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After nearly a year of discussions aimed at stabilizing Mosquito Fire’s leadership, operations, and fiscal future, the shared-services agreement with Garden Valley has been paused. Public records show a tentative August agreement, disputed revisions, and a process that may now be delayed until after the election. There will be a public meeting on Tuesday, September 1st at 7:00 pm at Mosquito Fire Station to consider removing Director Buhnerkempe or Director Williams from the

An El Dorado County official is publicly challenging Mosquito Fire Protection District leadership over what she says is misinformation being provided to the community about the proposed shared services agreement with Garden Valley Fire Protection District. District 4 Supervisor Lori Parlin, who attended the August 13 meeting with Mosquito, Garden Valley, El Dorado County, and LAFCO representatives, says both districts had agreed to the terms of the agreement pending attorney

The Mosquito Fire Protection District Board meeting has been rescheduled just one day before its originally scheduled date due to an agenda-posting issue. The Thursday 8/27 meeting will be postponed to 9/1 at 7:00pm - this will allow for residents that are typically unable to attend the meetings during working hours to be present.

Garden Valley Meeting Update: Questions Remain This morning’s (8/25/2026 )Garden Valley Fire Protection District Board meeting raised new questions about the status of the proposed Shared Services Agreement with Mosquito Fire. Garden Valley representatives reported that agreement language continues to move back and forth by email. Their attorney has revised portions of the document, while representatives also cited unresolved issues, disputed wording, and changes to provision

Director Maria Rodriguez is asking the Mosquito Fire Protection District Board to change course on the shared services negotiations—calling for a swap on the committee currently led by Directors Trent Williams and Bill Buhnerkempe. Her message is clear: Mosquito needs a negotiating team that will move with urgency and deliver measurable progress. At the August 27 Board meeting, Rodriguez will ask the Board to appoint her to the Garden Valley 2x2 shared-services committee and

Eight candidates are seeking four seats on the Mosquito Fire Protection District Board in the November 3rd election. This first look introduces the candidates who chose to share a statement with the community, offering residents an early view of their backgrounds, priorities, and vision for Mosquito Fire Protection District. The election presents an important choice about the district’s future. Residents are hearing two very different approaches: one rooted in familiar patter

Mosquito Fire Protection District faces urgent, practical work: stabilizing its finances, supporting its personnel, and completing a shared-services agreement that could shape the District’s future. Those priorities should have been the focus of the August 3rd and 10th special Board meetings (yes, there were two special meetings already this month). Instead, much of the meetings were consumed by procedural detours, document disputes, and arguments that did little to move the

Election season is officially underway for the Mosquito Fire Protection District, bringing an astounding level of interest in the future of local emergency services. Eight candidates are seeking four open positions on the District’s Board of Directors—an unusually robust response at a defining moment for the community. The candidates listed in El Dorado County’s election report are: - Meredith Blain - William Buhnerkempe - Jamae Lacey - James “Scott” Laing - Jackie LeMast

The Mosquito community came together in a big way for this year’s National Night Out, celebrating the firefighters, volunteers, residents, and supporters who help protect our community and make it a more connected, resilient place to live. With a blockbuster movie screening and a Hollywood-inspired red-carpet theme, the event transformed the fire department yard into a lively gathering place for neighbors of all ages. Historical artifacts honoring the station’s history and ge

The community was outraged to learn of a new tax measure floated at last month's July 2026 Mosquito Fire Board meeting, especially given the delays and lack of visible progress toward securing reliable fire and emergency services. The meeting opened with public comment, showering praise on the two directors assigned to advance the community's shared services agreement. But for many residents who have watched years of dysfunction play out in public meetings, social media threa

“Nothing To Sign”: Mosquito’s Shared Services Talks Burn Time as Residents Call for Urgency Mosquito residents have been told for months that their board “supports” a shared services agreement with Garden Valley Fire. They’ve also been told, just as plainly, that “there is nothing to sign.” Both statements can’t carry the same weight when the district’s chief contract has expired, the station office has no administrator, and the only thing standing between “concept” and “cont

Mosquito residents who drove to the Garden Valley board meeting heard a very different story about shared services than what they’ve been told at home, exposing a growing gap between the two districts’ narratives. At Garden Valley, the chair noted a “full house” and invited introductions, creating a welcoming, transparent tone. Mosquito residents used that space to apologize for their board, declare strong support for the shared services agreement, and plead for patience unti

Following the July Mosquito Fire Protection District Board meeting, one thing has become unmistakably clear: the community is paying attention—and speaking up. Residents across Mosquito have taken to social media, neighborhood conversations, and direct outreach to better understand what is happening—or more accurately, what is not happening—with the critically needed Shared Services Agreement between Mosquito Fire Protection District and Garden Valley Fire Protection District

The July 2026 Mosquito Fire Protection District Board of Directors meeting at Station 75 drew one of the largest turnouts of community members and fire personnel in recent years, both in person and online, and highlighted deep concern about the future of local fire and emergency services. It also exposed a long‑running tension over who the District is ultimately accountable to: the people who govern it, or the people who depend on it for their safety. Meeting overview As we w

At nearly every recent Mosquito Fire Protection District Board meeting, a woman logs into Zoom under a simple display name: “Concerned Citizen.” No camera. No introduction. Just a voice cloaked in anonymity—an antihero in the gallery view who has changed the course of more than one meeting. She cites California civil and open‑meeting laws, redirects the board back to proper procedure, and calls out legal risks in real time while the board is still in session. On several occas

Read this for yourself — the agenda item for Thursday’s MFPD board meeting pushes a big new tax instead of a real plan for shared services that could actually strengthen our fire and EMS. Director Bill Buhnerkempe should be pouring his energy into securing a shared services agreement that boosts staffing, leadership, and reliability, not asking residents to pay more for the same shaky system and less value. With past tax hikes rejected and millions in grant dollars failing to

El Dorado County Supervisor Lori Parlin has issued a statement to Mosquito community residents strongly encouraging attendance at the upcoming Mosquito Fire Protection District Board meeting this Thursday, 7/23, at 1:00 PM at Station 75 in Mosquito. This is a critical time to have your voice heard, as the board is grappling with how to urgently ensure fire and medical services are reliably provided to our community, including a proposed agreement to share staffing, leadership

On Thursday, July 23, the Mosquito Fire Protection District Board will meet at 1:00 p.m. at Station 75. For residents who have watched the District’s financial and operational problems grow month after month, this meeting is another test: will the Board finally move from discussion to decisive action? The situation is no longer hypothetical. The District faces a long-term financial crisis, persistent operational uncertainty, and the pending expiration of the current fire chie

Mosquito Fire Protection District and the Mosquito Fire Safe Council will host a Readiness Rollout Partnership Launch to unveil a red flag awareness program on Thursday, July 23, at 11:30 a.m. at Mosquito Station 75, 8801 Rock Creek Road, Placerville. The Readiness Rollout Partnership Launch event will take place immediately before the Mosquito Fire District's Board of Directors' monthly meeting. This new Red Flag Awareness Program will place highly visible physical warning f

On Tuesday evening, July 14, the Mosquito community was reminded how quickly a normal summer night can change—and how strong a prepared community can be. As residents returned home from work and others gathered at Dyer Lake Park for Taco Tuesday, the sirens from Station 75 sounded across the district. Mosquito Fire crews responded immediately to what became the Stope Fire, quickly knocking down a potentially serious threat. CAL FIRE arrived shortly after, assisting with secur