We haven’t had a good petition in a long time circulating around some Alameda issue and there is nothing that Alamedans like better than to pull out the old petition to attempt to gain traction and support around their own personal pet issue. The latest comes from Denise Lai who has made it her own personal cause to get Alameda out of the Fire business by outsourcing the Fire Department to Alameda County.
As a side note, I don’t have a preference one way or the other, if someone can make a strong argument that service would not diminish, response time would be the same or better, and it could be done cheaper, I wouldn’t be opposed to consolidation under the Alameda County umbrella. However, Denise Lai’s arguments aren’t going to do it.
Here is a screen shot of the petition:
When asked on her own website to validate the claims of cost savings she was unable to provide any verification of that number. But I found bullet five to be the most interesting because — personally — much of the critiques around the Alameda Fire Department stems from some folks being upset that they have a certain measure of political influence. The bullet point makes it appear that Alameda County’s Fire Department’s union has little to no political influence at all.
So, I decided to look up who the Alameda County Fire Department union, IAFF local 55, has given money to over past election cycles. IAFF local 55, by the way, includes Oakland Fire, Emeryville Fire in addition to Alameda County Fire.
In the 2009-10 report cycle they contributed to the following campaigns:
See some familiar names? As well as some local politicians?
And for 2009-2010 expenditures:
Of course if we played that sort of twisted game of six degrees of separation that some people like to play in this town of any contributions, despite who its funneled through, equals a contribution directly to that individual, you could say that the IAFF 55 also gave to some sitting Councilmembers since they gave money to John Russo who then gave money to the Councilmembers. But then that would defeat the argument that Denise Lai is trying to make that somehow Alameda County’s union is any less “political” than Alameda Fire.
And not to ignore the impact on San Leandro politics — San Leandro, of course, outsourced their Fire Department to Alameda County Fire a while ago — contributions were made to in 2007 – 08
- Ursula Reed – $2,000
- Charles Gilcrest – $650
- Jim Prola – $650
- Tony Santos – $500
There are more assorted contributions for the Dublin City Council race and lots of Oakland races as well as Supervisor races.
Essentially, no matter who is in charge of our Fire services, someone is going to claim that someone is wielding undue political influence.
Or we could talk about the Zack report which came out late last evening and shows why this move would be a good idea since the general tone of the report is that the AFD and the APD provided one word: a clusterfuck. http://www.cityofalamedaca.gov/getdoc.cfm?id=5967
Comment by Adam Gillitt — September 30, 2011 @ 7:18 am
Haven’t read the report but I’m surprised Adam would do anything but condemn it as a white wash , just because….six degrees etc. Interesting to see what it actually says . As for petition, closing the hospital isn’t enough for Ms. Lai? Lauren, bullets 1 through 4 make pretty bold claims too. I didn’t sign the fire fighters petition to put staffing in the charter and probably won’t sign this either.
Comment by M.I. — September 30, 2011 @ 7:30 am
Does anyone know if they would use the same fire stations? How do we know that the fees charged for the outsource wouldn’t be similar to what we’re paying now? A big part of the cost of our fire department, as I understand it, is the cost of the pensions. These won’t just go away, at least not until the current obligations are met which will be quite some time. This feels a little like retribution to me, which is not a great basis for change. Like Laurel, I have no problem with going to a county-based department if it would be just as effective (or more) at a lower cost to taxpayers but we need more data.
Comment by Den — September 30, 2011 @ 7:54 am
That was me.
Comment by Denise Shelton — September 30, 2011 @ 7:54 am
Mark #2, Must you always put down people? It’s not only tiring, you diminish a conversation that is significant.
Comment by Irene — September 30, 2011 @ 7:56 am
I listened to the petitioner criticize the City Council for selecting Interim Fire Chief Michael D’Orazi at a recent CC meeting.
It seemed that either she did not know or she deliberately omitted the fact that that his predecessor, Interim Chief Mike Fisher, had retired – and been publicly honored at a previous City Council meeting for his long service to Alameda. (Lai regarded Fisher’s experience and certifications far more favorably than the current Interim Chief’s.)
Too bad she seemed to have missed Fisher’s very public retirement, which was mentioned during at least two recent City Council meetings I attended.
Does Ms. Lai possess professional credentials, skills, and experience in analyzing, serving in, or
administering public safety departments, hospitals, or medical care delivery systems? She has made many scathing attacks on local institutions, practices, and personnel and represented herself as qualified to do so.
Comment by Jon Spangler — September 30, 2011 @ 8:50 am
Re: 5. Irene, you’re kidding, right? How can a conversation that begins with #1′s CF remark be considered “significant”? Let’s just skip that one and go to the heart of Mark’s comment and start from there. Seriously, I am concerned that much of the criticism of the fire department seems to begin and end with the rank-and-file. Surely management (or its lack) played a major role in the Crown Beach tragedy. As for the cost of pensions, there’s now a pension task force to look at all sides of the issue for all employees (see the tweet above). And as Denise mentions, we need a lot more information before we jump to a county-based fire department.
Comment by Linda Hudson — September 30, 2011 @ 8:59 am
I would be very interested in learning about the advantages and disadvantages of contracting out just our EMS service. That appears to be the bulk of the responses by our firefighters (if you go by the newspaper listings). Having a third party provide EMS would also free the firefighters to focus just on fire/disaster response. A totally uninformed opinion, and I would love to hear some pros and cons.
Comment by notadave — September 30, 2011 @ 9:11 am
I just finished reading the report, and while I would not use the terminology our friend Adam chose to use, it is concerning that so many things could, and did go wrong here and on so many levels. I do appreciate the thoroughness, the documentation, and the even-handedness. It seems that those who predicted a “whitewash” need to step back and look at Mr. Grijalva’s report and reasess that speculation. What we need to do is follow up and insure that the Council and concerned departments are taking the 14 recommendations seriously and are putting into place deliberate and measured actions to insure that this situation does not happen again. It is my understanding that some of the more important recommendations have already been implemented. I hope when this comes to Council someone asks for an enumeration of what has been done and a time schedule for implementation of what hasn’t.
As to Ms. Lai’s petition, there are many factors to consider before such a transfer of authority is made. The most important of these is of course, response times, availability of equipment and training, and financing. I don’t think I would sign such a petition without those facts fully laid out and verified. This is not a decision that can be taken quickly or emotionally. It requires study, good staff analysis, and a lot of “sunshine.”
Comment by Kate Quick. — September 30, 2011 @ 9:27 am
6. Good ideas are not the exclusive domain of the “qualified.” I’m not saying whether or not Denise Lai’s ideas are good ones, I’m just saying the world would be much worse off if people were required to have a certificate or a degree before they were allowed to voice their opinions. An impressive resume is no guarantee of good judgement or sound reasoning. You have only to look at our elected officials to see the truth in that.
Comment by Denise Shelton — September 30, 2011 @ 10:15 am
7: Wow:a pensions Task Force. How about that Sunshine Task Force-fantastic results there! I just don’t know about these “Task Forces”.
6: I think being a victim of Public Safety/Medical Care probably qualifies one to criticize it. Denise Lai is. Too bad Mr. Zack isn’t coming back from the dead.
As for Good Petitions: Citizens Against The Land Swap should be coming out w/one soon. Please do sign it & Save Bay Farm Island!
There are more important things to discuss today
Comment by vigi — September 30, 2011 @ 10:30 am
Bay Farm was lost a long time ago. Most of the people living there wouldn’t know the rest of Alameda existed if they didn’t have to drive their kids to sports and day camps. While some of us think we’re living in Mayberry, a lot of the Harbor Bay folks think they live in the Hamptons. (FYI – did you know your home can be foreclosed upon if you don’t keep up with your homeowner assoiciation fees? Sucks to be them. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128078864)
Comment by Denise Shelton — September 30, 2011 @ 10:44 am
Irene, you talking about my comment regarding Adam or Denise Lai? In Adam’s case no apologies what so ever. What goes around comes around. It’s obvious that the APD and AFD action on that day was a “clusterfuck” of some sort, but that doesn’t mean that there was gross negligence, But In still haven’t read the report. Alot of folks like Adam screamed about the appointment of the guy who was tapped to write the report, mostly based on who appointed him and then there was the notion that only a “blue ribbon” committee of citizens at large could possibly be seen as fair.
I’d never deny that when I take a deriding tone, which is not infrequent, it can be tiresome, but I’m not alone in that habit on this site. Not like all that company justifies my being an asshole if I’ve been one, I’ve just been reading posts by Denise Lai excoriating the hospital and I was sort of surprised that she has decided to branch out on another major issue and in such a serious way. In her case my derision was cast at that fact. I’d say she has been getting better traction on the hospital than she is likely to get on this petition. This petition seems to reflect the attitudes of ACT but it appears to be a solo effort. Seems kind of weird especially considering the weaknesses pointed out by Lauren. In principle such independent activism is commendable and better than apathy, but we get so divided in this town over so many issues I don’t always welcome stuff which seems to arrive from left field, which this one sort of does. That’s one reason it’s great to have movement at the Point which for once isn’t divisive. Rah-rah Alameda!
Have a nice day, or at this point a nice evening.
Comment by M.I. — September 30, 2011 @ 6:45 pm
Mark, two things, first your last sentence about the point. Just give’em time and we will be fighting over the point. Second about your “deriding tone” I am in your company on this one, but I just can’t help[ myself.
Comment by JOHN P. — October 1, 2011 @ 11:18 am
“All politics are local” -Tip O’Neil
“All politics are personal.”- Newt Gingrich
The latter attribution is my fabrication, a joke. I thought a lot about the options for whom to credit it. Richard Nixon? Karl Rove? Newt is particularly snarky and was also Speaker. In Googling “the personal is political” one hits on a lot of references to the feminist movement of the early seventies as the source for the phrase and concept being popularized. The basis was that one’s personal struggles with various issues have roots in the realm of politics, like pervasive sexism in the culture lending to women’s oppression in the home and work place.
http://womenshistory.about.com/od/feminism/a/consciousness_raising.htm
In the above article I found another reference, “Influential works cited as bases for “the personal is political” idea are C. Wright Mills’ 1959 book The Sociological Imagination, which discusses the intersection of public issues and personal problems,…” . I could not strip and paste quotes from the article, but Mills is full of great insights.
http://dimension.ucsd.edu/CEIMSA-IN-EXILE/publications/Students/Grace-1.2010.pdf
These references to the “personal” are obviously much broader than “getting personal” in a debate over an issue, but at some point we are our ideas and to criticize the idea is to criticize it’s source. Certainly tone is an important tool in helping maintain lines of civility when criticism of an idea or opinion approaches criticism of the person from which it emanates. Constant strife and conflict may be tedious, but if they are avoided altogether in the name of civility many resolutions are avoided with them. The trick is parsing the heat from the light when two ideas or personalities collide.
John P., neither of us is alone in this, and of course I can’t help trying to defend myself by pointing out a certain selectivity in being singled out of the pack, but if two wrongs don’t make a right right then it’s best to move on and try to navigate our distemper in responding to others who relish lack of restraint.
Comment by M.I. — October 2, 2011 @ 9:54 am
Ill temper is self-indulgent. I’m working on this one.
Comment by Denise Shelton — October 2, 2011 @ 2:05 pm
16. I think that is accurate. It’s no excuse, but when I succumb, all I can do is invoke the fable of the scorpion and frog http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scorpion_and_the_Frog
To post a scathing insult about a person on a blog, not just doodie head, but “deviant reprobate”, could be compared with throwing verbal dog shit on the commons. On the other hand, when somebody suggests that defending oneself against baseless innuendo, or even partaking in caustic verbal sparring, somehow justifies assault on a private domain with doggy dooh, what response is warranted? The repertoire of options is obviously broad enough that verbal insults can be avoided, lest we all drown in a cesspool of incivility. So I’m compelled to make an official apology to Lauren and the blogging community at large. sorry folks.
Though it seemed to have been a half hearted attempt, the failed Molotov cocktail on the lawn of a home occupied by a gay couple in the mid 1990s has stood as a low water mark of creepy and threatening behavior in Alameda and one hopes it remains so. Certainly those individuals were completely innocent contrasted to somebody who supposedly “asked for it”, by being quarrelsome in public venues, but I think persons who may not have lived here then might appreciate that historical nugget.
Comment by M.I. — October 9, 2011 @ 12:11 pm