By Jesse Torrero

The Sylmar Community was fired up at a Town Hall Meeting held at Mission College on Saturday, March l9, with the Los Angeles City Fire Department in attendance! There was no representative from Council District 7 present.
Sylmar residents are concerned and say they are Fire Station poor, with only one Station, and demand that it be corrected! An analysis of this dire situation was presented by Diane Valencia, Safety Chairman of the Sylmar Neighborhood Council, to approximately 175 people also in attendance. 911 response calls in Sylmar average over 11 minutes each. It was confirmed by resident Tom Weisbart, who testified during the meeting that it was also his experience when his mother passed away in his home two weeks earlier. They say this is not acceptable. Many calls in their community must be answered by neighboring Fire Stations from as far away as Sunland-Tujunga.
Ms. Valencia presented a comparison of the number of Fire Stations per capita among some of the local cities: Burbank, population, approximately 106,000. 6 stations, 1 per 17,000 citizens; Santa Monica, 4 stations, 92,000, 1per 23,000; Downey, 3 stations, 113,000, 1 per 37.000. Sylmar, which has the largest coverage area (13 sq. miles) in the City of Los Angeles and is up against the most volatile fire zone in the city, the mountains of the Angeles National Forest, plus the blowing wind, has only one fire station. It is also the community that has had the worst destruction of property by fires in the City of Los Angeles for over the past 50 years. Many deaths by fire and other disasters have also taken place there. Non- emergency calls happen to be in large numbers as well in this community.
Sylmar is the only one, 92 thousand people living in 13 sq. miles, with one fire station and an extra fast response vehicle (FRV) or, what some what might refer to as simply, a “Big Red Truck”, to cover the entire community, instead of a full service Fire Station, as was originally on the “drawing board.” FIRE STATION No. 31 broke ground in 2006 as part of a new community in upper Sylmar called The Legends at Cascade a 550 home golf course and industrial park development.
Who was involved?
KB Home Builders, Cascades Park Properties LLC, Cascade Project Owner LLC
Los Angeles City Fire Department Chiefs since 2006
Los Angeles City Council Member Felipe Fuentes (Former State Assembly Member)
The Los Angeles County Accessor
KB Home Builders and Cascades Park Properties LLC joined together in 1995 to develop this new site at the far North Eastern end of the San Fernando Valley and Sylmar originally calling it Silver Oaks LLC and Cascades golf course. With a name change known as the Legends at Cascades, it was to overlook and be right next to the Cascades where in the early twentieth century William Mulholland and others brought Owens Valley water into the San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles. The water cascades down the hill in a very large open air canal. KB Home Chairmen and CEO, Bruce Karatz, said that, not only will this project benefit many families, but, it will add greatly to the local economy, and infrastructure.
In 2005, and 2007, the project was scaled back due to declining housing markets and other development delays which ultimately lead to only 176 homes built, a Mello Roos tax was created by the City Council of Los Angeles following the Mello Roos Community Facilities Act of 1982 which established the ability for this levy, which was passed on to home buyers. The tax was for the infrastructure and the Fire Station. The approximate sum collected to date is about $3,000,000.00, and the amount continues to rise every year.
Their plans were to build a new super modern Fire Station called Station No. 31. It was to be an 8400 square foot modern facility at Foothill and Balboa Blvd’s with all the room for fitness training, three fire trucks, drive through facility, dormitories for firemen and captains, a wellness room, and an additional area for paramedic services. “A place that will house 10-12 personnel that will bring critically needed fire and life safety resources to Sylmar which was long overdue”, said then Fire Chief William Bamattre.
This Mello-Roos tax (paid directly to the County Assessor’s office included in your normal property tax payment) is very normal for this type of infrastructure development and is used widely all over California, unless you live in Sylmar because the tax raised pays for nothing. There is no new Fire Station No. 31, and from an inside source to the Fire Department. There will never be a Fire Station built there because there is no need to have that large type of facility, which was based on the original development size of 550 homes. Instead the community got what is called a FRV, or Fast Response Vehicle (1), and only after extreme political, and community pressure was applied to now exiting CD7 Council Member Felipe Fuentes in 2015. Sylmar has doubled in population since 1980, and is on the verge of doubling again in the next few years, yet no new fire station.
Where is the MONEY?
No one seems to know where the money is that was to be allocated for the new station. And calling on Council Representative Felipe Fuentes gets no response. Many might say that it is apparent that Mr. Fuentes, along with the County Assessor’s Office, has something to hide by not coming forward with information as to why Sylmar Fire Station No. 31 has never been built, and, at this point doesn’t appear likely that it ever will be
Residents of Sylmar are supposed to feel that a “Big Red Truck” is adequate; however, many feel it does not solve the problems that only a second and hopefully a third Fire Station, for its 92,000 citizens spread over 13 sq. miles, can handle! They have started a campaign to bring about the justice they are seeking… the addition of Fire Stations in their community.
Editor’s Note: Jesse Torrero is a Reporter and Commentator for the NVR, and is a Community Activist. He can be reached at 818-800-1343, winwinwin@yahoo.com or www.facebook.com/JesseTorrer