Council Panel Orders Changes to Notice on Brush Clearance

Members of a Los Angeles City Council committee on Monday backed the imposition of a new $13-per-property brush clearance inspection fee but criticized the way 180,000 residents were notified.

The original notice, mailed March 26 to property owners in high fire hazard zones, touched off a political firestorm, with San Fernando Valley residents protesting the new charge, as well as the notice, which many said was confusing.

Members of the Los Angeles City Council Public Safety Committee sent fire officials back to the drawing board, directing further changes in the draft of yet another notice to property owners.

Council members Laura Chick and Mike Feuer said the notice of the fees was unnecessarily alarming, but both support the charge.

“We should move to reinstate the fee this year, said Chick, the committee chairwoman.

City Fire Commission President David Fleming told the council panel Monday that the notice was drafted by the city attorney’s office and was mailed without commission approval.

“The commission never saw this letter,” Fleming said. “Attorneys should never write letters to taxpayers because it looks like it came from a collection agency.”

Many residents were upset that the fee was billed for some properties with no need for a detailed inspection, including condominiums with small landscaped yards.

“I don’t think it’s fair to arbitrarily charge an inspection fee up front, when a lot of people are voluntarily complying with it,” said Gordon Murley, president of the San Fernando Valley Federation, a coalition of homeowner groups.

Feuer said he was persuaded by testimony from Fire Chief William Bamattre that some properties that are not in wild brush hillside areas still need to be inspected because they are in a zone where hillside fires could spread to backyard trees and bushes.

“Those zones that are adjacent to the mountain fire districts do find themselves in danger from a wind-driven fire, according to our public safety experts,” Feuer said.

He said the $13 fee pays for the $3-million cost of the inspection program and nothing else.

Bamattre said his workers plan to begin brush inspections May 1, and the council will need to approve $140,000 for the new mailers.

He proposed that the inspection fee be required by June 30 for those who do not inspect their own properties.