The real shame of Sonoma State

Recently, Sonoma State University has gotten a lot of unfavorable publicity because of one employee’s ham-fisted attempt at political correctness when he asked a 19-year old Catholic student to remove a cross she was wearing because it could offend some. This was the unforgivably dumb action of one person, and the University rightly condemned it quickly.

But here’s an incident that happens at SSU nearly 200 times every year, a problem the whole community winds up paying for:

A 911 call from a Sonoma State dorm requests emergency service for a student who is suffering from alcohol poisoning. One engine and three firefighters respond from Rancho Adobe Station 2 in Penngrove, since Station 1 in Cotati is closed that day. They transfer the student to an ambulance, which arrives shortly after. The estimated cost to make emergency services available to everyone in the district, and respond in a timely manner: $1,500 per call. The amount Sonoma State will pay for this service: $0.

According to Battalion Chief Steve Davidson, there are nearly 200 of these calls every year. Of the 2,000 calls that RAFPD responds to annually, 10% involve SSU students, and 80% of those are for alcohol-related incidents. “It’s rookies. Underage students who think they can drink show up every Fall, every Spring,” Davidson said.

The behavior of students might seem amusing, but the cost of providing emergency services to the 10,500 students, faculty, and staff of SSU is no laughing matter to the fire district, which has been forced to close one of its three fire stations every day due to financial problems.

Since one station is closed on a rotating basis, when the district responds to an alcohol emergency at the campus, fires, accidents, medical emergencies, and other off-campus 911 calls are left to be serviced by the only other station that remains open. This means less coverage is available for the district’s taxpayers.  

For 2013, the district faced a shortfall of $387,000, and turned to the taxpayers for relief with Measure Z, an initiative that would have raised property taxes by $60/year in the district for 8 years. The measure needed a 2/3 vote, but fell short, gaining only 62.8%.

The measure’s worst performance was in the precinct that encompasses SSU, where voting was 38% for and 62% against. Davidson believes that if 2/3 of SSU students had voted yes, the measure would have passed and all three stations would be open today, but he explained that the university did not allow the fire district to campaign on the campus.

When pressed for details, Susan Kashack, a spokesperson for SSU, said, “This isn't an issue for our campus. The state Constitution exempts CSU from payment of property taxes and special assessments, and that a voluntary payment would be a gift of public funds which is not allowed.”

Davidson feels otherwise. When hearing this statement, he responded, “That is completely bogus. Cal Poly is in the CSU system, and they pay San Luis Obispo between $400,000 -- $500,000 a year for emergency service support. That’s a lot cheaper than building their own department.” Davidson challenged the statement that one state agency cannot tax another. “Every time we buy a $400,000 fire engine, we pay full sales tax.”

Davidson contends that even if SSU paid RAFPD $200,000 a year for service, it would still be a bargain compared to creating an on-campus fire department. He estimates it would cost approximately $1 million in staff to operate each piece of emergency equipment, not counting the costs to purchase, house, or maintain it.

This dispute has ethical implications. When asked to explain the ethical basis for CSU’s decision, Attorney Davis stated, “All public agencies are allotted certain funding in the state budget for use in performing their public functions. California State University’s function is to educate Californians; fire districts’ function is fire protection.”

Looking for other perspectives, I attempted to reach Dr. Joshua Glasgow, the founder of SSU’s new Center for Ethics, Law and Society, and Associated Students President Karen Paniagua, but neither responded.

Going beyond SSU, the fire department in Hayward, CA is engaged in a similar struggle with CSU East Bay, for many of the same reasons. CSU Attorney Davis says that other state agencies, including fire districts, have pursued similar claims, and have been denied. But since Cal Poly, one of the 23 CSU campuses, supports its local fire district, this may give RAFPD attorneys the basis for an argument that the California constitution does not prohibit campuses from paying for emergency services.

In the meantime, RAFPD is pursuing other options to cover their expenses, including a variety of legal actions. Whatever happens next, Davidson is certain about one thing. Asked if all three fire stations would be open today if SSU had paid their share to support the fire district, he said, “Absolutely.”

(Story updated from an article I wrote for The Community Voice in February 2013.)