By Kevin Yamamura
The Sacramento Bee
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A state board restocked with Gov. Jerry Brown appointees approved a $150 fire fee Wednesday on rural homeowners this fiscal year, continuing a drive by the Democratic governor to raise $50 million from those residents.
Most property owners will receive a $35 discount for living in a fire district; an estimated 90 percent of structures qualify for that savings. But their remaining fee, $115, will still be significantly higher than what rural property owners would have paid under a plan the state Board of Forestry and Fire Protection passed in August.
An estimated 800,000 structures in rural areas, including homes and office buildings, will be subject to the fee. The state is responsible for wildfire prevention and protection in those areas, and the governor said this summer that suburban growth on formerly rural lands had driven up costs for the state.
After his efforts to pass a higher fee were stymied by the Legislature, Brown appointed four new members to the nine-person board in late October, all Democrats.
One new appointee, Susan Britting, a Coloma biology consultant, advocated for immediate action on the higher fee and ultimately made the motion that passed on a 6-2 vote.
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