This has to be the most stupidest Idea ever consived by a Supervisor of any Department in any County, Federal Agency, or City This is the most stupidest Idea, the fire season has not even started and tey want to cut the firefighters by half. The Supervisior that thought this one up, the Genius feels that all the Firefighters would just hang around wiating for the fire season to come in full swing and they would have to be hired then.

Laying people off makes people despret. Despret peopel do despret things. Look at at the last case of chain of fires that were started in the Los Angeles County, they were started by a Fire Fighter Investigator that felt that he was such a good trainer that he would not get caught and he was in the middle of writing a book about his exploits. In fact he wrote said book wich convicted him of Murder, HBO did a Movie based upon the fires and the aerigans that this guy had, he was on this fourth marriage and he was playing around with a Police Officer, then when he became careless, by leaviing his print at a Fire scene was ultimatly how they caught him, and they were able to peice the movie back together stateing that he had a duel personality. Good Movie by HBO, but it was a horrable thing that this guy .."OR was his name. Bob OR or Ott or something like that.

he was the largest Pyromaniac that was caught by Los Angeles County Fire, and he was employed by the same...wow..

BSRancher...

News briefs from Southern California

The Associated Press

Associated Press

SAN BERNARDINO NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. - Federal plans to reduce staffing on fire engines this summer could cut initial fire attack capability by as much as 50 percent at some times, U.S. Forest Service officials said.

Officials staffed 25 engines seven days a week last year. But this year, tighter finances will limit staffing to 15 engines on weekdays and 20 engines on weekends, with as few as 12 engines staffed at times, forest fire Chief Mike Dietrich said Monday.

"Our national preparedness budget's been relatively constant since 2001," Dietrich said. "It translates to less resources to cover staffing all our needs."

The reductions come as fire season approaches in the nation's most urbanized mountain forest. The San Bernardino National Forest is home to roughly 100,000 residents.

Former forest supervisor Gene Zimmerman warned the cutbacks will place mountain residents and their homes at greater risk.

"It's a fire-prone forest with millions of tons of fuel ready to burn," he said. "This is not the forest to cut funding on."

The initial fire-preparedness budget for fiscal year 2006 is $13.8 million, said Forest Service spokesman Matt Mathes. Additional severity funding will be available.

The initial budget in fiscal year 2005, combined with severity funding, amounted to $15.1 million.

"We feel comfortable with our staffing," current supervisor Jeane Wade Evens said.

The reductions come as San Bernardino County has increased staffing at 10 fire stations in and near the mountains.

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BARSTOW, Calif. (AP) - The City Council narrowly approved a raise for police officers that backers said was needed to keep people from leaving the force.

Monday's 3-2 vote boosts starting hourly pay for officers to $25.88 from $20.71. Hourly pay after six years of service increases to $32.39 from the current $25.91.

The raise is necessary to keep officers from moving to better-paying law enforcement agencies as the city faces increasing homicides and gang activity, Councilman Joe Gomez said.

"My main concern is our public safety," he said.

Fourteen experienced officers have left the now 33-member force over the past two years, said Roger Martin, chairman of a political action committee working for public safety interests.

Opponents of the pay hike agreed that officers deserved a raise but said the approved increase will cost taxpayers $724,000, an amount that's more than the city can afford.

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RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) - The city narrowly averted its first bus strike when its transit agency reached a tentative contract agreement with drivers and mechanics minutes before a work stoppage was to begin.

More than two dozen union members had gathered to begin picketing Tuesday when the breakthrough was announced.

"None of us wanted to strike," driver Linda Lloyd said.

Transit and union officials didn't disclose details of the contract, but union treasurer Adolfo Soto said that "wages came out well" and there were improved benefits.

"You guys will all be very happy," union leader Steven Bennett told employees who had gathered to picket.

The deal came a week after union members rejected a three-year contract offer by the agency that followed more than eight months of talks.

The contract proposal now goes to union members and the transit agency board for consideration.

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POMONA, Calif. (AP) - A man was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison for killing his girlfriend's estranged husband and dumping his body on a freeway.

Jose Francisco Flores was sentenced Tuesday for the 2005 shooting of 26-year-old Julian Tobon Hernandez of Ontario.

A jury found Flores, 25, of Baldwin Park guilty of first-degree murder on March 10.

Mexican authorities arrested Flores last summer in Tijuana, where he'd fled with his girlfriend and her three children. He was turned over to sheriff's detectives at the border.

The slaying occurred when Flores accompanied his girlfriend, Denise Quepons, to a meeting with her estranged husband to discuss divorce proceedings, sheriff's detectives said.

Flores shot Hernandez five times as they drove to the home of a lawyer whom Flores had suggested could help with the divorce, authorities said.

Flores ordered Quepons to pull over at an off-ramp before he pushed the victim out of the car, detectives said. A motorist found the body.

Quepons went to Mexico with Flores out of fear, authorities said.

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VENTURA, Calif. (AP) - Officials passed a living wage ordinance that will require companies contracted by the city to boost the pay of many employees.

The City Council on Monday unanimously approved the new law that requires the employees to receive a minimum hourly salary of $12.50 without medical benefits and $9.75 cents if benefits are offered.

Members of the Ventura County Living Wage Coalition has pushed for wage standards since 1998.

Advocates said the area's high cost of housing, combined with soaring health expenses, make such laws a necessity for workers.

The law applies primarily to companies that contract with the city to provide services such as gardening and janitorial work.

The council passed the measure after the Chamber of Commerce got behind it.

In return for the chamber's support, wage advocates agreed to abandon a ballot proposal that would have set pay even higher.

Living wage laws have been adopted in more than 100 cities around the nation, including Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Francisco.