More and more local governments are charging non-residents involved in traffic accidents that require fire department response. Cities say it's a fair way to recover their costs.  But State Senator Tony Strickland disagrees:

STRICKLAND: "This is nothing more than a double tax on the people of California."

The Republican has introduced a bill that would ban so-called "crash taxes." He says they're unfair to visitors and commuters:

STRICKLAND: "Many cities encourage you to spend money in their community, in terms of entertainment, meals, sales tax revenue from car sales and certainly they're not turning away the non-residents that pay that tax that go to local government.  The most essential role of local government is public safety."

Strickland says in some cases, non-residents are billed even if they weren't at fault. The charges can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars, depending on the type of accident.