Anza woman gets fire prevention fees for property she doesn’t own

Virginia Harmon lives in Anza. According to Calfire, she and her husband still own property in northern California.

“I don’t know why they keep sending me bills. We got rid of it June 1, 1993,” said Harmon.

Since Calfire initiated Fire Prevention Fees in 2011, Harmon’s gotten stacks of notices and penalties in fire prevention fees for that land. The annual fee is for fire prevention services some owners living in fire-prone areas must pay.

Harmon understands her home in Anza is surrounded by brush and fire prevention fees are necessary, but to get charged for property she no longer owns doesn’t make sense.

She’s tried to petition Calfire several times with evidence she and her husband don’t own the property anymore. In fact, Calfire approved her petition last year. However, the bill keeps coming.

Dennis Mathisen, Calfire State Responsibility coordinator, said the issue is common. The department possibly missed something. He promised us he’ll look into it and will make things right for Harmon.

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