Spreading the cost of firefighting

Re “Gov. plans to seek fire levy,” Jan. 9

The governor wants to add taxes to all homeowners insurance to pay for fire services for those who choose to live in fire-prone areas. What a clever idea. Add more financial problems for those who already have trouble paying their mortgages in an already depressed housing market.

What a well-thought-out way to encourage people to buy a house or condo. Each time the bloated politicians overspend the budget, the first thing they do is pick our pockets once again.

Don Wagner

Santa Monica

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Those with property in remote, fire-prone areas should pay a surcharge for the higher cost of fighting fires there.

As developers push into such areas, they and their buyers should know that they will face a higher assessment. There is a long history and well-developed law for making property owners pay the freight for the direct impacts they have on government-provided services.

A higher assessment for fire service may not discourage development in these areas, but perhaps it should be discouraged. Those buying or developing property would know the cost and can make their own decisions. And firefighters will have a source of revenue to purchase, maintain and operate all the specialized equipment, plus all the manpower, required to more properly protect such outlying or otherwise high-risk properties.

Those who do not live in high-risk areas should not be made to subsidize those who do, as such subsidies actually encourage more building in such areas.

Gary C. Simons

Calabasas