“At the same time, he said it was disheartening to know that four years after some of the costliest fires in state history tore through the area, little had been done to better the odds of fighting fires there.

Bowman had told San Diego city officials it would cost at least $100 million to add needed new stations and equipment and $40 million a year more to increase staff. That investment, he said, is what it would take to bring San Diego into compliance with national standards. Those guidelines call for a city of San Diego’s size to have at least 22 more stations than the current 46, and 1,300 firefighters, up from the 980 now on staff.

But his appeal had no effect. Four months after the Cedar fire, a ballot proposal to boost hotel-motel taxes to pay for better fire protection failed to win voter approval. The City Council, mindful of the anti-tax mood of residents, has opted not to try again.

San Diego was recently denied full accreditation by the Commission on Fire Accreditation International, now called the Center for Public Safety Excellence, because many of its stations fail to meet the five-minute standard for arriving at major fires or calls for paramedic service.

“This whole county is fire protection poor,” Bowman said, noting that the city has added only one fire station in the four years since more than 5,000 homes and businesses were destroyed in the Cedar fire. And that temporary station near Qualcomm Stadium is in an area where at least two permanent stations have been recommended by fire officials for the last 20 years.

“Bottom line,” Bowman said, “is staffing has not improved.”"

http://www.latimes.com/news/lo…..ome-center

Maybe more funding for fire protection, recommended by all the experts and authorities, would not have prevented or slowed the fires. But doing nothing is not an alternative.

So what do you get stories of? Fat ass Republicans saving their horses in Rancho Santa Fe and Rancho Bernardo. Being from San Diego, I know these clowns.

But! I rec’d email today for an ‘alternate’ username … from the Humane Society of the United States or some such shit. The only reason I believe this is SPAM is becaue the Jennifer username has ONLY been used on one website.

I have to ask myself why someone in Australia would have a particular interest in the animal rescue attempt half a world away!

So this cynic reckons, if they ask for money for a ‘good cause’ it will probably never get there! Else why use bought or data-mined e-addresses?!

CNN reports that boosh will not go into Qaalcom stadium to meet displaced people despite a request by Ahnold.

It’s probably a security issue. If he were anywhere near people it would be tough to stop them from ripping him to shreds.

Nice. Watching KO repeat. Dana Perino says having California’s national guard and their resources in Iraq is more important than having them in California.

Loud and clear Perino.

Why couldn’t an uppity state phase out its national guard and substitute a state service group w/no military training? (assuming the great wot is perpetual)

In SF, Candlestick became PacBell. But then SBC bought PacBell, so I’m not sure what the stadium was called. But it may have been 3Com for a while.

To me, this crap is pointless, and does nothing to improve my view of these companies.

Candlestick Park was renamed 3Com Park at Candlestick Point and now is Monster Park named after a local wire cable company. The new baseball stadium downtown started out as PacBell, was changed to SBC, and now has been renamed AT&T Park as the mergers have consolidated the phone companies. The SF 49er’s home is Monster Park.

Laura Doty @ 304

PB @ 262: I sent a letter to the coordinator of Sonoma County’s Emergency Services re: TDD #s. I think that’s just an excellent point.

Persiflage, I looked at that link. It sounds like people are much better prepared about fires in your neck of the bush than in suburban US.

Too many fires, too many deaths. We are prepared for fire like Californians are prepared for earthquakes.

Better, perhaps. A lot of folks don’t prep for quakes as they should. I’m afraid too many of us live as though nature is something far away, not what we all live inside.

PB @ 262: I sent a letter to the coordinator of Sonoma County’s Emergency Services re: TDD #s. I think that’s just an excellent point.

Persiflage, I looked at that link. It sounds like people are much better prepared about fires in your neck of the bush than in suburban US.

Too many fires, too many deaths. We are prepared for fire like Californians are prepared for earthquakes.