BUDGET AND CONTINUES TO BE MAN MORE.
AND NOW IT'S TELLING US THAT IT'S STANDARD IS LESS THAN THE STANDARD WE SHOULD BE, WHICH IS THE COUNTY STANDARD.
AND I DON'T AGREE WITH THAT BECAUSE I BELIEVE THAT THE SERVICE AREA OF THE COUNTY IS FAR GREATER.
THEIR STANDARDS SHOULD BE HIGH.
WE WILL NOT MEET THEIR STANDARDS.
THEY COULD CONVERSELY, THEY CAN COME TO US AND SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT? YOU NEED TO RAISE THEIR STANDARDS.
IT'S GOING TO COST YOU MORE MONEY BECAUSE IT NEEDS TO COMPLIMENT THE SERVICE AREA THAT WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR.
AND THAT'S WHY THAT'S WHAT SAYS, BECAUSE IT WAS OUR STANDARDS LOW IS BECAUSE WE ARE GOING TO TAKE ON THEIR SERVICE AND THEREFORE THEY NEED US TO COMPLIMENT THEIR DEMAND.
AND THAT'S THE REASON IT SEEMS TO ME FAR MORE LIKELY THAT IS BECAUSE OUR STANDARDS LOW BECAUSE WE LIVE WITH OUR STANDARD.
AND HONESTLY, I THINK POLICE AND FIRE IN THE CITY OF WEST COVINA ARE DOING RECRUITING THAT THEY BREED NICE.
I MEAN, THEY WENT FROM CHEVY'S TO SUV.
HE'S A, YOU KNOW, DRAINING DOG AND WE'RE GOING TO GET MOVING AND GIVE THEM A, B K K A ALL SORTS OF THIS STUFF.
RIGHT? SO YOU CAN CRY IN A RIVER, BUT I HONESTLY DON'T SEE WEST WOULD BE NO FIRE OR POLICE SUFFERING.
AND HONESTLY, I DON'T FEEL THAT WE'RE GETTING THE SERVICE AS RESONANCE THAT WE DESERVE CONSIDERING WHAT, HOW, HOW YOU GUYS ARE BEING COMPENSATED CURRENTLY AND IN THE FUTURE, BECAUSE WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE ON THE FOOT FOR YOUR RETIREMENT WITH A PRETTY NICE, UH, PERKS.
RIGHT? SO THAT'S PART OF THAT, TALKING WITH THEM, TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHY DON'T YOU, YOU GUYS NEED TO GIVE A LITTLE BIT, UH, WHEN THERE'S, THERE'S, UH, ECONOMIC HARDSHIP AND HOMES, I'M SAYING, UH, FIRSTLY, I DO LISTEN, FELL AWAY.
YOU KNOW, WHERE DO WE CUT? YEAH.
THAT MEANS YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GO WITHOUT THAT.
HOW DID THAT GO WITHOUT THE, THAT WAS THE, THAT WAS THE HOUSING, BOOM.
THAT'S WHEN WE STOPPED FUNDING CAPITAL IMPROVE ASSESSMENT, WE GIVE BACK A 9% OF PURPOSE.
THE 5% RATE THAT WE GAVE THIS CURRENT CONTRACT CITY MANAGER HAS, ARE WHAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING TO.
YOU LIVE AT THE NEGOTIATION TABLE, BUT HE'S NOT THAT READY WHEN HE FEELS IT'S READY TO GIVE THE COUNCIL.
OUR GIVE BACKS ARE THERE, BUT LITERALLY YES, NO, I APPRECIATE THE BEST.
BUT CURRENTLY WHAT GIVES BACKS ARE YOU I'M LEAVING ON THE NEGOTIATION TABLE CAUSE I'M
[02:20:01]
NOT GOING TO ANNOUNCE IT AT THE CITY COUNCIL.WHAT I'M SAYING IS WE REALLY DO THE RECESSION BY CUTTING THE FIRE ENGINE BY TAKING CONCESSIONS FROM EMPLOYEES, BY NOT FUNDING CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS BY SCRAPPING THE PLANS TO REBUILD REASON, ONES, MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF STUFF THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN NOW.
AND HERE WE ARE 10 YEARS IN THE FUTURE WITH THE SAME PROBLEMS, LESS MONEY, NEW PROBLEMS, AND 4.5% AVERAGE INCREASE EVERY YEAR WITH ALL THOSE PROBLEMS. THAT'S MY POINT, THE SENIOR MANAGER AS ARE OUR NEGOTIATION OFFER, BUT YOU DO HAVE A JOB IN A WELL PAID JOB.
HE DOESN'T JUST EXCLUSIVELY RUN WITH FIRE AND FIRE AND BELIEVES IT HAS OTHER SERVICES PROVIDE US RESIDENTS.
SO THERE IS, THERE IS SACRIFICES MADE ALL THROUGHOUT IT DIDN'T TOUCH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT LAYING OFF 21 MAINTENANCE STAFF MEANS THAT THE FIRE CHIEF HAD THE HANDLE CHANGING, UH, GETTING THE, UH, FIRE ENGINE TIRE CHANGED TWO WEEKS AGO BECAUSE WE HAD AN ENGINE DOWN WITH IT, WHATEVER POP TIRE.
THAT'S SUPPOSED TO HANDLE THAT AND DEAL WITH VENDORS NOW IS OUR NEW NORM, BUT WE ENFORCED, UH, WE INCREASED THE NUMBER OF CODE ENFORCEMENT, RIGHT? WE WERE LAID OFF THE MAINTENANCE YARD WORKERS.
WHAT DO YOU SUBSTITUTE? NOW? WE'RE TALKING ABOUT FIREFIGHTER STAFF REDUCTION.
SO THEN IT'S OUR CURRENT MODEL THAT NEEDS TO BE LOOKED AT.
NOT NECESSARILY TO START WANTING TO JUMP INTO ANOTHER MODEL LIKE THE MANAGER SAID, WE'RE NOT EVEN SURE WHAT THE COSTS ARE REALLY GOING TO BE.
WE'RE GOING TO BE HIT WITH PREMATURE.
I KNOW ON TELEVISION, IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE ALL JUST WAVING OUR ARMS AROUND.
SO IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND USING THE MICROPHONE, THAT WOULD BE THANK YOU.
I'M GOING TO TAKE IT OUT CAUSE I DON'T WANT TO STAND THERE.
SO LET'S SAY THAT WE DON'T GO TO COUNTY AND WE STAY AS WEST COVINA FIREFIGHTERS.
WHAT HAPPENS? DO WE HAVE TO LAY FIREFIGHTERS OFF? CAUSE YOU NEVER WANT, I HAVE NOT DECIDED HOW I WOULD WANT IF I WOULD WANT TO GO TO COUNTY.
I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND WHY THEY WANT TO GO TO COUNTY IS MY SON JUST FOR COUNTY.
SO I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND WHY THEY WANT TO GO TO COUNTY KIDS.
THAT'S HIS DREAM JOB TO BE A COUNTY FIREFIGHTER BECAUSE OF THEIR PAY.
UM, AND I ACTUALLY TALKED TO HIM BEFORE I CAME OVER HERE AS TO WHAT STATIONS WOULD CLOSE AND WHERE ARE THE OTHER STATIONS ARE.
UM, BUT SO I, YOU KNOW, I, I COULD CARE.
I MEAN, NOT THAT I CARE LESS, BUT I MEAN, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THE CHIEF ANSWER THAT, BUT LET'S SAY WE DON'T GO TO COUNTY BUDGET WISE.
ARE WE GOING TO LOSE FIREFIGHTERS? CAUSE EVERYONE'S TALKING, I KNOW I READ ALL THESE COMMENTS ON FACEBOOK AND THEY DRIVE ME CRAZY AND EVERYONE'S SO MEAN TO EVERYBODY.
AND UM, BUT YOU KNOW, EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT HOW THEY CAN'T, YOU KNOW, THEIR PENSIONS.
WELL, I WORKED FOR A PUBLIC UTILITY AND YOU KNOW, I GOT LAID OFF AND I GOT A GREAT SEVERANCE PACKAGE IN A NICE PENSION THAT HAS QUADRUPLED SINCE I GOT LAID OFF.
YOU KNOW? SO I MEAN, EVERYONE'S ENTITLED TO THEIR JOB AND EVERYONE'S ENTITLED TO A PENSION AND YOU KNOW, SO, AND THEY'RE ENTITLED TO MAKE AS MUCH MONEY AS THEY POSSIBLY CAN MAKE.
YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHAT EVERYONE'S GOAL IS.
SO WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF WE STAYED HERE? IF THEY STAY WITH WEST COVINA, I WANT TO KNOW YOUR OPTION TO, I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THE OPTION.
I'LL TRY TO DO A LITTLE BIT BETTER JOB.
I APOLOGIZE IS, UH, SO IT'S KIND OF, AS I ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, MY ANSWER, MR. DURY, T J D JDS QUESTIONS IS THERE WAS FOUR OPTIONS WAS CONSOLIDATIONS WITH LAWRENCE COUNTY WAS WORKFORCE REDUCTION AND LAYING OFF FIREFIGHTERS AND CONTRACTING OR TRANSPORT SERVICES WITH A PRIVATE VENDOR BROWNING OUT, WHICH MEANS WE DON'T BACKFILL IN SOME WAYS ON LEAVE.
AND THE OTHER ONE WAS STAYING AS THE CURRENT MODEL AND FUNDING THE NEEDS OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
SO TO ANSWER YOUR FIRST QUESTION, WHAT HAPPENS IF WE STAY THERE'S THREE OPTIONS WOULD KEEP IN WEST COVINA FIRE, WHICH IS TWO, THREE AND FOUR.
THE FIRST ONE WOULD BE, WE WOULD HAVE ONLY TWO FIRE ENGINES AND A TRUCK, AND THEY WOULD RESPOND TO ALL CALLS IN THE CITY AND THE TRANSPORTATION WOULD BE DONE BY A PRIVATE AMBULANCE.
SO WE'D HAVE, AND STATION ONE.
I NEVER, I ALWAYS FORGET WHAT STATION ONE AND THREE ARE, CAUSE I CALL THEM CHURCH AND I HAVE DIFFERENT NAMES FOR THEM INSTEAD OF ISTATION FOR BE BIGLY DREAMS, YOU CALL IT THAT I JUST NEVER, ONE, THREE, I NEVER KNOW.
THREE IS A DAY ONE OF MY CAMERAS.
SO ONE IS ONE OF THOSE BY CRANE, THE VALLEY.
SO THAT WOULD KEEP, KEEP THE CHURCH ONE, THE BIG LEAN DREAMS AND CORTEZ
[02:25:02]
IN MODEL TWO AND ALSO IN MODEL ONE REGIONALIZATION WITH THE COUNTY.AND UM, WHAT WOULD WE DO IF WE KEEP THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IN MODEL TWO AND THREE IS WE WOULD REDUCE THE SERVICES AVAILABLE LOCALLY AS A LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT AS A, OUR OWN RAN.
SO YOU WOULD STILL CLOSE THOSE.
IF WE STAYED WITH WEST COVINA IN MODEL TWO, WE WOULD BE CLOSING TWO FIRE STATIONS IN MODEL THREE, WE WOULD HAVE A ROLLING CLOSURE.
AS PERSONNEL WERE OFF, NOT ON DUTY.
WE HAD SOMEBODY THAT WAS SICK, INJURED, OR ON VACATION.
WE ALSO HAVE SOME NUMBERS ON THOSE NUMBER TWO AND THREE OF WHAT THEY WOULD LOOK LIKE REAL TIME.
IN RECENT DAYS, WE DID THAT IN A MODEL FOR, WE KEPT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AS IS RIGHT NOW AND FIND THE WAY TO FUND THE REVENUE SOURCE.
SO, UH, WITH MODEL TWO, THE CONTRACT AMBULANCE, WE ACTUALLY WENT BY, I DON'T KNOW, WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO DISCUSS THAT? UH, SO DISCUSSION WAS THE TWO OTHER MODELS.
TWO AND THREE ARE, ARE, ARE WIDELY DISCUSSED, UM, BY, UM, THE COMMUNITY OF, UH, LET'S TRY IN THOSE OUT.
SO WHAT I HAVE MY STAFF DO, UM, IS I HAD THEM GO BACK FOR 14 DAYS, CONTRACTING WITH, UM, WITH THE CARE AMBULANCE ME.
WE ONLY HAVE THREE UNITS IN THE CITY.
WE DID, UH, APRIL 1ST, SECOND AND THIRD.
AND WE TOOK EVERY SINGLE CALL THAT TOOK PLACE IN A 24 HOUR PERIOD.
AND ON ALL THREE OF THOSE DAYS, THERE WAS MULTIPLE CALLS THAT WE WOULD HAVE NOBODY TO GO TO THE CALL AT ALL, AS WELL.
AS ON THE THIRD DAY, THERE WAS ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE, SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT, NINE, 10 CALLS IN A THREE AND A HALF HOUR PERIOD WHERE WE HAD NO UNITS AVAILABLE.
CAUSE THE UNITS HAD TO FOLLOW UP TO THE CRITICAL MEDICAL CALLS.
AND TWO OF THEM WERE STRUCTURE FIRES.
THERE WAS NO UNIT TO RESPOND TO A STRUCTURE FIRE AT ALL.
WE WOULD HAVE TO RELY ON THE DISPATCHER, PICKING UP THE PHONE AND CALLING LA COUNTY AND ASKING THEM TO COME TO THE CALL, WHICH THAT IN, IN ITS OWN TAKES ROUGHLY SIX TO EIGHT MINUTES TO HAPPEN.
SO THAT SIX TO EIGHT MINUTES AFTER YOU CALLED NINE 11, AFTER DISPATCHER REALIZED WHERE THE CALL IS AND WHAT UNITS GO THERE.
AND THEN THE COMPUTER AIDED DISPATCH REALIZED THAT WE DON'T HAVE ANY UNITS TO GO ON THAT CALL AND CALLING LA COUNTY AND SAY, CAN YOU SEND ME FOUR FIRE ENGINES, A TRUCK, PERMANENT SQUAD AND BATTALION CHIEF.
CAUSE WE DON'T HAVE ANY OF THOSE IN THE CITY.
SO NOW YOU'RE TALKING ROUGHLY, MAYBE AN ARM STONE OUT THERE BEST GUESTS, EIGHT MINUTES BEFORE THEY EVEN START RESPONDING INTO ELLIE IN THE, INTO WEST COVINA.
AND LIKE I STATED EARLIER, THEY HAVE GOOD RESPONSE TIME, SIX MINUTES.
SO NOW WE'D GET 14 MINUTES TO THE FIRST UNIT CAN GET ON SCENE.
IF WE DID, UH, THE, THE CONTRACT AMBULANCE SERVICE MODEL TWO, WE ONLY HAD THREE UNITS IN THE CITY AND THAT'S TAKEN APRIL 1ST, SECOND, AND THIRD, THEY CAN'T RESUBMIT.
THEY DON'T HAVE TO RESPOND MEDICAL OR FIRE.
NO, NO ONE, THERE WAS NO ONE TO RESPOND TO.
SOME SITUATIONS ARE THOSE MEDICAL RESPONSE OR FIRE RESPONSE? THERE WAS BOTH, THERE WERE, THEY WERE BOTH.
AND WHAT I, WHAT I MENTIONED WAS THERE, WE HAD MEDICALS AND FIRES GOING AT THE SAME TIME.
BUT IN REALITY, IT WASN'T A MEDICAL SITUATION OR WAS THERE AN ACTUAL FIRE BECAUSE YOU'RE SAYING, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE SO SKINNY AND ON OUR, ON OUR, UM, OUR RATINGS ARE OUR PERSONNEL THAT THERE'S TIMES THAT WE DON'T HAVE THE MANPOWER TO RESPOND TO THE CALLS.
AND I'M FINDING THAT HARD TO BELIEVE.
BUT IF, IF SO, IS IT POSSIBLE IS BECAUSE WE'RE SENDING OUT TWO EDGES WITH THEIR RECALL THAT'S MEDICAL.
SO, UH, NO, THESE ARE THEM FOLLOWING UP.
CAUSE IF WE, IF WE CONTRACT THE ALLEN'S COMPANY, THEN WE WOULD HAVE TO FOLLOW UP TO THE HOSPITAL AND GO TO THE HOSPITAL AND TREAT THOSE CALLS.
WE WOULDN'T HAVE AMBULANCE TO DO THAT ANYMORE.
TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION ON, ON APRIL 2ND.
WELL, WE HAD A STRUCTURE FIRE, WE HAD TWO FATALITIES.
WE ACTUALLY, IF WE WOULD HAVE HAD THIS MODEL ON THAT DAY, WE WOULD HAVE NO UNITS TO EVEN GO TO THAT HOUSE, WHICH ENDED UP BEING FULLY INVOLVED TO GO THERE.
IT WOULD NOT BE ANYBODY RESPOND THERE.
SO, AND WE HAD FOUR LA COUNTY STATIONS THAT WERE CLOSER THAN FOUR OF OUR STATIONS IN WEST COVINA TO RESPOND TO THAT FATALITY FIRE.
IF WE HAD THE REGIONAL METH METHOD TO REGIONALIZATION, THOSE UNITS WOULDN'T EVEN RESPOND.
SO IN THE, IN THE ROLLING BROWNOUT METHOD, WE TOOK 14 DAYS.
WE WENT THE LAST 14 DAYS WHEN JUNE 1ST TO JUNE 14 AND ON OF THE 14 DAYS, ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR OF THOSE DAYS, WE WERE HAD THREE UNITS OUT OF SERVICE.
WE WOULD ONLY HAD TWO UNITS IN THE CITY RESPOND TO ANY CALLS ON THE, ON THE ROLLING BROWNOUT.
SO WHAT THAT MEANS THERE WAS PEOPLE THAT WERE EITHER SICK OR INJURED OR ON VACATION TO WHERE THEY HAD TO SHUT DOWN UNITS.
WE DIDN'T HAVE CAPTAINS, ENGINEERS AND FIREFIGHTERS THAT ACTUALLY MAN, THE UNITS AND THOSE UNITS WILL BE OUT OF SERVICE.
SO WE WERE OUT OF THE FIVE THAT WE HAVE.
WE WOULD HAVE THREE DAYS OUT OF SERVICE AND YOU ONLY HAVE ONE AT TWO
[02:30:01]
DURING THE ROLLING OUT AND THAT'S LIVE AND IN PERSON OF WHAT ACTUALLY TOOK PLACE IN OUR CITY, IF WE WOULD HAVE USED THE NUMBER TWO OR NUMBER THREE, I HOPE THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION.IF THERE'S MORE, FEEL FREE TO ASK
BUT THAT'S THE GIVE AND TAKE HERE AND NEGOTIATION.
I THINK THAT'S A GREAT IDEA, BUT CURRENTLY I THINK THAT'S GREAT.
AND, AND IF THOSE, THOSE DISCUSSIONS TAKE PLACE BETWEEN NEGOTIATIONS, BUT I'M STILL DISCUSSED AS I WAS DISCUSSING EARLIER, IS IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT THE SAVINGS IS OUR RESPONSE TIMES TO SERVICE THE COMMUNITY PROPERLY SIX MINUTES AND 43 SECONDS AS WE SIT RIGHT NOW, THAT RESPONSE TIME IS FULL IS IT'S IT'S PREDICATED ON CRAFTING ALL SORTS OF THINGS, RIGHT? IT'S NOT LIKE IT'S A FIXED DATE, JIM THERE'S QUESTIONS.
WELL, HOLD ON THERE'S QUESTIONS.
I'VE BEEN WAITING MYTHIC CITY CLERKS IN THE WAITING WITH A BUNCH OF QUESTIONS.
CAN I GO AFTER KEN? CAN WE KIND OF SAY MR. GRIBBETS MS. PATCHES, AND THEN I READ A QUESTION AND THEN WE CAN KIND OF, I'VE GOT MY, MY, MY ITEM REAL SHORT IN 1997, THE CITY DID A STUDY OF RESPONSE TIME AND THE RESULTS WERE THAT THE CITY RESPONDED TO CALLS IN FOUR MINUTES AND 30 SECONDS ON AVERAGE.
AND THE COUNTY RESPONDED TO CALLS.
THIS IS COUNTY WIDE, UH, EIGHT MINUTES AND SIX, UH, 68 MINUTES AND 16 SECONDS.
ON AVERAGE, THAT WAS, UH, IN 1997.
I IT'S A LOT DIFFERENT THAN THE NUMBERS THAT YOU QUOTED AT US EARLIER.
AND I THINK THAT NEEDS TO BE LOOKED INTO, OKAY, WE'RE GOING TO TAKE JERRY.
THEN THE PHONE CALL THEN THE GENTLEMAN IN THE BACK, THIS CONCERNS ME BECAUSE I HAVE SUBMITTED A PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST ON US CALLS BY STATION.
THE PREVIOUS FIRE CHIEF HAD DONE A VERY WONDERFUL PRESENTATION AND I JUST WANTED THE SAME INFORMATION AND DETAILS.
ONE OF THE QUESTIONS I ASK AND YOU'RE SMILING CAUSE YOU KNOW, THE ANSWERS WAS HOW MANY CALLS WERE THEY NOT ABLE TO RESPOND TO? AND THE ANSWER I GOT WAS ZERO.
THEY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO RESPOND TO EVERY CALL.
THAT'S NOT WHAT I'M HEARING TONIGHT AT THAT BOTHERS ME.
IT IS THOSE TYPE OF RESPONSES THAT RUIN COMPROMISE, CREDIBILITY AND TRUST ON RESIDENTS.
I HAVE A NICE LONG, A LITTLE JERK AROUND PUBLIC RECORDS REQUESTS FROM THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
WHY NOT JUST WORK WITH US? I CLEARLY ASK HOW MANY CALLS, BECAUSE ON FACEBOOK YOU SOUNDED LIKE YOU WERE RUNNING AROUND WITH A HORSE AND BUGGY AND COULDN'T MAKE IT TO CALLS.
OKAY? AND SO YOU'VE GOT ME PUTTING IN A PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST BASED ON STUFF I KNOW THE PREVIOUS CHIEF DID.
AND I'M TOLD PLEASE STOP THAT.
PLEASE WORK WITH THEM TO JUST GET OFF OF FACEBOOK WITH THE LICE AND LET'S WORK TOGETHER, SAVE SOME MONEY ON THE OVERTIME.
LET'S TURN THAT AROUND AND START FIXING THE DEPARTMENT, BUT STOP THE LIES.
SO THERE'S TWO COMMENTS TO THOSE ARE UM, THANK YOU.
IS THAT THE QUESTION THAT WAS POSED IN A PUBLIC RECORD REQUEST WAS, UH, IS THERE ANY CALLS THAT YOU DON'T RESPOND TO? OKAY.
WELL, FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS NOT ABLE TO, I HAVE THE EMAIL.
SO WHAT WE DO TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION IS THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WILL SEND SOMEBODY IN A BICYCLE.
THEY'LL SEND SOMEBODY FROM ANYWHERE IN THE UNITED STATES.
WE ALWAYS SEND AT SOME TIME, IT'S THE RESPONSE TIME THAT MAY BE 10, 15, 20, SOMETIMES 30 MINUTES.
SO THE ANSWER TO QUESTION IS, IS THERE ANY CALL THAT WE CAN DO A REPORT THAT SAYS THAT WE DIDN'T RESPOND TO OR UNABLE TO FIND THAT WE'RE NOT ABLE TO DO THAT TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION IS EVERY CALL THAT COMES IN.
AT SOME POINT WE, WE SEND SOMEBODY, WE DON'T PUT ANY IMPENDING.
WE FIND SOMEBODY, WE CALL SOMEBODY TO GO THAT'S.
SO TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS OR ANY CALLS, I'M ASSUMING YOU'RE TRYING TO FIND OUT WHICH ONES WERE PENDING OR UNABLE TO RESPOND TO.
WE DON'T HAVE THAT DATA AT ALL.
WHAT MY QUESTION WAS, I KNEW THAT ON FACEBOOK, THE FIREFIGHTERS WERE SAYING THEY WEREN'T ABLE TO COMPLETE A CALL AND IT BROKE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION.
[02:35:01]
OF THAT TYPE OF CALL WAIT WAS IT? THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO ME.THERE IS NO REPORT THAT SHOWS THAT I APOLOGIZE.
I WISH THERE WAS THERE'S NO REPORT THAT SHOWS THAT THAT SHOWS THAT THERE WAS A CALL THAT, THAT, THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT SOMEONE WOULD HAVE TO MAKE A REPORT FROM MAKEUP REPORT THEMSELVES.
THIS IS CRAZY MAKING, BUT JERRY WOULD, I SAID, WE HAD A PIECE OF EQUIPMENT THAT BROKE DOWN IN ROUTE TO THE HOSPITAL, RIGHT? YEAH.
AND THAT'S WHAT I WAS ASKING ABOUT.
I JUST TOLD YOU, WE HAD IT HAPPEN.
I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOUR PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST.
WELL, WE DON'T KEEP DATA THEN THERE'S NOT LIKE A LIST OR A REPORT THE POLLS EVENTUALLY FINISHED.
I WISH I WAS ABLE TO GET THAT DATA FOR YOU, WHICH WE DON'T KEEP TRACK OF THAT AT ALL.
CAUSE THAT SAYS THAT WE HAD 37 CALLS IN A YEAR THAT WE WERE UNABLE TO GO TO OR COMPLETE.
THE FACEBOOK POST THAT SAYS YOU PHONE.
LET'S GO TO THE GENTLEMEN IN THE BACK.
I'M SORRY IF YOU COULD USE THE MICROPHONE.
PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO LISTEN REMOTELY.
DO I GRAB, I'M GLAD YOU'RE HERE.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU ADDRESSED THIS EARLIER, BUT CAN YOU SAY LIKE WITHOUT ANY UNCERTAINTY THAT IF WE SWITCH TO COUNTY, THE RESPONSE TIMES WILL BE FASTER THAN OUR RESPONSE TIMES.
AS OF RIGHT NOW, WHAT I CAN SAY WITH CERTAINTY IS THE DATA SHOWS THAT OUR RESPONSE TIMES NOW, AND A THIRD PARTY, MUNICIPAL SERVICE REVIEW OF CONSOLIDATED FIRE PROTECTION JUST SHOWS THAT THEY CAN REACH 90% OF THE RESIDENTS OF WEST COVINA WITHIN SIX MINUTES, WHICH IS BETTER THAN WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW AT FIVE STATIONS, WHICH IS SIX MINUTES AND 43 SECONDS ON AVERAGE.
SO RIGHT NOW YOU'RE AT FOR 90% OF CALLS A YEAR, GOT, YOU'RE GETTING TO THE CALL AT SIX MINUTES AND 43 SECONDS.
AND WITH COUNTY WE'LL GET THERE AT SIX MINUTES.
SORRY, WAS THAT, THAT WAS MY QUESTION.
SO WHAT YOU'RE SAYING RIGHT NOW IS THAT AT NIGHT FOR 90% OF THE CALLS, YOU GUYS WILL REACH THOSE CALLS AT SIX MINUTES AND 43 SECONDS RIGHT NOW.
WELL ACTUALLY YOU TOOK ALL 8,520 CALLS IN LAST YEAR THAT WE RESPONDED.
WE ARRIVED ON SCENE TO NOT ALL CALLS THAT WE ACTUALLY MAKE IT THROUGH.
SOME GET CANCELED, UM, THE CALLERS AND THEY DON'T NEED US OR THE POLICE GET THEIR FOREST.
SO OF THE 8,520 CALLS IN 2019, WE WERE ABLE TO OUR AVERAGE AMOUNT OF TIME TO GET THE CALLS OF SIX MINUTES AND 43 SECONDS.
WELL ABOVE THE NATIONAL STANDARD.
SECONDLY, THOSE THIRD PARTY NON-FIRE DEPARTMENT AND USUAL SERVICE REVIEW SAYS THE CURRENT FOOTPRINT OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT CAN REACH 90% OF THE RESIDENTS IN WEST COVINA, NOT UTILIZING ANY WEST COVINA FIRE STATIONS IN SIX MINUTES, WHICH IS QUICKER THAN WE'RE DOING IT WITH OUR FIVE.
I DON'T REALLY BECAUSE WITHOUT ANY OF ANY ASSISTANCE FROM FIRE STATIONS LIKE WITHIN THE CITY, YES, BECAUSE IF YOU LOOK AT THE SPEED LIMITS, THE, WHERE THE CALLS ARE AND TRAVEL TIMES WITH THE MAP AND LOCATION OF THE FIRE STATIONS, THERE'S A LOT OF AREAS WITHIN WEST COVINA THAT LA COUNTY IS CLOSER AND THEY CAN GET THERE, ESPECIALLY FIVE'S AREA, A LOT OF THREES AREA, STATION ONES, AREA.
YOU CAN SEE THERE'S MULTIPLE FIRE STATIONS, STATIONED DIRECT CENTER.
CORRECT? SO THE DIRECT CENTER, IF YOU WENT ON A RIGHT WHERE SUNSET CAMERAS WERE STATIONED, ONE IS OKAY, YOU GOT 26 IS 80 SEVENS AND YOU GOT 20 NINES THAT WE CAN GET THERE.
26 IS, CAN GET THERE FASTER THAN STATION FOUR, TWO OR FIVE, BUT THERE'S A CALL RIGHT NOW AT STATION.
ONE'S ON A CALL AND WE HAVE A CHEST PAIN, ANOTHER CALL STATIONED TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE.
WE'LL HAVE TO RESPOND WHEN THERE'S TWO OTHER FIRE STATIONS IN LA COUNTY CAN GET THERE QUICKER.
BUT I'M SORRY IF HE JUST, I HEARD YOU SAY THAT LA COUNTY WOULD RESPOND WITHOUT THE ASSISTANCE OF WEST COVINA.
IS THAT WHAT YOU JUST SAID OR NO, I JUST, I WAS GIVEN A, UH, THE THIRD PARTY REVIEW STATED THAT THE FOOTPRINT, IF YOU GO TO THIS MAP, SORRY, IF YOU GO TO THIS MAP RIGHT HERE, WHERE'S THE, THAT THIS RIGHT HERE, THIS IS WHAT'S CALLED A CRAWL MAP.
THIS IS WHERE YOU TAKE SPEED LIMITS, UH, TIME OF DAY.
AND IT LOOKS LIKE IN A CHAIR AND EVALUATES THE AVERAGE AMOUNT OF TIME.
THE, THE, THE MAP ON THE LEFT IS THE LIGHT BLUE IS LA COUNTY FIRE STATIONS ONLY RESPONDING IN THE WEST.
THE AVERAGE TRAVEL TIME FOR AN ENGINE COMPANY IS SIX MINUTES.
AND THE DARKER MAPS MEANS THAT THERE'S MULTIPLE AREAS THAT HAVE MULTIPLE OR OVERLAP FOR MULTIPLE FIRE STATIONS WITHIN SIX MINUTES.
[02:40:01]
OKAY.THAT WAS A LOT, BUT YES OR NO, LA COUNTY IS FASTER THAN US RIGHT NOW.
CAN YOU JUST, REGIONALIZATION WILL BE A LOT FASTER RESPONSE TIMES.
WHAT'S THE PERCENTAGE OF THE GEOGRAPHICAL AREA THAT THEY CAN RESPOND BACK TO WHAT YOU SAID, THAT THEY HAVE TO RESPOND FASTER THAN OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT IN CERTAIN AREAS.
WHAT PERCENTAGE IS THAT? 90% OF THE RESIDENTS, 90% OF THE RESIDENTS WEST COMMUNITY COULD BE SERVICE WITH JUST IF LA COUNTY AND NO FIRE DEPARTMENT FIRE STATIONS IN WEST COVINA.
90% OF THE RESIDENTS OF WEST COMINA CAN BE REACHED AT SIX MINUTES PER A THIRD PARTY, NON FIRE DEPARTMENT.
IT WOULD BE IMPORTANT TO POINT OUT THAT THAT'S NOT AN OPTION ON THE TABLE, BUT IT WAS STILL RETAINED THREE STATIONS, WHICH MEANS THAT TIME WOULD GO DOWN.
YEAH, BUT WE'RE WEIGHING THE PROS AND CONS.
SO IF YOU'RE TELLING ME 90%, THAT MEANS THAT THEY ALMOST REACHED THE CENTER OF THE CITY.
AND ALSO THAT YOU GUYS CAN
AND THAT'S, WE'RE TRYING TO EXPLAIN THE REGIONALIZATION NUMBER OF STATIONS THAT ARE ABLE TO SERVICE THE CITY.
IT'S IN THE SAN GABRIEL VALLEY IN RELATION TO THE CONSOLIDATE FIBER, TEXAS DISTRICT.
THERE IS A TON OF STATIONS, A TON OF CONTRACT CITIES, A LOT OF SHARING REGIONALIZATION.
THEY COME IN A VEHICLE FROM A GREATER DISTANCE.
SO HOW IS IT THAT THEY'RE ABLE TO GET TO WHERE YOU'RE AWAITING PRACTICALLY? YEAH, I HAD 90% OF THE TIME.
THAT'S THAT'S BECAUSE IT'S SHARED REGIONALIZATION.
AND THE THREE DAYS THAT I WAS EXPLAINING EARLIER EACH DAY, WE RAN IT TOTAL.
UH, IT LOOKS LIKE 25 PLUS CALLS EACH OF THE THREE DAYS, APRIL 1ST, SECOND, AND THIRD, WHICH MEANS THOSE 25 CALLS HAD THE UNITS ON THEM.
AND THERE WAS ANOTHER CALL THAT CAME, BUT WE WERE UNABLE TO RESPOND TO IF WE HAD THE REGIONALIZATION, THOSE STATIONS, YOU'RE NOT ANSWERING THE QUESTION YOU'RE GOING AROUND AND AROUND
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO EXPLAIN.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE MAP, IF YOU LOOK AT THE MAP, WE'RE TRYING TO EXPLAIN, THEY'RE NOT FAR YOU MORE THAN THE PERIPHERY.
WELL, LET ME CALL A TIME OUT FOR DATA.
AND LET ME SEE IF I CAN GET THAT REPORT.
THAT'S BEEN REFERENCED TO THE PEOPLE THAT ARE INTERESTED IN IT SO WE CAN LOOK AT IT.
DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? I, UM, I'LL BE GLAD TO ANALYZE NUMBERS.
LET ME, LET ME, LET ME SEE IF I CAN GET THAT FOR YOU.
WAIT, WE'VE GOT A QUESTION ON THE PHONE AND THEN WE'LL TAKE THAT GENTLEMEN IN THE BACK.
WE HAVE A QUESTION FROM MR. STEVE BENNETT.
SAN DOES NOT ROLL ON AROUND 80 TO 90% OF MEDICAL CALLS.
I HAVE A FRIEND WHO IS A PARAMEDIC AND HERE ARRIVES TREATS AND TRANSPORTS WITHOUT SB COUNTY FIRE ARRIVING.
SO TIRED, TIERED DISPATCHING WORKS.
THE FACT THAT WE ARE NOT EVEN TRYING TO TEST AN AMBULANCE SERVICE FIRST IS LUDICROUS.
I DON'T THINK IT WAS A QUESTION, BUT CHIEF, IF YOU WANT TO REPEAT, IT'S NOT APPLES TO APPLES IN SAN BERNARDINO.
A PARAMEDIC AND AN EMT, WHICH COSTS, WHICH MEANS THAT AMBULANCE WOULD COST A LOT LESS CONTRACTING IN LA COUNTY.
THERE'S NOT ANY PRIVATE PARAMEDICS BECAUSE IT COSTS MORE TO FEEL TWO PARAMEDICS.
AND THE RECOUP OF THE FUNDS IN LA COUNTY IS MANDATED BY THE COST BY THE COUNTY.
SO THE VENDORS CAN'T MAKE THE MONEY.
THAT'S WHY THEY'RE NOT, THERE'S NOT THAT MANY OUT THERE.
THERE'S NONE IN LA COUNTY THAT RESPOND.
THERE'S ANOTHER QUESTION FROM MR. BENNETT.
SO WEST COVINA HAD A FOUR MINUTE AND 32ND RESPONSE IN 1997, AND NOW IT'S SIX MINUTES AND 43 SECONDS.
BUT YOU THINK THAT LA COUNTY IMPROVED RESPONSE TIME BY TWO MINUTES IN THAT TIME? SORRY, I CALL BS.
I DON'T, I DON'T HAVE ANY DATA THAT SHOWS OR SEEN THAT ANYWHERE WHERE IT WAS FOUR MINUTES AND 30 SECONDS.
AND I'D LIKE TO SEE WHO MADE THAT DATA AND SAID, LA COUNTY WAS EIGHT MINUTES.
WE'D ALSO HAVE TO SEE AS WHAT RESOURCES HAVE BEEN INCREASED SINCE 1997, THE STUDY WAS DONE AND I WASN'T INVOLVED IN THE SYDNEY.
I DON'T KNOW WHERE THE DATA CAME FROM.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE THE CITIES OF AZUSA, COVINA, ELMANI POMONA
[02:45:01]
AND OTHER CITIES SINCE 1996 HAVE GONE INTO THE CONSOLIDATED FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT, WHICH MEANS ALL OF THOSE RESOURCES WOULD BE AVAILABLE FOR REGIONALIZATION.SO THAT WOULD MAKE SENSE THAT THE NUMBERS WENT DOWN BECAUSE THERE'S NOW MORE RESOURCES AVAILABLE THAN THERE WERE BACK IN 1997, CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF MORE RESOURCES FOR REGIONALIZATION RESPONSE, LA COUNTY CONTRACTED SHAVERS, AND THEY BRANCH BOARDED OR COUNT.
AS SOON AS THAT TIME, THE MOTION TRANSPORT RELAY COUNTY TO THE LOCAL HOSPITALS IS THAT CURRENTLY STILL A NEW PRACTICE.
AND I'M NOT SURE, UH, IS THE QUESTION SHAFFER SPECIFICALLY OR A PRIVATE AREA.
SO SAY FOR EXAMPLE, THIS DOES NOT EXIST ANYMORE, BUT THE MODEL YOU'RE DISCUSSING HAS BEEN THE SAME MODEL WITHIN LOS ANGELES COUNTY PROPER.
AND I'M PROBABLY OLDER THAN YOU IS, UH, UH, IT'S THE SAME AS IT'S BEEN EVEN BACK WITH SCHAEFER.
IT IS SAME AS A PRIVATE AMBULANCE.
DOES THE TRANSPORT CORRECT? SINCE, SINCE BASICALLY THE SEVENTIES, THE COUNTY PARAMEDICS, DON'T TRANSPORT PATIENTS THAT DON'T NEED COUNTY ON BOARD, RIGHT? IF IT'S BASIC LIFE SUPPORT, THAT'S CORRECT.
PER THE COUNTY EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE AGENCIES, LAWS, PARAMEDICS DO NOT FOLLOW UP ON A BASIC LICENSE.
CORPORATE, IF YOU WOULD PLEASE GO TO THE TEXT MESSAGE.
HELLO, AGAIN, SWORN TO SAY, THANK YOU FOR THIS GUY.
HE'S BEEN CLEANING THE MIKE A LOT THE ENTIRE DAY, BUT I JUST WANTED TO ASK WHAT'S THE HARM IN NOT WHY ARE WE NOT TRYING TO PUT THIS ON THE BALLOT? LIKE, YOU KNOW, LETTING THE PEOPLE DECIDE.
I FEEL LIKE THERE'S A, DEFINITELY A MISTRUST BETWEEN EVERYBODY, ALL THE RESIDENTS AND THE CITY COUNCIL.
I MEAN, ALL THE RESIDENTS AND NEW FOR, I MEAN, IT'S KIND OF RIDICULOUS TO LISTEN TO A FIREFIGHTER, TALK ABOUT WHY THIS DECISION IS THE GREATEST FOR THEM.
YOU KNOW, LIKE OBVIOUSLY YOU HAVE A STAKE IN THIS.
WHAT ARE THE RESIDENTS HAVE STAKE IN THIS? YOU KNOW, LIKE, WHAT ARE THE RESIDENTS OF COURSE WANT PUBLIC SAFETY? LIKE I'M HERE.
LIKE I DON'T WANT, YOU KNOW, LESS PUBLIC SAFETY.
I DON'T WANT MY LIFE TO BE MORE AT RISK, YOU KNOW? SO JUST LET THE PEOPLE VOTE ON IT.
THEY VOTED A WHILE BACK AND THEY VOTED OVERWHELMINGLY.
SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE, THE HARM IN THAT IS.
UM, I, WE, WE KEEP DEMANDING FOR A THIRD PARTY DATA, BETTER DATA, YOU KNOW, MORE TRANSPARENT DATA.
BUT WHAT WE GOT WAS A, A SLIDE BEFORE THAT WAS LIKE PRIMARILY ALL CONS OTHER THAN FOR THE FACT THAT SWITCH TO COUNTY, WHICH IS ONLY ONE CON AND ALL PROS.
SO THERE'S DEFINITELY MISTRUST.
I FEEL LIKE THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE TRANSPARENCY, ESPECIALLY WITH THE BUDGET SURVEY, WHICH HASN'T BEEN RELEASED.
YOU KNOW, LIKE IT JUST THE MONEY ISN'T GOING TO COME RANDOMLY.
IT ISN'T GOING TO FLY FROM THE SKY.
WE NEED TO HAVE THE MONEY SOMEWHERE.
AND UNFORTUNATELY WE HAVE TO MAKE CUTS.
I'M NOT GOING TO BE LIKE, OH, WE NEED A FIRE PEOPLE ON THE I'D HATE THAT.
I HATE SAYING, WE NEED TO FIRE THIS.
I MEAN LIKE, BUT WE NEED TO MAKE CUTS SOMEWHERE.
AND WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT WHERE WE START BEGINNING TO MAKE CUTS BECAUSE SWITCHING ACCOUNTING COUNTY WON'T SAVE US FOR AN ACTUAL SITUATION.
AND FROM WHAT I'VE HEARD, IT'S GOING TO MAKE IT EVEN WORSE.
I'M HAPPY TO HAVE JIM LOOK AT THE NUMBERS.
CAUSE HE SEEMS LIKE, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE MOST UNBIASED PEOPLE HERE, YOU KNOW, AND JERRY TOO, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN, I JUST DON'T TRUST A LOT OF THE INFORMATION THAT'S BEING GIVEN OUT RIGHT NOW.
I DON'T TRUST THAT IT'S ENTIRELY UNBIASED.
AND I CAN THINK I COULD SPEAK FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE FOR THAT.
I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANY HARM IN PUTTING UP, PUTTING IT ON THE BALLOT FOR THE PEOPLE TO DECIDE, BECAUSE THIS IS THEIR DECISION AT THE END OF THE DAY.
COUPLE MORE QUESTION FROM MR. BENNETT.
SO WHY ARE, SO WHY ARE NOT RESENDING THE 12% RAISE AND PUT THAT INTO REPAIRS? THE FACT THAT YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO ELIMINATE THE RAISES, SPEAKS VOLUMES FOR WHAT THE FIREFIGHTERS REALLY WANT.
IF I COULD TAKE THAT ONE, IF I MAY, UM, WE'RE AT THE TABLE WITH OUR FIRE UNION RIGHT NOW AND I'M GOING TO LEAVE IT AT THE TABLE, BUT IT'S SIGNIFICANT TO ME.
UH, FROM MR. BENNETT, A FOLLOWUP, THE AMBULANCE WOULD BE ABLE TO BE IMPLEMENTED AND VETTED THROUGH EXPERIENCE AND EXPERIENCE AND A YEAR WITHOUT MAKING A FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE TO OUR CITY.
WHY ARE WE NOT PROMOTING SOMETHING TO TRY? AND THEN IF IT DOESN'T WORK, WE CAN REVIEW THIS AGAIN, NEXT BUDGET.
OH, I'M GOING TO TAKE THAT AS A CON COMMENT RATHER THAN A QUESTION, BUT I DO WANT TO SAY, I THINK THIS, THIS FISCAL EMERGENCY THAT WE'RE IN IS REAL.
I THINK IT'S BROUGHT INTO SHARP FOCUS, A LOT OF THESE QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT IS THE PACKAGE OF SERVICES THAT THE CITY PROVIDES AND HOW DOES IT PAY FOR SERVICES.
[02:50:01]
AND, UM, I'M TRYING TO SIGNAL EARLY THAT, THAT IT'S LIKE THE MOMENT IN THE MOVIE WHERE THE GUY SHOUTS OUT ICEBERG, RIGHT AHEAD.DID YOU SEE THAT MOVIE WHERE THE BOAT SINK AND, UM, I, I WANT TO TRY AND SIGNAL NOW THAT WE NEED TO MAKE SOME OF THESE DECISIONS.
IF WE'RE GOING TO MAKE CUTS, WE'RE BETTER TO MAKE THEM JULY 1ST.
AND THEN IN DECEMBER WHEN IT'S TOO LATE.
SO I WANT TO BE REALLY FOCUSED NOW ABOUT SOME OF THESE OPTIONS FOR SERVICE PROVISION, YOU MEANT, UM, THIS WHOLE EMERGENCY DONE ADMITTEDLY BY YOU WITHOUT PROVIDING ANY JUSTIFICATION FOR IT.
THIS IS A SHOEMAKER IN SPITE OF THE FACT THAT SHE GAVE YOU THE SUPPORT AND THE VOTE, SHE POINTED OUT THAT YOU HAD, YOU HAD NOT PROVIDED ANY NUMBERS OR ANY REAL REASON WHY THEY SHOULD ADVOCATE THEIR GOAL IN RUNNING THE CITY OR HELPING RUN THE CITY.
AND THEY GAVE YOU THIS SEPARATION, RIGHT? IT SEEMS LIKE WE'RE OPERATING FROM A OH BOY.
AND NOW YOU'RE TAKING US A BIG BOUNCE FROM NOT YOU NECESSARILY, BUT THE CITY IS CONSIDERING BOUNCING OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT TO THE COUNTY.
AND THESE ARE REALLY DRASTIC MEASURES THAT AS MENTIONED ARE NOT GOING TO THE VOTERS.
I REALLY HAVE NOT BEEN FITTED BY OUR CITY COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES.
AND YOU HAVE NOT REALLY PROVIDED THE NUMBERS, ADMITTEDLY.
SO WHY ARE WE DISCUSSING THIS WITHOUT EVEN GIVEN A TRIES? MR. BEN HAD SAID TO SOME OF THESE CHANGES THAT HAVE BEEN SHARED HERE TONIGHT, BEFORE WE JUMP INTO THE, UH, YOU KNOW, THE DEEP SEA LET'S, LET'S LOOK AT THE POSSIBILITY OF INCREASING THE REVENUES AND FIXING THE ROADS AND MAKING SURE THAT THOSE THREE TRUCKS THAT COULDN'T RESPOND, UH, CHEAP OUR, OUR, OUR FINGER, RIGHT? ARE YOU, ARE YOU SUGGESTING ATTACKS? YOU KNOW WHAT? NO, I DIDN'T THINK HE WAS.
I'M NOT, I'M NOT, BUT I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT YOU WOULD HAVE WON THE SALES TAX.
YOU BEEN TRANSPARENT TO WHAT UP AND POINTED OFF, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? WE NEED THIS NOT TO GIVE THEM A 12% RAISE, BUT TO MAINTAIN THEM IN OUR CITY.
AND WHEN THINGS GET BETTER, NO RESIDENT, IT WAS COMING UP.
ONCE THEY SAY, NO, WE DON'T WANT OUR FIRE FIGHTER PIG COMPARABLE TO OTHER CITIES.
WE WANT THE BEST, BUT WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO AFFORD IT.
CAUSE I STOOD THERE AND I WAS ONE OF MANY WHO SAID TO THAT, COUNCIL WE'LL WORK WITH YOU ON A SALES TAX, RESTRICTED OR PENSIONS THAT WOULD HAVE FREED UP MONEY.
A LOT OF THIS WAS CREATED NOT BY THE RESIDENTS.
WE WANT TO SEE GENUINE OPEN TRANSPARENCY, HONEST PROCEDURES, HONEST PROCESSES.
SO LEADERSHIP, RIGHT? WE HAVE A WORK WITH THE CITY.
WHEN WE SEE, I WOULD LOVE TO, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE TIER DISPATCHING.
I'D LOVE TO SEE DIFFERENT THINGS.
TRY TO USE THAT MONEY AND PUT BACK IN TO FIX THINGS BEFORE YOU JUST JUNK THE SYSTEM, BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO JUMP THE SYSTEM REALLY PRETTY ANGRY AT SOME OF THE INDIVIDUALS.
LET ME OFFER THIS BECAUSE I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN HERE A LONG TIME.
LET'S UM, LET'S GET SOME OF THIS DATA THAT WE OWE YOU AND RETURN NEXT WEEK, SOME TIME AND DO THIS AGAIN.
I WANT TO KEEP THIS CONVERSATION AT THE CENTER OF THE CITY'S BUSINESS, BUT I REALIZE WITH THE, SOME OF THIS MISSING DATA, WE'RE NOT GOING TO GET THERE.
SO I WANT TO, I WANT TO COME BACK.
DID YOU EVER GET THE COUNTY ESTIMATE OR THEY WANT TO CHARGE US FOR ALL PATIENTS? COME BACK.
THE QUESTION IS, DID WE GET THE COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT TRANSITION COSTS? WE DID NOT.
WE THOUGHT IT WOULD COME FRIDAY.
WE THOUGHT IT WOULD COME TODAY.
AS OF TODAY, WE DON'T HAVE IT YET.
UNDERSTAND THAT, RIGHT? WELL, THOSE CAN COME BY NEXT WEEK.
WHY HAVE ANOTHER BABY? I'LL BE, I'LL WAIT UNTIL I HAVE THE DATA BEFORE WE OUT.
I'D LIKE TO LIKE TO CLOSE BY THANKING EVERYBODY FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT.
[02:55:01]
AND I KNOW SOMETIMES PEOPLE AREN'T COMFORTABLE IN GROUPS ASKING QUESTIONS AND I'LL STAY AS LONG AS ANY ONE PERSON WANTS TO TALK THIS EVENING.SO THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE.