Rebuttal: Safety Requires Good Planning—Not Political Pressure
- BVMB Board
- May 30
- 2 min read
We fully agree with Supervisor Burgis on one point: Brentwood needs a new fire station. That is not in dispute. What is in dispute is where it should go and whether the process has been guided by sound planning or by political expediency and bureaucratic stubbornness.
Let’s be clear: Brentwood hasn’t had a functioning downtown fire station for over a decade. Who is responsible for that? Not the Brentwood City Council. Not the "small, but vocal, group" of residents raising questions. The blame rests squarely on the long-standing mismanagement of the fire district. To now suggest the City and residents are delaying public safety is disingenuous at best.
Public safety and equity do not require a downtown station. In fact, Sand Creek is just one mile away from the proposed downtown location and is significantly closer to where Brentwood is growing—especially toward new housing developments, including affordable housing. That’s not conjecture—it’s population trend data. A station on Sand Creek could better serve both current and future residents.
Yes, fire insurance rates are climbing—but this is a statewide problem, not a Brentwood-specific issue. To tie insurance hikes directly to the lack of a downtown station is fear-mongering, not fact. If public safety is truly the concern, then why is so much time and taxpayer money being wasted trying to fight the City and residents instead of accepting the Sand Creek parcel already earmarked for a fire station?
Supervisor Burgis claims to represent 240,000 residents. But siding with the county bureaucracy over valid community input and the City’s legitimate planning process is not representation—it’s perpetuating a failed system.
We agree—no more delays. That’s why the City, acting in good faith, reached out to the fire district to explore whether they were open to negotiating for the Sand Creek property, which had once been designated as the replacement site for the fire station. Instead, we’ve been told the District refuses to even consider it—choosing instead to force a station onto land dedicated to veterans while disregarding the requirements of the Downtown Specific Plan.
Let’s stop wasting time. Let’s stop the political pressure campaigns. And let’s start doing what’s right—for Brentwood, for taxpayers, for the fire district, and yes, for the veterans.
Move the station to Sand Creek. It's the right location, for the right reasons, at the right time.
Source:
Fire Station 94 is crucial for Brentwood residents’ safety May 29, 2025
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