Reply #16: NPR: San Diego Co. Refused Tax Hike for Firefighting

[JPZenger]

NPR had a good news story about the firefighting response in Southern California. They said many few houses were lost in Los Angeles County because they had more firefighters and firefighting helicopters and planes with their own pilots vs. San Diego County. LA County had most of their aircraft in the air fighting the Malibu fire within one hour after it was reported.

San Diego County had to wait for State and military aircraft to show up. The pilots did not know the territory and were hesitant to fly in strong winds. There also were bureaucratic delays between the levels of government.

After the last big fire in San Diego County, voters were asked to approve a tax increase for firefighting that would have provided aircraft and other resources. They turned it down.