Contra Costa Democrats BBQ

Contra Costa Democrats party at the
81st Annual Summer BBQ

Democrats from all over Contra Costa & the bay area will be partying at Castle Rock Park, 1700 Castle Rock Rd, Walnut Creek on Saturday, August 11, from 11AM to 2PM. For an invitation including a park map please visit http://contracostadems.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/aug11DPCCC-bbq.pdf.

RSVP Required: Marie McDonald 925 935-9787 mariemcd@earthlink.net. Prices: $350 Sponsor (includes 2 tickets), $175 Patron, $35 per person, $15 per student 13 years & older, $1 Children 12 years & younger. Contra Costa Firefighter will be preparing the food. Purchase tickets via ACT BLUE at https://secure.actblue.com/page/dpccc81 .

The BBQ will raise funds to support campaign offices in east, west & central Contra Costa County. The offices will campaign for local candidates, for or against various ballot measures and other election related activities.

This year the featured speaker is Lou Paulson, President the California Professional Firefighters union. This is what he recently had to say” I don’t need to tell you that we’re all kind of wearing targets on our backs these days. Playing to the fears of a recession-weary electorate, hard line ideologues have been engaged in a carefully crafted attack campaign against firefighters, police officers, teachers and other public employees. Their message: It’s your fault that California is in a fiscal and economic mess.

These attacks have raised the stakes in 2012. No longer can we depend on the positive image of firefighters to help us protect what we’ve earned. If we are to protect the families we cherish, the security we’ve earned and the safety our citizens deserve, it’s imperative we answer the call in this year’s election, whether it’s electing favorable candidates or defeating the Corporate Power Grab.”

Bringing the issue home to is a statement from United Professional Fire Fighters of Contra Costa County President Vince Wells posted July 31, 2012

“Today, the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District took an unfortunate but necessary step to protect fire and emergency services for the residents of the district. Asking the voters to support a revenue measure is a last resort during this tough economy, but it is a critical piece of the long term plan to make up for essential revenue lost from property taxes and to maintain the 9-1-1 emergency services that keep our community safe. We will keep working with the Fire District and the community to continue closing the budget gap through cost saving measures, increased efficiencies, and much needed reform to the retirement system. Contra Costa’s firefighters, fire inspectors, fire investigators, and dispatchers respectfully ask the voters to support this revenue measure to provide our local community with the funding it needs to maintain basic fire and emergency services.”

The Contra Costa Times summed it up.

East Contra Costa Fire District slashes half its fire stations, cuts staff
http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-31542764.html

Starting next month, the East Contra Costa Fire District will scale back to three stations but have three firefighters on each engine.

Following the advice of fire Chief Hugh Henderson, other firefighters and numerous residents, directors on Monday approved the proposed configuration in a 5-4 vote before a near-capacity crowd.

"I have to defer to that expertise," said board President Kevin Romick, noting that the Contra Costa Fire District's chief also recommended the model. Half of the district's six stations will close -- one on Bethel Island and one each in Knightsen and Brentwood -- and 15 of its 43 firefighters will lose their jobs.

Another consequence is longer response times: In 2001, it took six minutes and 27 seconds on average for engines to reach the scene of an emergency. Henderson now is projecting that it will take about 14 minutes to get to the outlying parts of the approximately 250-square-mile area his district encompasses. "We could be doubling our response time, especially on the outer edges like Bethel Island," he said.

Chuck Carpenter Chair of the Democratic Party of Contra Costa commented, “The reasons for the campaign offices are to organize and work for ballot measures like Prop 30 that will keep our county safe, schools funded and to make sure our unions are not harmed by Prop 32. The offices are of great help to down ticket candidates with a place to organize their campaigns. This year there are three Democratic campaign offices in the county, east county in Pittsburg, west county in Richmond at and central county in downtown Walnut Creek at 1372 N. Main St. The BBQ is our major fund raising event and it will help fund the offices.”

At the BBQ in addition to Mr Paulson, local Assembly Member Joan Buchanan and local State Senator Mark DeSaulnier will be discussing the situation in Sacramento and the ballot measures. Other elected officials will be at the BBQ. This is a great opportunity to have casual conversations with them on a variety of subjects.

Democratic Party of Contra Costa County. FPPC ID #990861