Private enterprise the way to go

Jeffrey L. Jacobs

In response to the article in the Daily Pilot regarding Newport Beach

taking a more active role in Newport Harbor and if it would be cost

effective: Here is one cost effective idea.

I am writing this letter respectfully requesting the appropriate

party to explore the Orange County Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol regarding

their nonemergency towing and jump-start response policy with

recreational boaters in the Orange County area.

Three established businesses licensed, equipped, and insured,

provide these types of services on the water in Orange County.

Nonemergency tows, jump-starts, fuel and part deliveries,

“ungroundings,” salvage and more are available from these companies

24-hours per day, seven days a week, 365 days per year.

Why are Orange County taxpayers purchasing more patrol boats,

while caseloads of nonemergency calls for the Harbor Patrol decrease

and civilian contractors are available? Certainly, there are more

appropriate allocations for the funds of a county that was bankrupt

just a few years ago.

Orange County wastes hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of

dollars every year on new patrol boats, exploiting emergency

resources for nonemergency situations, boosting county fuel bills,

maintenance costs, and drastically increasing county liability. These

actions also directly take money out of the pockets of at least nine

small businesses in their own county.

The United States Coast Guard’s policy on nonemergency cases

diverts these calls to private businesses and good Samaritans. San

Diego County does not provide nonemergency towing and jump-starts in

San Diego or Mission Bay, nor does Oceanside, Avalon, Los Angles,

Long Beach Port Police or Ventura County, etc.

These local municipalities also divert such cases to private

contractors and good Samaritans, reserving our resources for actual

emergencies. Only after all private contractors are committed or

exhausted will these agencies launch a government resource. Orange

County must explore portions of these policies and consider adoption.

Similarly, regarding the wildfires in Southern California, only

after, “all civilian contractors are committed, exhausted, or

unavailable” will military air support be activated. Obviously, this

is to prevent the government from competing with private enterprise,

as it is a conflict of interest. This also defers deployment of

government agency resources, allowing private enterprise to prosper.

It also saves taxpayer dollars, as emergency resources are reserved

for eminent situations, as was their original intent.

When will Orange County follow suit and stop misusing taxpayers’

dollars?

* JEFFREY L. JACOBS is a captain in the U.S. Merchant Marines.