Putting up a shop in CA - fire department being a pain

I don't think that anyone is criticizing the firefighters directly. As usual, it is the management that is to blame.
Think about it...The rank and file people are the ones that do the work, it is the "representation" that is hard to trust because it often seems like they have an agenda.
Unions for example. The spokespeople support certain candidates while the majority of the members support the other side.
The CEOs of a business put out some public relations story that flies in the face of the real conditions that the blue collar people experience every day.
Nobody likes to have their wallet grabbed. We all pay property taxes, right? Well, landowners do anyway. That tax money pays for police, fire, emergency services and government, right?
I know firefighters. I have tremendous respect for their dedication. Do not misunderstand our aversion to taxation as a slam against the actual people that fight fires and save lives.