SAN DIEGO — Fire prevention has emerged as the dominant political issue as officials trade accusations over whether runaway growth and a lack of firefighting resources had left the county vulnerable to the disastrous fires.
The fires, which killed 18 and burned 2,200 homes here, are taking center stage just as the San Diego mayoral campaign gets underway and voters prepare to possibly consider two ballot measures, one of which focuses on limiting growth, the other on raising money to purchase what would be the county government's first helicopters dedicated to firefighting.
"This is not going to fade," said political consultant Cynthia Vicknair. "We're going to see the scars on the land for a long time."
Several advocacy groups and would-be San Diego mayoral candidates plan to poll voters to determine the depth of their anger over the fires and whether they are likely to change their long-standing opposition to tax increases and consolidation of local fire districts.
At the same time, San Diego officials find themselves on the defensive as residents question whether San Diego was adequately prepared for the fire. Some officials, who have tried to focus the blame on others, contend that Gov. Gray Davis didn't provide enough firefighting help in the first hours of the blazes and that environmental laws prevented the kind of aggressive brush clearance that might have slowed the fires.
But some political experts believe those arguments will not go far enough with voters.
"Failure in the past to adequately support fire protection, particularly aerial assets, is going to come back to burn a lot of politicians," said consultant John Dadian.
Political debates here normally proceed slowly, but the fires have added a sense of urgency. The San Diego City Council discussed the helicopter issue Monday, the Port Commission discussed it Tuesday, and the county Board of Supervisors expects to discuss it today.
On Tuesday, Supervisor Ron Roberts, long a supporter of having a fire helicopter, asked Gov.-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger to back a plan to ask countywide voters to endorse a parcel tax to fund a fleet of firefighting helicopters. To have a countywide vote on a parcel tax to fund helicopters, the Board of Supervisors needs a waiver of state law from the state Legislature.
Roberts is considering a challenge to San Diego Mayor Dick Murphy in the March primary. Banker and Port Commission member Peter Q. Davis has already announced his plans to run against Murphy with fire protection, particularly helicopters, a major issue.
