"They need to cut the money at the top"

In the March 25th edition of the OC Register, Kimberly Edds reports on the funding crisis facing the Orange County Fire Authority.

Edds interviews Modjeska Canyon resident Janice Beasley whose home was lost in the October 2007 Santiago fire.

excerpt:

"The help needs to go to our fire department," she said. "We didn't have enough help to begin with, and now this?"

The Santiago fire destroyed 15 homes in the canyon communities of Modjeska and Trabuco. ..For more than a year, the Beasleys have been living out of a trailer. They lost most of their possessions and relied on friends and neighbors for handouts.

Budget crisis or not, Beasley's anger at the cutbacks spilled out to include the announced closing of nearby Silverado Elementary School and other things she sees as community necessities.

"They need to cut the money at the top, from the salaries of the senators and the other politicians who continue to get raises," Beasley said. "My husband took a pay cut because of the poor economy – why not these people?"

To read the article in its entirety, click here.

Janice Beasley makes an excellent point about the need to chop from the top, one that you might want to echo in your letters to local elected officals.

Please see the recently updated sidebar to the right for information on how you can communciate our concerns to those who can make a difference.

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