Controversy Flares over Fire Fee - Central Coast News KION/KCBA

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A firestorm is brewing over a $150 fire fee that 825,000 Californians are paying.  The Howard Jarvis Tax Payers Association is stepping in now, to help a group of homeowners fight the new fees for fire protection.

12 people named in the lawsuit claim it's "abuse of power" from the capitol.  

In August, Jon Coupal of the Howard Jarvis Tax Association announced plans to file the lawsuit, because it believes people will be paying a tax for something that isn't a new service. "It is clearly a tax and California requires a 2/3 vote in each house... This bill received only a simple majority vote in each house," said Coupal.

The tax association claims that the annual $150.00 bill is still too much for residents to pay. "Californians are already paying enough taxes. We're one of the highest tax states in the nation. At the same time they're trying to shove this tax down the throats of ordinary rural California homeowners," said Coupal.

The governor signed the bill into law in July 2011. Cal Fire staff say the fee pays for a variety of services and now they want to work directly with homeowners, knocking on doors to do things like brush clearance and improve the health of forests that are close to these homes.

Money also goes to helping rural homeowners create emergency evacuation plans and fire severity mapping. Cal Fire will also do defensible space inspections to show homeowners how to keep their property safe.