After heading up a controversial effort called “sleazy and rigged” that used a questionable protest vote to foist the massively unpopular FP-5 Fire fee on residents of San Bernardino County, Fire Chief Mark Hartwig is jumping ship to serve as the Fire Chief for Santa Barbara County. Hartwig served nearly eight years at the helm of the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District; his final day will be February 15. The county will announce the future leadership of the Fire Protection District at some point prior to February 15. Former 3 rd District Supervisor James Ramos, the swing vote on the FP-5 expansion, also jumped ship, resigning after successfully running for a State Assembly seat in November. Two lawsuits questioning the method used and the constitutionality of the FP-5 fire fees are currently making their way through the courts.
