By Duane W. Gang
The Press Enterprise
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Riverside County supervisors on Tuesday abandoned a proposal to close three fire stations to save money, leaving unanswered how officials will overcome the Fire Department’s $4.3 million budget gap.
Chief John Hawkins vowed to find savings wherever he could, but the county’s top executive said difficult decisions are ahead.
“Fire still has a structural deficit,” County Executive Officer Bill Luna said. “Let there be no mistake. Until we right-size that operation, we will continue with a structural deficit. There will be a day of reckoning.”
The county contracts with Cal Fire to provide services for unincorporated areas, 19 cities and one community services district. The department has more than 90 stations across the county.
To overcome the budget gap, supervisors approved station-closure criteria last year, and Hawkins recommended closing three and converting three others to volunteer-only staffing. The proposed cuts would have affected unincorporated areas, since cities pay for services.
The recommendations included closing Station 15 on Temescal Canyon Road in the unincorporated community of El Cerrito, Station 43 in Blythe and Station 42 in Oasis.
The stations that would have moved to the county’s new volunteer reserve program were Station 51 in El Cariso, off the Ortega Highway near Lake Elsinore; Station 63 in Poppet Flats near Idyllwild; and Station 77 at Lake Riverside near rural Aguanga in southwest Riverside County.
In December, supervisors balked at the closure plan amid concerns from residents and over public safety. Instead, they asked county staff to look at whether the shortfall could be overcome with grant funding or through savings from other departments, including the district attorney’s office.
But on Tuesday, Luna said those are not options for the current fiscal year.
“They’ve got their own problems,” Luna said of newly elected District Attorney Paul Zellerbach’s efforts to balance that office’s budget. “We shouldn’t look to the DA budget at this time for any help.”
Supervisor Jeff Stone said fire officials should work to recover costs from insurance companies after medical assistance calls and suggested the county use the $4.1 million in unclaimed property tax refunds to help shore up the department’s budget this year.
Any refund money not claimed by Jan. 18 goes into the county general fund.
“We need to be creative,” Stone said. “It is our goal to keep all fire stations open.”
Hawkins said his staff has worked to find trims and savings. For instance, he said, the department is working with the firefighters union on a new work schedule that could yield $250,000 in savings.
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