

Hemet-Ryan displays firefighting aircraft
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On Friday, Oct. 14, CAL FIRE invited the media to the Hemet-Ryan Air Attack base. Many of the air attack vehicles were available for photographs and touring. At left is a Bell Helicopter with a 360-gallon capacity and its bucket (on right), which can scoop another 324 gallons.


Appeals of the state’s fire prevention fee have been overwhelming. Nearly 10 percent of the bills mailed this fall have been appealed, according to Daniel Berlant, CAL FIRE’s information officer. Consequently, the bills for the 2012-13 fee have been delayed indefinitely, he said. The bills were scheduled to begin mailing April 2. More than 87,000…
“The governor’s budgeting philosophy continues to be a prudent one for the most part,” is how the California’s Legislative Analyst’s Office described Gov. Jerry Brown’s 2015-16 budget proposal. Although the LAO review noted some differences with the governor, such as the possibility that revenues this year would exceed the administration’s estimates, in general, the LAO…
Last week, four U.S. Senators asked the General Accounting Office to review the Forest Service’s efforts to develop an air tanker plan to replenish their air attack fleet. The senators’ questions came on the heels of a recent letter from CAL FIRE Director Ken Pimlott expressing his concerns about the strategy. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore.,…
Fundraising continues strongly in the final weeks of the campaign for the state Senate District 28 seat. Both candidates, Bonnie Garcia of the Coachella Valley and Jeff Stone of Temecula, are raising considerable sums directly for their campaign coffers, while supporters are independently supplying even more money. In the three weeks since the last campaign…
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