Front Page  »  

Rural residents to pay higher fire fee

November 11, 2011

Gov. Jerry Brown

Rural homeowners in San Luis Obispo County will be helping the state pay for fire prevention and protection with a $150 fee approved this week by a state board stacked with new appointees of Gov. Jerry Brown.

Brown has said he believes California has incurred higher costs for providing such protection because of rapidly-accelerating suburban growth on previously rural properties.

The Board of Forestry and Fire Protection approved a much lower fee last summer, which did not please the governor, who is seeking to raise $50 million annually through the assessment.

And after Brown’ efforts to raise the fees legislatively were torpedoed, he used his executive power to remodel the board with four new Democrats, and went back for a vote. This time, the higher fee proposal passed 6-2.

Most property owners will receive a $35 discount for living in a fire district; an estimated 90 percent of structures qualify for that savings.


Loading...
Subjects:         
Related:


41 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

I’m still trying to figure out why I’m being billed for more water than I am using. As for fire protection, I would like to see some real effort on the part of our fire departments to demonstrate what they know about fire safety, defense of structures and prevention.


Its time to take the chauvanism out of the equation, and stop acting like they are part of some secret society that knows how to rescue you but can’t teach you what to do until they get there. I shelled out $35 bucks once to drive thirty miles to Cambria to take one of those CERT training courses. The guy tells me, “Oh! They’re teaching a class in Arroyo Grande. Go there!” Believing him, I leave class and drive back down to Arroyo Grande. Turns out, this is B.S., and there was no class. The guy just wanted women out of the course. I got my little green plastic hat, but no refund and no class.


0

These taxes will probably go towards the “controlled burns” that CDF has. Unfortunately a large amount of these become out of control fires that will probably be subsidized by these taxes. Should this might be something that should be taken away from government and placed into private enterprise?

Or are we going to operate under the idea that it’s better to let it burn alibi better for the environment?

Both of these conditions are certainly better for the pocket books of some ie: overtime, equipment rentals etc.


0

Do you suppose Nancy Pelosi or Barbara Boxer’s rural houses would be subject to this fee?


I doubt it.


I base this on the following fact: “Laws against insider trading – making stock bets based on information the public doesn’t have – do not apply to Congress.”


Here is the article: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/11/11/MNPA1LTOJK.DTL


Now explain why Congress gets to run their lives by a different set of laws (which they pass)

and why we let them!


.


0

**************** RON PAUL in 2012************


Or, at least don’t vote for a Republican or Democrat. That is the only way we are going to put a stop to this self servicing and blatantly corrupt “cadre” that call themselves our government. The CORRUPTION and self serving interest is so wide spread and out of control that there is nothing to do except to dump and replace both parties. They think we are stuck with them but I SAY we do have a choice. They think we are sheep and that there isn’t enough of us who recognize that we have more than two choices or that we could imagine any gummint that isn’t staffed with a Democrat or a Republican. They don’t consider the possibility of voting out both parties to be a real threat to life as they know it in Washington DC and at the State Capitols. Lets play that card folks and take our country back. SEND THEM A MESSAGE in 2012.


0

I don’t feel that Brown is corrupt. I also don’t feel secure in the notion of voting for a third party knowing that I might aid in Cain, Perry or Bachmann becoming our next prez.. I will still be voting for the lesser of the evils.


0

At least you now consider him “evil”…a vast improvement, TQ! The bloom is off the rose.


0

NO NO NO, I wasn’t referring to Brown, although I don’t always agree with him, he’s true blue. I was referring to the prez race. I don’t really feel that Obama is evil, he just isn’t strong enough to deal with the hate from the right. Is Obama corrupt,,don’t know but I’m sure he has a bit of that in him, I don’t believe he would have won the presidency if he wasn’t. I’m starting to believe that corruption is a prerequisite for the job.


0

I was also referring to the President. Months ago you and I had an ongoing post about the validity of what our President says…and it’s “truth” worthiness. Your position was that he doesn’t lie. My position was he does only when his mouth moves. As I said, the bloom is off the rose.


I believe his only chance at re-election comes from the blatant lack of options the Republican party has provided us. Even I wouldn’t vote for any of them at this point!


I don’t relish the idea of ANY of the current candidates to reside in the WH. I will likely not vote at all. At least I won’t feel the guilt in voting another clown or the same one into the office of the most powerful person in the world.


0

I like your last sentence…….”I’m starting to believe that corruption is a prerequisite for the job.” You are spot on, on this but I think it goes to all politics both sides, from Fed. to State to Local. They should change the constiution from We the People of the United States in order to form a more perfect Union………….To “We the People of the United States who are getting screwed every day by our officials”


0

Actually, I’ve believed this for a long time and yes of both parties.


0

Just what does CDF need 50 mil for, most of their dozer operators can hardly hit the ground as it is and they send them to classes, they might need more uniforms, anytime you get to a wildland fire it looks like your at a funeral with all the dress blues running around as overhead. I’d like to track every dollar they collect under this to see where it goes.


0

OK wait a minute here. If 90% of the fire tax assessment base (property/structure owners) will receive a $35.00 discount to our existing assessments and the remaining 10% of the tax base will be assessed an additional $150.00, then collectively there will be less funds paid into fire taxes, not more! HUH? But it’s true if I’m reading this right. It can’t work out any other way.


0
1 2