Comments by Vince Williams
May 28, 2007
Barry, It's more accurate to say the staffing crisis would have been resolved a month ago had there not been an injunction against the Boards contracting with CalFire. Let me provide some more details. Historically attrition has been ongoing at HMBFPD for years. The historical causes of attrition are many. Probably the most significant cause is HMBFPD has been effectively a training Department. In the past, when Linestaff numbers dropped low enough and overtime cost became a consideration, a new…
May 27, 2007
CalFire will either come in by contract or on an emergency basis. If HMBFPD can't keep up Linestaff levels, HMBFPD would most likely discontinue service to PMFPD. The PMFPD Board would then have NO CHOICE other than bringing in engines staffed by the State Fire Marshal. The HMBFPD and PMFPD Boards are constrained at this point by public safety issues. HMBFPD Fire Fighters have been wringing the last bit of drama out of this. The news coverage has been a succession of HMBFPD Fire Fighters making career…
March 20, 2007
Brent Smith, The Boards have a responsibility not just to the Employees, but to the residents of the community, any person that visits the Districts, mutual aid agreements and ultimately the State Fire Marshal. The Boards have to balance all the needs and requirements of all the stakeholders. Local 2400 was selected by the HMBFPD Linestaff to represent your interests. If you feel you have communication issues with the Board you should bring that up with your Local, before coming to this forum. It…
March 15, 2007
Brent Smith wrote: "...Chief Fererra and Paul Cole have worked out a deal to eliminate the Half Moon Bay fire District and replace it with a state run agency administered by Paul Cole." Opinion, not fact. CalFire(CDF) responded to the PMFPD and HMBFPD Request For Proposal drafted by Interim Chief Hamilton last year. After reviewing two proposals the PMFPD and HMBFPD Boards negotiated a contract with CalFire, which has the two Boards setting the level of service on an ongoing basis. The work that…
March 07, 2007
I was among three citizens that attended the PMFPD Special Meeting Tuesday evening. There were no Fire Fighters in attendance. I don't know the specifics of the second petition circulated by IAFF local 2400. But, it appears the second sets of referenda were more rhetorical than legally drafted to challenge the actions of the Boards on contracting with CalFire(CDF). The more pressing issue for Chief Cole and the Board at the meeting was an urgent agenda item placed on the Tuesday PMFPD Open Session…
January 15, 2007
Jonathan, Try this Java applet from NASA http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/db_shm?sstr=C/2006+P1+&group=all&search=Search NASA, Near Earth Object Program, Orbit Diagrams, Comet c/2006 P1 Click forward and back on the days. The visibility of the comet depends on seeing it against a dark or darkened sky. In daylight the sun outshines it and washes out the sky. It's still there. It just moves from the dark northern sky, light southern sky to the dark southern sky, light northern sky, when it goes through…
January 12, 2007
Friday evening the comet was spectacular. It was possible to follow the bright nucleus of the comet right over the horizon with the naked eye. I waited for sunset and went to the end of Weinke in Moss Beach and watched from the bluffs. When Venus made its appearance I scanned a line from it to where the sun set. I caught a glimpse of the tail in the sunset afterglow with averted vision. I wasn't expecting it would be that low. It first appeared as a white streak in the orange glow. I stared for a…
November 02, 2006
I found "B. Robert Ptacek" on the "Roster of Qualified Candidates - Local Offices Gubernetorial General Election Tuesday November 7,2006,
Update Saturday October 21,2006(12:22 PM)"
link is
http://www.shapethefuture.org/documents/dynamic/candidaterosterweb.pdf
Can also be accessed from county elections web site
scroll down "VIRTUAL ELECTION CENTER" select "SMC County Roster".
I am not affiliated with Bob Ptacek's campaign for CUSD.
October 30, 2006
Ed Hawkins wrote: "Can a three station department run itself and be cost effective? ..." I asked Robert Olsen of Robert Olsen and Associates at an MCC meeting what an optimal size was. He said five engine stations. Comparing incorporated cities to special districts is comparing apples to oranges. Incorporated cities have more flexibility in how they allocate resources. Unincorporated special districts have a tax resource disadvantage since Proposition 13. I doubt any of the cities mentioned pay $800…
October 30, 2006
Hal Bolger wrote: "If you are correct that San Mateo County may well be heading toward a consolidation..." A thirty year old LAFCo report is probably obsolete. A lot has changed both in the Districts and the way fire and emergency services are delivered. LAFCo did a Municipal Service Review for the Coastside last year which is available online. What I have heard in summary is that SM County is headed toward a County wide Fire Department. The hegemony of Local 2400 in the Bayside Districts and cities…
October 30, 2006
Ed Hawkins wrote: "But for those who like to dig out scandalous promotions consider this. Acting Half Moon Bay Cole now makes more than the chief of San Francisco. If the state takes over Half Moon Bay, they will "red circle" Chief Cole at his current salary and he will then make more than all of his bosses" Dave Heckman wrote: "This does not hide the fact that we have the highest paid chief in the county and the lowest paid firefighters. Also the HMBFPD just gave their chief a brand new car to take…
October 30, 2006
Ed Hawkins wrote: "I suggest the department I work for is only relevant to one person whose mind is already made up and who is grasping at anything he can find to avoid an open debate of the real issues..." You have made your judgment and transparency an issue by claiming numerous times on this forum that you are qualified to solve the problems in HMBFPD like you have in the other San Mateo Fire Districts. Based on your statements, the HMBFPD Board hasn't indicated any interest in meeting and conferring…
October 29, 2006
Ed Hawkins wrote: " I repeat, we have not sued any agency for 15 years." Please be more specific about who "we" is? You, you and IAFF local 2400 staff, you and IAFF local staff and any attorneys you may have retained, AFL/CIO members staff or attorneys under retainer. Here is a link to a news article with your name and quotes attributed to you, that could use some explanation: http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20060629/ai_n16519674 As I understand it the Teamsters were never named…
October 29, 2006
(3/3 continued from previous post) I have heard from people that were accosted in the post office in Montara by petition gatherers for your referenda. Who wants to say no to someone who may very well be in a position to save their life in the future? As Ed Carter alluded to, some people associated with the Fire Districts have used their position for questionable purposes. Who wants to cross them? To many in the community that are disgusted with the Fire District mess this was an unwelcome intrusion.…
October 29, 2006
(2/3 continued form previous post) Ed Hawkins wrote: "But for anyone who thinks other ideas should be considered we have stepped up with an offer to look at other solutions..." Coming late and requesting to be brought up to speed on your terms and suggesting a process that will most likely take over a year doesn't sound like competence to me. It demonstrates a lack of understanding of the seriousness of the current situation in HMBFPD. Ed Hawkins wrote: "I have noticed from recent posts that the…
October 29, 2006
Ed Hawkins wrote: "If, after an honest and open debate of the issues, the taxpayers in Half Moon Bay are asked and they indicate via majority rule they want to give up a local department and allow a state takeover we have absolute respect for that. That is not a decision the Grand Jury should make." How can there be an "honest and open" public debate when most of the issues involve personnel matters, past litigation and potential litigation? I asked that earlier, you haven't answered. At the September…
October 27, 2006
Ed Hawkins wrote: "I have read the grand jury report on the district. As a fire service professional and labor leader, I do not see anything in that report that cannot be resolved if the parties agree to try." Trying was not the recommendation of the Civil Grand Jury. It was to consolidate and contract out services. We have had two professional Interim Fire Chief's with decades of experience and no dog in the fight come in and say the Department was dysfunctional and recommend contracting out for…
October 27, 2006
(2/2 continued form previous post) Ed Hawkins, Under the laws of this state we elect the Directors of these Special Districts to make decisions like letting service contracts for us. State laws vest the decision to contract out for services to the Directors, not the citizens by referendum except in the case of incorporated cities. There are many legal approaches to deferring referenda. In the first round, the Boards chose an easy argument, they hadn't really taken any action. I can't see any judge…
October 27, 2006
Ed Hawkins, Thanks for commenting here on Coastsider. The last audit conducted by the HMBFPD Board is a public document. The Board packets, have had all the accounting information details up to the last meeting. I don't see any missing pieces to the puzzle that is not in the public domain. It's just not financial. The "crisis" and "problem" is more like a number of serious problems: 1. HMBFPD Board running operational deficits trying to hold a high level of service together, absorb the cost of litigating…
October 26, 2006
I hope citizens read this press release, so that they understand both sides, before signing any more petitions. The HMBFPD Board has taken the time and care to respond to the referenda supported by the Firefighters. It is interesting to note the Boards went on record with much of the financial compensation that had been discussed here earlier on Coastsider. The Boards have to balance the needs of the community against the requirements of the employees. It's easy to lose sight of the goal of providing…
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