Butte County officials joined with the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association to speak out against the fire tax at a forum held at a local fire station. Senator Nielsen argued the tax was passed illegally without the required two thirds vote and challenged the argument that people in rural areas should pay more for living in fire-prone areas, pointing out there is no earthquake tax for people living in earthquake-prone LA and San Francisco.
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Assemblyman Brian Jones spoke out against the fire tax, saying the illegal tax was the top issue his constituents are complaining about. 100,000 people in San Diego County have been hit with the fire tax and some citizens said they were being charged the tax even on homes that no longer exist because they burned down.
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George Runner announced that the Board of Equalization will delay this year’s fire fee bills in response to a request from Cal Fire. The bills were scheduled to begin mailing April 2. “The delay appears to be related to concerns about accuracy of the billing data,” said Runner. “I’m pleased to see that Cal Fire is admitting there’s a problem.”
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A new round of fire tax bills will soon be arriving in mailboxes around California. While the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association believes the fire tax is illegal according to Proposition 13, you are still required to pay your bill pending resolution of the lawsuit. More detailed instructions from the legal department are available in the FireTaxProtest.org newsletter update below.
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The Orange County Register criticizes Cal Fire’s secret money scandal as another example of government agencies hiding money so they can lobby the public for more taxes. The paper urges the Governor to take the scandal seriously instead of dismissing it as “boring,” and furthermore calls for an end to the fire tax.
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When asked about over $3 million in taxpayer funds hidden in a secret account by Cal Fire, Governor Brown dismissed the news as “boring,” although he did say he would look into it. Senate Republican leader Bob Huff criticized the Governor for his remarks, describing the Cal Fire scandal as “very disturbing.”
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The Sacramento Bee speaks out against Cal Fire for hiding $3.66 million in funds that should have been deposited in the General Fund. The newspaper says Cal Fire missed numerous opportunities to come clean about the money and lost the trust of many citizens who had expected the agency to behave more responsibly.
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Following questions raised by the Los Angeles Times and the Wall Street Journal regarding $3.6 million in hidden money at the agency, Cal Fire has released a spreadsheet with information on how these funds were spent. Among the expenses are $33,000 for a conference at a Pisomo Beach resort, $30,000 for GPS vehicle trackers and $22,000 for metal detectors. Senator Ted Gaines has called for a criminal investigation.
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The Redding Record Searchlight says the Legislature has failed to spend fire tax revenueon fire protection activities as they promised. The laws says localities, fire safe councils, the California Conservation Corps and fire prevention nonprofits are supposed to receive the revenue but so far they have not received a penny.
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The Los Angeles Times reports Cal Fire is facing an investigation after hiding $3.6 million from the state’s treasury. The money, which came from legal settlements, was supposed to be deposited in the State General Fund, but some say Cal Fire instead hid the money in a nonprofit account shielded from public view.
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