To the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors,
The Mendocino County Fire Safe Council (MCFSC) submits this letter requesting that the Board of Supervisors firmly reject “Option 2: Utilize Existing Revenue Sources” as potential solution to “Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Sustainable Funding,” which is proposed as part of both Agenda items 4c and 4d in the November 4, 2025, agenda.
While helping to obtain additional funding to support EMS services is critical, the proposed Option 2 is not a solution. As per the will of the Mendocino County voters who approved it, Measure P money is already allocated to the County’s Fire Districts and the Fire Districts which provide EMS services. The issue is that current Fire District funding is insufficient to support the range of services the public relies on those emergency service agencies to provide. Rearranging those funds will contribute nothing to a solution. It would instead merely be an overreach by the County into district operations, diverting energy that the County could better use in managing its own operations.
More importantly, any County proposal to change the allocation of Measure P funding is a proposal to disregard the will of the voters. Measure P funds are allocated in a manner determined by and for agencies that provide fire and emergency services. To maintain any credibility with voters the County needs to keep its fingers off that voter-approved allocation. The Board of Supervisors should use this opportunity to direct staff to cease making proposals that would violate the voter’s intent in passing Measure P both now and in the future.
Sincerely,
Nancy Armstrong-Frost
Board President, Mendocino County Fire Safe Council