SB 1617: Paying for fire prevention

Every year, the state’s debt-ridden general fund pays hundreds of millions of dollars to the state firefighting agency, Cal-Fire, to protect homes and other property from forest fires. Many of the homeowners pay little or nothing for local fire protection. SB 1617 (Kehoe) would have assessed a $50 fee on homes within State Responsibility Areas to fund proactive fire prevention and mitigation measures related to structures in the SRA.