Home insurance fee would aid state in battling blazes in high-risk areas

From the Los Angeles Times:

As hillside and canyon development accelerates along the edges of urban centers, the cost of protecting homes from wildfires continues to grow -- along with the debate over who should pay.

Nearly 1 million houses statewide have been built on land so distant from urban centers that local fire departments are not responsible for them. The cost of protecting those homes falls to the state, where the bill for running the fire department is nearly $1 billion per year -- up 83% from a decade ago.

This week, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed tacking a fee onto all property insurance policies sold in the state and using the proceeds to fight blazes in areas served by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The 1.25% levy would raise $125 million a year in badly needed funds.

Some fire officials hailed the move as a first step toward recognizing the immense danger and cost of living on the edge of the wild lands, noting that the state needs to spend hundreds of millions more on fire protection, according to reports completed after the devastating 2003 fires.