Hill Residents to Vote by Mail on Wildfire Prevention District Tax

Oakland hills residents will vote by mail in November on whether to continue taxing themselves for goat grazing, brush removal and other fire prevention activities.

The Oakland City Council approved a measure Aug. 2 to create a new wildfire prevention district that stretches along the Oakland hills on both sides of Highway 13.

It will, in essence, replace previous special districts that have been in place for the past two decades, following the disastrous 2001 Oakland Firestorm. Authority for the current district expires early next year.

Currently the owners of a single-family residence in the district pay $65 per year for the special fire prevention services. Those include vegetation management on public lands, enforcement of compliance with fire inspection results, and education and outreach efforts.

A new tax will require approval by two-thirds of those voting. Ballots will be mailed to registered voters within the district boundaries on Tuesday, Oct. 15, and must be returned by 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 13. 

The tax would raise about $1.8 million a year, with administrative expenses capped at 5 percent of the tax revenues.

Several speakers urged the council to approve the new district and election. 

Susan Piper, a former aide to Oakland Mayor Jean Quan who identified herself as a hills resident and 1991 fire survivor, said there have been no major fires in the area since 1991. 

"We've had small fires, but they don't spread" because of vegetation management funded through the special district, she said.

Piper's husband Gordon, an active volunteer with Oakland public landscaping projects, said the special district helps residents to obtain and keep homeowners' insurance.

City Councilmember Libby Schaaf said a July 4 fire near Joaquin Miller Park was controlled relatively easily because goats had grazed the area just days before.

One speaker opposed the new district — not, he said, because he was opposed to its activities but because it creates a false sense of security. He said there needs to be more attention paid to fire suppression resources, not just prevention.

Oakland needs to look at problems with quick replenishment of reservoirs that provide the water for fighting fires in the hills, a problem that contributed to the spread of the 1991 fire, he said.

The council approved the district formation and mail-in election on a 6-0 vote. Councilmembers Larry Reid and Desley Brooks, whose council districts both include portions of the new special district, were absent.

'Like' Rockridge Patch on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @RockridgCAPatch (yes, the "e" is missing from Rockridge...).