Contra Costa Firefighters to Get New $350 Blazers. Firefighters in the Contra Costa Fire Protection District are being fitted for new $350 blazers for their dress uniforms, at the direction of Fire Chief Keith Richter. The cost to taxpayers: $105,000. The new blazers will replace the old, short-waisted "Ike" jackets firefighters have been wearing for decades. The reason for the change: "If you've got a big gut and you try and zip up an Ike jacket, it doesn't look very presentable," Mr. Richter said. San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross report that "most firefighters can count on two hands the number of times over their careers that they've actually worn their ceremonial jackets." (Source: San Francisco Chronicle, February 10.)
Cal-Taxletter February 15, 2008
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