Committee advances measure to restore SRA fee and shift some GGRF spending; rural groups warn of burdens

Senator Stern introduced SB 1404 to restore a fee on property owners in Cal Fire State Responsibility Areas (SRA) and to reduce reliance on the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund for certain fire suppression and prevention costs.

Proponents, including NRDC, framed the change as restoring a fairness principle so communities that rely most on Cal Fire services contribute to those costs. "SB 14 04 would restore a fee on property owners within areas that Cal Fire is responsible for ... growing the total amount of investment opportunities to counteract these costs," said Joe Guardias of NRDC.

Opponents including the Rural County Representatives of California, the California Association of Realtors and the California State Association of Counties warned that many rural residents are elderly, on fixed incomes and already struggling with home‑hardening costs and rising insurance premiums. Stacy Heaton of the rural counties group described past implementation problems when the fee was in effect and urged careful design to avoid undue burdens.

Committee members acknowledged the tradeoffs and noted ongoing conversations with the author about exemptions or tailored relief for fixed‑income residents. The committee recorded the vote and placed the bill on call for further consideration.