The Mountain Communities Fire Safe Council is asking local residents to fill out a brief survey that Riverside County is offering to gather citizen input on budget priorities. Executive Director Callie Squires writes “Please take the survey to help us get funds for the allocation of funds within the 2026/2027 Riverside County budget for the proactive treatment of Gold-spotted Oak Borer (GSOB) infestations.” The survey closes on Saturday February 28.
On January 13, the board approved a request from Supervisor V Manuel Perez to renew their local Emergency declaration for Riverside County “due to the epidemic infestation of the golden Spotted Oak Borer (GSOB in the community of Idyllwild and Pine Cove.”
In the face of these Emergency Declarations, the group has asked Perez’ office if the county can help fund their mitigation effort and were told to direct concerned citizens to the budget survey.
Squires clarified that MCFSC is not currently the recipient of any county funds, adding “but we would like to see them support our mitigation efforts in the future. Renewed funding is needed to reestablish treatment continuity, protect the 4,000 catalogued oaks, and expand the database to additional sites. A funding investment from the County will directly reduce wildfire risk, protect critical ecological resources, and strengthen landscape‑scale resilience across the San Jacinto Mountains and the surrounding SBNF.”
The County of Riverside wants to hear from you! This survey seeks to better understand your priorities, needs, and requests related to the county’s budget. Your opinions can help shape how taxpayer dollars are spent. All responses will be reviewed before next year’s recommended budget released in May.
The survey asks the public to weigh in in a way similar to how board members must decide. At the end of the survey there is a pie chart with percentages of spending by category: Health and hospital, public safety, animal services etc. They then ask the respondent how they would allocate by percentage. The message is that increasing spending in one category means cutting another. Or raising taxes or fees.
