This is so off the mark.
Some nasty woman at Cal Fire sent a poorly worded email that was completely out of turn.
The bottom line; there are repeaters on Cal Fire towers, government towers, and government property. The sites are not secure. Practically anyone has access to them and security is a huge concern. Someone who knows what they are doing could knock out comms for emergency services rather easily. They want to make the sites more secure.
The other issue is some towers are becoming over crowded. As this happens, there is not space for various agency’s equipment. The towers are primarily for their own use. Also, too much equipment or the wrong type of equipment may cause interference or diminished performance of existing equipment.
It is the government’s property and they may restrict access as they do with any other government site.
You may still put equipment on private sites or use mobile equipment as we often do.
It is NOT the govt’s property. It is the property of the citizens of the USA, and the govt is also the property of the citizens.