Local Law Enforcement Agencies Lack Sufficient Funding and Personnel to Respond to Disasters, Civil Grand Jury Concludes--Is it the lack of Funding or lack of good - FPD put Counties FEMA funding at risk. Our emergencies will not be funded if we don't follow FEMA guidelines
**(FFD NOT FPD )**Humboldt County keeps saying the problem is a lack of funding, but the record shows the real issue is how emergency funding is handled once it arrives.The County’s own audit shows that the Fortuna Fire Protection District failed to submit required FEMA disaster‑funding reports, which meant the County couldn’t properly track or claim federal reimbursement. Millions in FEMA receivables went unrecorded because the documentation simply wasn’t provided. This isn’t speculation — it’s documented in the County’s Single Audit Report: https://humboldtgov.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/1569. (2022 we just got this audit report a few months ago please forgive me that these reports came to the public's awareness late)
The audit goes even further. It states: “During our audit, we noted that the Fortuna Fire Protection District, a discretely presented component unit, excluded the Volunteer Fire Department, a blended component of the district, from its financial statements. In addition, the District reported its financial statements on the modified cash basis of accounting. We have thus issued an adverse opinion on the presentation of the Fortuna Fire Protection District as it relates to the County.” When a district receives an adverse opinion for excluding required financial units and using an improper accounting basis, that is not a funding shortage. That is a failure to meet basic financial reporting standards. It directly undermines the County’s ability to manage FEMA disaster funds and puts future federal funding at risk. ARE WE CONSIDERED HIGH RISK NOW?
At the same time, local agencies have shown they are willing to accept money from less‑than‑reputable sources, including surveillance‑aligned donor funding a reminder that Cellbrite is an Israeli owned surveillance company and they can read your cellphone data without a warrant. Howard Buffett literally is waging his own border war and essentially has funded our entire cannabis eradication efforts.Howard Buffett's Border War: A Billionaire's Son Is Spending Millions in Cochise County .Howard Buffett's Border War: A Billionaire's Son Is Spending Millions in Cochise County When an agency cannot manage FEMA disaster funds but is perfectly willing to take money from questionable channels, it raises serious questions about priorities and judgment. These choices erode public trust far more than any budget shortfall ever could.
The public has been clear about what it wants: transparency, accountability, and responsible stewardship of emergency funding. Instead, we keep seeing mismanagement, missing reports, adverse audit opinions, and a willingness to rely on funding sources that do not align with community values. That is a breach of trust. No one should be asking the public for more money until they can demonstrate they are capable of managing the money they already receive. No more funding without transparency. No more funding without accountability. And no more funding until agencies start honoring the will of the public they are supposed to serve.Local Law Enforcement Agencies Lack Sufficient Funding and Personnel to Respond to Disasters, Civil Grand Jury Concludes | Lost Coast Outpost | Humboldt County News