Is state fire fee a cash grab?

A story that ran in the Mercury News (www.mercurynews.com) recently, “Governor signs bill imposing $150 firefighting fee for rural areas” should be read.

According to a local fire official, almost all of Fallbrook is considered “rural” (all except four square miles of downtown), so most of us will have the privilege of paying this ridiculous $150 fee/tax.

I am also told that, as written, revenue from the $150 “fee” would go to Cal Fire and an equivalent amount of general funds would be removed from Cal Fire’s budget for no net gain. So, this appears to be just another “grab the cash and run” f...