By DON THOMPSON and JEFF BARNARD
Associated Press
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The wildfire season in California has been tame so far, but that isn’t stopping lawmakers from trying to make sure the cash-strapped state has enough money to fight future fires.
They already have a solution: charge an annual firefighting fee to people who live in or near forests.
Neighboring states have been using similar fees for years. As more people move closer to forests and wildfires become more costly, a fee may prove more attractive to legislators when the alternative is to cut programs elsewhere in the budget.