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Category: Fire Departments

Commentary Commentary Fire Departments 

Commentary: The Felton Fire Assessment Tax

slvpost.com
By Luke Moeller We all support our local firefighters. When they run into a burning building, they are heroes. But the new funding system being pushed by the Felton Fire Protection District and their high-priced consultants, SCI Consulting Group, isn’t a standard public safety measure. It is a deeply flawed, legally shaky, and unconstitutional funding scheme that turns 300 years… Read More
Felton Fire Assessment Tax Fire Departments Local News 

What Felton Voters Need to Know About the Felton Fire Assessment Tax

slvpost.com
To report this story, the SLV Post reviewed Felton Fire District’s own budget documents, the LAFCO countywide governance report, the district’s draft staffing projections and engineer’s reports, and conducted interviews with Felton Fire’s interim chief, regional fire chiefs, fire professionals countywide, and Santa Cruz County and LAFCO officials. By Mary Andersen Updated 6/30/2026 Ballots have arrived in Felton mailboxes and… Read More
Felton Fire Tax Assessment understanding Proposition 217 Fire Departments Local News 

Understanding Proposition 218 and the Felton Fire Benefit Assessment

slvpost.com
Felton Fire’s benefit assessment taxing mechanism is underway. If the board votes to proceed on May 11, ballots will mail May 20. Here is what every Felton property owner should understand before that ballot arrives — including a legal deadline that could permanently strip your right to legal recourse, and a tension at the heart of this assessment that Proposition… Read More
Felton Fire Department Fire Departments Local News 

Felton Fire Assessment Would More than Double District Budget, Shift from Volunteer to Paid Staffing

slvpost.com
Property owners could receive ballots as early as May 20 The Felton Fire Protection District is asking property owners to approve a $1.7 million annual benefit assessment that would transform the district from a historically volunteer-based agency into a fully paid department. If the board votes to proceed on May 11, ballots are expected in mailboxes May 20. The assessment… Read More
Felton Fire Station California Columns Fire Departments History 

Felton Fire Protection District: A Local History of Volunteer Service and Growth 

Mary Andersen
By Mary Andersen Felton Fire Protection District grew out of a long local tradition of volunteer fire protection in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Its history dates to the 1930s and 1940s. The story centers on the Fetherston family, early volunteers, and the community’s decision to create a formal district so Felton could fund equipment, staff, and a permanent firehouse. Early… Read More
Felton Fire property tax Fire Departments Local News 

Felton Fire District Shifts from Parcel Tax to Property Assessment

slvpost.com
By Mary Andersen Felton Fire Protection District has moved toward a major funding mechanism that could impact how fire and emergency services are delivered to the roughly 6,000 permanent residents, seasonal visitors, businesses, and schools, that depend on the small Santa Cruz Mountains agency. Through 2025, the district explored a $682+ parcel tax for a possible ballot measure, but that… Read More
Cal fire pile burn Fire Departments Fire Recovery Local News 

CAL FIRE to Burn Brush Piles Near Felton This Week

slvpost.com
Residents in the Mount Hermon and Whispering Pines neighborhoods may notice smoke in the area Monday and Tuesday as CAL FIRE crews conduct planned pile burns along Graham Hill Road. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s CZU unit announced Friday that firefighters will burn pre-arranged piles of vegetation on March 30 and 31, weather permitting, as part of… Read More
Santa cruz mountains state parks Fire Departments Local News 

California State Parks Continues Pile Burning in Santa Cruz Mountains

slvpost.com
California State Parks is conducting pile-burning operations across several mountain parks in Santa Cruz County, with work continuing as weather and air-quality conditions allow through April 2026. Roughly 400 burn piles are planned across Big Basin Redwoods, Castle Rock, and Henry Cowell Redwoods State Parks, including the Fall Creek Unit. The burns support long-term forest health and wildfire resilience. At… Read More
Backyard burn pile Fire Departments Government Local News 

Mandatory Residential Burn Permits Coming to Unincorporated Santa Cruz County

slvpost.com
Starting December 1, 2025, residents in the unincorporated areas of Santa Cruz County will need a CAL FIRE Residential Burn Permit to conduct any backyard debris burning. The new requirement, announced jointly by Santa Cruz County and the CAL FIRE San Mateo–Santa Cruz Unit (CAL FIRE CZU), standardizes burn regulations countywide and marks a significant shift from past practices. Residential… Read More