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Linda Talso
Chairman of the Board of the Redwood Valley Calpella Fire District
ltalso@hotmail.com
707-621-3155
I was very disappointed to learn you have a plan for spending nearly all of the $22,651,737, received as a result of the settlement with PG&E due to the 2017 Fire Storm which ravaged part of Potter Valley and a large portion of Redwood Valley. You have done so without even asking the Redwood Valley Community, Water District or Fire District if they had any needs.
I am not saying that items on your to do list are not important, but our community has many needs as well. Our Fire District has been trying to get funding for an Early Warning Siren System since 2017. We have requested funding from the county and applied for grants to help fund this project. The County has not assisted us at all. Some of our Fire Trucks are over 15 years old and we cannot afford to replace them.
We had the county take away $20,000 of our Prop. 172 funding which left a huge hole in our already stretched budget. Our District like many others in the County is struggling financially. Funds from this Settlement would have benefited the Fire District and our community. We have also had to put off repairs to our facilities due to a lack of funds. Many people in Redwood Valley would benefit by having trees and brush removed from their property which would benefit everyone, but they can’t afford to pay for a tree service. It would be nice to have funds to pay for that service. It would help keep the fire danger down.
I ask that before you move forward on all of your items on your list that you contact the Redwood Valley Calpella Fire District, the Redwood Valley Water Board, the Redwood Valley MAC, and get a feel for what the citizens of our community need and deserve.
Don’t forget if It had not been for the Redwood Complex Fire you would not have received the $22,651,737. We deserve a fair share.
Thank you,
Linda Talso
