Letter Sent to the Orinda City Council on August 15, 2023
(in response to a post in The Orinda Outlook)
The Orinda Council must start using Measure R funds, which were SOLD to the voters, by the City Council, as a wildfire prevention tax, for wildfire prevention and not infrastructure.
In addition, the City Council has to insist that MOFD use Orinda tax dollars for services in Orinda which is how the very concept of MOFD, a partnership with Moraga with each partner paying its own way, was SOLD to the voters, again by the Orinda City Council.
And if MOFD continues to refuse to do so, the Orinda Council needs to start investigating how it can detach itself from this unresponsive service provider, threatening the safety of Orindans, and either contract with another provider which is more responsive or create its own wholly-controlled city fire department (which would be inefficient due to its small size but more efficient than wasting $4 million a year on MOFD).
Orinda needs a second professional opinion on how it can become fire safe using the $8 million a year available for that purpose.
Don’t wait until Orinda becomes another Lahaina or Paradise.