Fires Bring San Diego Together

by Councilman Scott Peters
November 2003

The devastation that swept across San Diego County several weeks ago was one of the worst tragedies in our history. But from the ashes of the fire has risen a spirit and resolve to help our neighbors rebuild that has shown San Diego to be a very caring and compassionate city. Many of you have given your time and money to help the victims of the fire and I want to thank everyone who has reached out to their neighbors in this time of need. When my staff and I delivered Halloween costumes donated by Costco to Saint Gregory the Great Catholic Church in Scripps Ranch, we found dozens of volunteers and a parking lot full of people bringing donations for the families who had lost their homes. The outpouring of support has been exceptional and San Diego should be proud.

Tragedies like this one require a hard look. At the request of the Mayor, the City has begun a comprehensive review of the fires to evaluate what was done correctly and what could have been done better. One thing is already apparent, our fire department is under funded and in need of new equipment. Despite a $30 million deficit last year the City was able to lease-purchase 3 new fire vehicles and avoid any layoffs. But the budget did not address deferred maintenance on fire stations or begin to fill the need to upgrade and add equipment.

In October I worked with members of the Police and Firefighter Associations to find a way to address their growing needs. They joined with me and a coalition of tourism and business leaders to put forward a measure that would help fill equipment deficits in the police and fire departments without raising taxes on local residents. The measure would raise the tourism occupancy tax (“TOT”) paid by hotel guests by 2.5 cents to pay for and provide a continuing revenue stream for fire and police equipment, parks, open space acquisition and tourism promotion of San Diego. If the measure passes, it is estimated to raise $10 million in the first year alone for fire and police equipment. Although this will not fix all of our problems, it will go a long way toward catching up on deferred maintenance and provide a way to replace aging fire and police equipment.

The measure is supported by the Chamber of Commerce, the Lodging Industry Association, the San Diego Performing Arts League and the San Diego Police and Fire Fighter Associations. I hope that you will join them when the measure is on the ballot in March. Despite the increase, San Diego’s TOT would still be less than New York, Chicago and many of the other cities that San Diego competes with for conventions and tourism dollars. The historic coalition that has come together to support this initiative is a testament to the consensus among business and community leaders that we need additional revenue to support our police and fire personnel.

The recent fires have reminded us of our obligation to support the men and women who risk their lives for us everyday. The aftermath of the fires has shown the best side of people in San Diego, and the bonds formed when neighbors help neighbors will help to forge the consensus necessary to keep San Diego strong.