Our Issue: SRA Fees

August 25, 2011

Our letters: 25 August 2011

to:     Governor Brown
         c/o State Capitol, Suite 1173
         Sacramento, CA 95814

from: Central Coast Forest Association
         P. O. Box 66868
         Scotts Valley, CA 95066

re:     SRA fees

Dear Governor Brown,

The Central Coast Forest Association (CCFA) is an organization comprised of forest landowners, resource professionals and others concerned with forest issues and land use policy in the Central Coast region of California.  The majority of our members live in rural areas that CalFIRE designates as SRA properties. 

Many of these properties are actually protected by local fire districts.  In Santa Cruz County, much of the rural population is protected by Boulder Creek FD, Ben Lomond FD, Felton FD, Zayante FD, Scotts Valley FD, Soquel FD and Aptos/La Selva FD to name just a few.  If the district boundaries of these fire districts were laid out on a map, one would find that most of the land designated as SRA falls within the boundaries of one of these districts.

The proposed SRA fee will damage the funding base of the local districts.  Property owners will object to paying twice for fire protection, and they are right to do so. Their local districts provide all of their services except for large emergencies and partner with CalFIRE via mutual aid when large events occur and any fees they pay should go to the entity providing the service.

Neither the local fire districts, nor CalFIRE are sufficient in themselves to protect these properties in a large emergency.  CalFIRE needs the services the local districts provide and should not undercut this support.

Yours truly,

CCFA Board Member

cc: Board of Forestry and Fire Protection

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