California's wildfire funding fee on utility bills leaves some residents unaware of the charge

California's wildfire funding plan replaced a small fee previously managed by the Department of Water Resources that appeared on most residents' PG&E bills.In 2019, the fund was revamped to call on Californians to shoulder a financial burden and confront the wildfire crisis head-on. The new fee, tucked into utility bills, scales based on household energy use.Some residents, including David Kent, were unaware of where that money was coming from."I thought it was paid through general funds," Kent said.Kent said he does not mind the small contribution, but he can see how the fee might upset other residents."I believe that there's going to be a lot of unnecessary feedback and unpopular feedback because of it," Kent said.Alexander Clark, the chief of Kern County Fire Department, said his department is not in charge of handling the money.

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