When the balance used to be better in the legislature, the Dems would keep a hit list on rural citizens (state funding of Watermaster, Williamson Act, etc.) to trade for budget votes. Now they don’t have to trade to get the votes they need so they just have intentionally targeted the rural populations they hate and despise without any remorse. It has become very obvious and a backlash is building to which they better pay close attention. Agriculture and its indirect jobs is still a huge portion of CA’s economy. Even urban folks have to eat. A general ag strike could cause real havoc.
In the case of this tax, it should go down quickly. It is totally unlawful. For instance, there are folks on the Klamath River who are supposedly in the State Responsibility Area (SRA.) However, due to trades at the state level, they are served by the Forest Service as an extension of the Federal Responsibility Area (FRA.) Although folks in the SRA get structural protection, folks served by the FRA do not, because the feds don’t do that. They will sit in your driveway and watch your house burn as they have done in places like Seiad Valley.
Nevertheless, the folks on the Klamath will have to pay the new tax, even if they get no CalFire service.
It is interesting to note that this tax is one that is not secured by property - ergo no lein can be placed on your property if you do not pay it. I suppose they could take your state tax refund - if you had one. Don’t know if they could garnish your wages - it would cost more than its worth to do so. Don’t know how they would react if folks just decided not to pay the damned thing. Sounds like a possibility to me.
They would just instruct the fire dept to not respond to any address which refuses to pay the fee.