GILROY
– In an effort to keep local control of its fire department, the
city has submitted a brief-but-biting letter to the state regarding
potential unification of Gilroy, Morgan Hill and San Martin fire
protection services.
GILROY – In an effort to keep local control of its fire department, the city has submitted a brief-but-biting letter to the state regarding potential unification of Gilroy, Morgan Hill and San Martin fire protection services.
The letter tells the Local Agency Formation Commission – the state’s anti-sprawl agency – that Gilroy has concerns over how details in a report on the consolidation of South County fire departments will be used. The letter, which was signed by City Administrator Jay Baksa, calls it “unacceptable” if LAFCO “should choose to require any of the report options as a stipulation to granting approval for annexations or changes to jurisdictional boundaries.”
” … Decisions (regarding fire protection service) should be left to the policy makers at the local level, in the spirit of home rule,” Baksa states in the letter.
A face-to-face opportunity to express these concerns to the agency passed the city by last week. Baksa, Gilroy Fire Chief Jeff Clet and all but one Councilman – Roland Velasco – did not attend a LAFCO meeting at county headquarters where the fire service report was presented publicly for the first time.
Velasco was in the building since he works there as a policy aide for Supervisor Don Gage, a LAFCO commissioner.
“I was there because of the impact it could have on the entire South County,” Velasco said. “I wasn’t necessarily representing Gilroy.”
The dearth of Gilroy representation is a stark contrast to the fist-pounding remarks made by city officials just last month. At a special meeting between City Council and the public safety sector, officials lambasted LAFCO for considering a plan to consolidate fire departments across the South County under one regional umbrella organization.
“Home rule is dead and dying. Already cities have lost the revenue side of home rule to the state. Now the state’s entering into the service side of things, too,” Baksa said then. “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that LAFCO will be the giant and charter cities will be irrelevant in this socialistic environment.”
Velasco said the absence of other Gilroy officials should not be disconcerting since last week’s LAFCO meeting was just a presentation of a draft report.
“The city will have other opportunities to comment,” Velasco said.
Clet, who was at a League of California Cities meeting the day of the LAFCO session, said Gilroy fire officials will meet with representatives from other South County fire departments after the first of the year, once the Gilroy Fire Department completes its master plan for future fire service.
