At their July 7 meeting the Trinity County Board of Supervisors reviewed detailed fiscal impact reports about the consequences of leaving California to join a new “State of Jefferson.” The reports (prepared at the Board’s request by the California Highway Patrol, CalFire, Behavioral Health, Health and Human Services, Fire Chiefs’ Association, Department of Transportation, Veterans Services and Probation) raise many additional questions and identify a number of dire consequences, concluding that the SOJ proposal would dramatically decrease funding for fire, law enforcement, mental health, veteran services, and probation: “immediate effects would be the loss of the three Cal-Fire Stations and Trinity River Conservation Camp. . . . there would be a tremendous loss to the basic financial stability of probably 4,000 residents served from Health and Human Services . . . leaving the State of California would significantly impact the maintenance that could be provided to County Roadways.”
Putting Trinity County families and communities at fire and safety risk, decreasing road maintenance, and reducing necessary social services is an unacceptable outcome.
Keep It California applauds Trinity County for its prudence in asking for an objective evaluation of the SOJ proposal instead of making a hasty decision based on a one-sided presentation. Independent analysis is especially necessary because SOJ proponents seem to have a chronic problem getting their facts straight. At the Trinity meeting their spokesman again flubbed the simple basics in listing the supportive counties, which do NOT include either Lake or Lassen. Instead, the Boards of Supervisors in those counties have put the question of joining “Jefferson” on the 2016 ballot for an advisory vote, giving the people the opportunity to weigh in on such a radical decision.
“State of Jefferson” proponents should stop playing fast and loose with facts. Given the huge risk they propose our communities should take on, it’s extremely important that they provide hard, verifiable facts and communicate to the public in good faith and with integrity.
Fact: more than 60 percent of local funding for safety, education and transportation currently comes from the state. Without a genuine attempt to produce thoughtful, realistic replacements for this loss, the SOJ proposal would cause irreparable harm to local families and businesses, and force our counties further into poverty.
Please check out the full Trinity County analysis
Putting Trinity County families and communities at fire and safety risk, decreasing road maintenance, and reducing necessary social services is an unacceptable outcome.
Keep It California applauds Trinity County for its prudence in asking for an objective evaluation of the SOJ proposal instead of making a hasty decision based on a one-sided presentation. Independent analysis is especially necessary because SOJ proponents seem to have a chronic problem getting their facts straight. At the Trinity meeting their spokesman again flubbed the simple basics in listing the supportive counties, which do NOT include either Lake or Lassen. Instead, the Boards of Supervisors in those counties have put the question of joining “Jefferson” on the 2016 ballot for an advisory vote, giving the people the opportunity to weigh in on such a radical decision.
“State of Jefferson” proponents should stop playing fast and loose with facts. Given the huge risk they propose our communities should take on, it’s extremely important that they provide hard, verifiable facts and communicate to the public in good faith and with integrity.
Fact: more than 60 percent of local funding for safety, education and transportation currently comes from the state. Without a genuine attempt to produce thoughtful, realistic replacements for this loss, the SOJ proposal would cause irreparable harm to local families and businesses, and force our counties further into poverty.
Please check out the full Trinity County analysis
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