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Cal Fire
The CAL FIRE property owner's fee. Is this the kind of government we want?
Many of us who live in the unincorporated areas of Marin County, have been assessed a Fire Fee. The State of California needed money when the economy was struggling and called it a "Fee." This meant that residents were not able to vote on it as we would an ordinary property tax. This annual fee, started in 2012, was imposed by the State Legislature (all Democrats in favor, all Republicans opposed) at the request of Governor Brown. It is being collected by the Board of Equalization and administered by the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
When this Fire Fee was originally assessed to unincorporated areas throughout the state, a political insider asked Governor Brown why he imposed this tax. Governor Brown was reported as saying, "California needs the money!"
But, is this really about fighting fires, or is it about money for a fiscally irresponsible state government that continues to spend our tax dollars like drunken sailors, while homeowners and taxpayers are left to pay the ever-growing bills. In addition, our homes in Novato are already covered by the Novato Fire Protection District funding that comes out of our property taxes. West Marin Homeowners are also already covered by the Marin County Fire Department. Hence, this is a double tax.
Moreover, the funds that have been obtained by the State Fee go to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, which may not be used for fighting fires in Marin County. Cal Fire can use the funds for other things.
Now that the economy improved, has the state withdrawn this “Fee?” No. However, the more important issue is that by calling something a “fee” that is in reality a property tax, we end up with “taxation without representation.”
The Fire Fee is nothing more than another money grab by the state that forces unrepresented residents to pay for our government's fiscal irresponsibility and mismanagement of our hard earned tax dollars.
If you do not pay, you will get fined and the state will put a lien on your property. This lien is only $25.00 but it accumulates interest. Ironically, it costs the state more money to impose this lien than the actual value of the lien itself: another example of "our government at its best.”
AB 1642 (Obernolte) is a watered down attempt to appease us. In short, it caps the Fire Fee at $150.00 and extends the payment due date from 30 days to 60 days.
Unfortunately, not a single local politician has been willing to fight to repeal the Fire Fee. Before this bill was passed, our local firefighters opposed it. Their concern was that this would make it difficult for local fire departments (who really need the funds and are the ones who really protect our property) to ask for additional Fire Parcel Taxes, in the future.
What has State Senator Marc Levine done to help the homeowner with this injustice? The answer is he hasn’t done anything. To date, the only organization that is helping Novato homeowners in this regard is Howard Jarvis’s taxpayer advocacy group. They are suing the State of California on the grounds that the Fire Fee is illegal http://firetaxprotest.org/.
So far, the State has gotten away with this financial assault on the homeowner. They have managed to stay under the radar by starting the fee at $117-$150. But, for many elderly homeowners on fixed incomes, that's groceries.
If we don’t speak out and continue to allow these kinds of hidden “taxes” to be imposed on property owners, without voter approval, it is only a matter to time before the State will come back again, in the future, to patch up their other financial messes.
Is this the kind of government we want?
Toni Shroyer is a Marin County Native. She grew up in West Marin, graduated from Sir Francis Drake High School, attended UC Davis and graduated from UCLA with a degree in Sociology. She received her Teaching Credential at Sonoma State University. Shroyer is a local businesswoman and a Realtor at Bradley Real Estate, and serves on the Marin Association of Realtors (MAR) Government Affairs Committee. Shroyer is active in the Novato Public Schools, is a Board Member of Babe Ruth and San Marin All Sports Boosters. She also rescues animals.