We are already seeing fallout from the sweetheart plea deal in the case of former Ukiah Police Department Sergeant Kevin Murray orchestrated by Mendocino County D.A. David Eyster, Murray’s lawyer, and ratified by Superior Court Judge Ann Moorman.
A Lake County woman, Debra Keipp, has requested that her county’s Child Protective Services (CPS) investigate Murray, a Lake County resident.
Here are excerpts from Keipp’s demand that CPS examine Murray’s deeply troubling past to determine whether he is a fit parent.
“I would like to report suspected child abuse of four minor children living in the home of Kevin Murray, disgraced Ukiah Police Sergeant … It is a crime that Murray is allowed to return to his home where four minor children live, when two of his children are female, and Murray is guilty of multiple violent crimes against women: serial rapes of women, possession of meth at work, thievery of a woman’s billfold in a store in Lake County, violent attack of a mentally ill homeless man who was paid thousands of dollars in a lawsuit against Murray. Reportedly, Kevin Murray has gone to therapy for being a sex addict, and it didn’t work. He’s been released to return to his home where his minor children live. The public is outraged and not going to let this travesty of justice persist. Kevin Murray is guilty of all the crimes mentioned and it is therefore not healthy for Murray to live in the home with his minor children … The public is outraged. The public will not let this bogus decision by Judge Moorman, D.A.’s office, prosecution and defense attorneys sit in this violent case of a public official’s offenses against women.”
While locally, shameful performances in the Murray travesty by the D.A. and a judge grotesquely excised justice out of the criminal justice process, the public is a long way from forgiving and forgetting.
What is the Measure P fire tax?
Later this month, both the Laytonville County Water District Board and the Laytonville Area Municipal Advisory Council will vote on whether to support a ballot measure in the November election that calls for imposing a one-quarter cent sales tax to provide funding for local fire departments and fire-prevention services.
I’d like to share with you an exchange of emails between me and Emily Tecchio, of the Mendocino County Fire Safe Council that sets out what the issue is all about:
Hi Jim,
I work for the Mendocino County Fire Safe Council and we are partnering with the Mendocino County Fire Chiefs Association to get the word out about Measure P. It would be great to have the opportunity to present on Measure P to the Laytonville MAC and on Mendocino County Fire Safe Council programs and projects in the Laytonville area (maybe that’s two agenda items). From what I understand, MACs cannot endorse ballot measures but individual MAC members can — and I believe it is ok for me to present on the Measure. If not, I would still like to get a spot on the MAC agenda sometime to share information on the Fire Safe Council. Thank you!
— Emily Tecchio, County Coordinator, Mendocino County Fire Safe Council
Hi Emily,
Glad to hear from you, and you are certainly more than welcome at our meetings. Under California law and related court rulings, permissible activities of local governmental agencies include taking a position on a ballot measure in an open and public meeting where all perspectives may be shared. The legal theory is governing bodies may take a position at public meetings in favor of or against a particular measure that would affect the agency or its constituents, which clearly the fire tax would. One of the things we are prohibited from doing is expending public funds for such activities. It’s a very thin line but it can’t be crossed. In the past, we have taken positions on a number of ballot measures. For example, last year the Laytonville Area Municipal Advisory Council supported the “Small Is Beautiful” referendum that opposed the 10 percent expansion of cannabis production.
We already plan to take action on possibly supporting the fire tax measure, as I worked on it earlier this summer with Supervisors Haschak and Gjerde. We’ll have an action item on it for consideration at our September 28, 2022 meeting, that starts at 6:30 p.m. and is held at Harwood Hall.
Thanks for contacting me and I look forward to hearing from you.
— Jim Shields, Chairman, LAMAC
* * *
Here are some highlights from the supporters of the proposed one-quarter cent sales tax that voters will consider in the November 2022 Election:
• With the rising costs of workers comp, equipment maintenance, and proper training, local fire departments are struggling. At the same time there are more fire and other 911 calls than ever before. Let’s give our departments solid ground to stand on, so they can keep providing the emergency services we need.
• For years fire departments have scraped by with grants and fundraisers. Measure P will extend a one-quarter cent sales tax that is about to expire, using the majority of the revenue to keep local fire departments operational—at no extra cost to the taxpayer.
• Measure P will reallocate a one-quarter cent of an existing, sunsetting sales tax to be distributed 90 percent to our lo
cal fire departments and 10 percent to ramp up fire-prevention services for 10 years. Your current taxes will not increase.
• Funding will go directly to local fire departments using a formula that has already been established and agreed upon. There is no ambiguity or discretion. The watchful eyes of our 20 fire chiefs and their district boards will be on it. Also, since the tax sunsets in 10 years, voters will have the opportunity then to reassess the benefits of this tax allocation.
• 10% of the revenue will help fund the Mendocino County Fire Safe Council (MCFSC), a nonprofit, which manages fuel-reduction projects, delivers defensible-space assistance for low-income seniors and persons with physical disabilities, and provides free community chipper days. The MCFSC also coordinates 50+ Neighborhood Fire Safe Councils, offers home evaluation to help residents protect their homes and property, and much more.
• Funding will go directly to local fire departments using a formula that has already been established and agreed upon. There is no ambiguity or discretion. The watchful eyes of our 20 fire chiefs and their district boards will be on it. Also, since the tax sunsets in 10 years, voters will have the opportunity then to reassess the benefits of this tax allocation.
(Jim Shields is the Mendocino County Observer’s editor and publisher, observer@pacific.net, the long-time district manager of the Laytonville County Water District, and is also chairman of the Laytonville Area Municipal Advisory Council. Listen to his radio program “This and That” every Saturday at noon on KPFN 105.1 FM, also streamed live: http://www.kpfn.org.)
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