Nobody is pretending that the Walbridge Fire is as devastating to structures as the Nuns/Tubbs or even the Kincade fires. Yet there is considerable damage to our roads, trees, and power and cable lines due to the fire.
As a Member Benefit, the ECA has remained in close contact with the County of Sonoma during the Walbridge Fire. We wanted the emergency personnel to be able to do their jobs, and we offered support if needed, that would not interfere with the front line CalFire workers.
Subsequently, as the County opened their Local Assistance office last week, I was asked to submit the ECA firms that have indicated they would be willing to, and capable of, providing assistance as the County starts the cleanup and reconstruct of damaged facilities. There will also be a lot of work done to protect our watershed that burned as that threatens the drinking water supply for hundreds of thousands of residents.
I will be reaching out to Sonoma County Water Agency, Sonoma County Transportation and Public Works, and Tennis Wick at the Permit and Resource Department, to schedule a Zoom webinar to provide our members with information as to potential for upcoming work due to the fires as well as resulting from the PG & E settlement that the County has received and is determining how to spend it. This Zoom webinar will be especially geared towards suppliers, contractors, and service firms that support infrastructure reconstruct and erosion control as well as soils testing and power line repairs. Please consider being the “Platinum Sponsor” for this event, as we will only have one Platinum Sponsor and the first company that wants that will get it at $2500 and unlimited access for your firm to the Webinar. We will be charging $50 for this Zoom webinar for ECA Members, and $100 for all others.
All attendees will receive a raffle ticket to win a prize. Once you register, Mary will send you your ticket number
We will be scheduling this meeting for the end of this month. The Zoom webinar will be held from 4:00pm to 5:30pm. Zoom instructions will be delivered upon your RSVP to Mary via email at Mary@nceca.org.
As I mentioned, the ECA provides a list of our members who would like to be considered by victims of fires or floods when they need to cleanup or repair the damage from these natural disasters. He list of those that responded after the Kincade fire (list is available by clicking here—-) and submit it to the Supervisors for use at their Local Assistance Center which opened this last Saturday in Guerneville. They also use it with Chris Godley and the Emergency Services group with the Sonoma County group and folks that need help, including sometimes CalFire themselves, will call members directly for assistance. We believe this is a great membership benefit as it directly opens the door for project work for the members on the list. It also is a great tool for recruiting new members as just being on that list is reason enough to join the ECA. If you are not listed, please email mary@nceca.org and she will include you.
Just another “Return on Investment” for your ECA membership folks!
That’s All Folks!
John Bly
Update on The Measure DD Campaign:
I have reached out to several ECA members for help in trying to mount a campaign. We need some dollars people! I do want to thank Ghilotti Brothers Inc. for stepping up and offering financial assistance, strategy assistance, and the offer of equipment and manpower to set up message boards around the County in strategic locales to promote the benefits of what Measure M tax dollars has meant to our roads and our communities.
There are several groups that have united to try to kill all of the sales tax measures on the 2020 ballot. Including Measure DD, which is the one that would help so many of our members. Let me just remind everyone of the main difference between Measure DD and the other sales tax measures:
- You know exactly what the tax dollars have been spent on for the past 16 years, and you can go to the SCTA website to see where the dollars would be spent on what projects should DD pass. No guesswork as to where the dollars go!!
- Measure DD is the only tax measure that has a 16 year track record of getting matching funds for our County rather than the other 24 Counties that compete for those matching funds by virtue of being a “self-taxed” County. The SCTA has 16 years of doing this and has maintained a 5:1 matching grant/fund ratio. Ask any other tax measure if they can make $1 turn into $5!!!
- Measure DD will not cost taxpayers one dollar out of their wallets until 2025. By then, we should be recovered from the Pandemic economy we are in now. So NOW IS EXACTLY THE RIGHT TIME TO NOT TAX YOU!
I have spoken this week to the Press Democrat Editorial Board, to the Sonoma County Alliance General Membership Meeting, and Friday will speak to the Petaluma Chamber of Commerce Advocacy Group to seek endorsements and support for this much needed measure. I stress the economic boost it will give our industry, and I stress how generous our industry has been to be helping the community and charities over the last few decades. The message resonates with most people who actually listen to the facts, and do not fall into the false narrative that the opponents are dishing out. Here are two false narratives that the “moratorium group” would have you believe:
- “Measure DD is not a reauthorization because it is completely different than Measure M-they say Measure M spent 80% of its tax revenue on widening Highway 101. They say the Measure DD is only spending 40% on road reconstruction”. Fake News-Measure M spent 40% on widening Highway 101 and Measure DD is allocating 65% for road reconstruction.
- “Measure DD will bankrupt a lot of people and businesses because it hits us during the pandemic”. False. First, the Measure DD does not go into effect until 2025-well after the pandemic. Secondly, the average paid by the ¼ cent sales tax is $58/year. Exactly who would that bankrupt?
Know the facts. If you would like a fact sheet to distribute to your workers with their paychecks, please let me know and I will send you one.
