Riordan Will Oppose Fee for Brush Inspections

Mayor Richard Riordan will oppose any new fees for mandatory brush-clearance inspections, an aide said Thursday, adding weight to the demands of many San Fernando Valley residents who protested the last time the city tried to charge for the service.

City Administrative Officer Bill Fujioka recommended Thursday that fees be reinstated to cover the $1.7-million cost of the program. In a report to the City Council, Fujioka said the fee should be $17 for each parcel inspected by the Fire Department.

“We felt it was appropriate. It’s a fee for a service,” Fujioka said.

Riordan has scheduled a news conference for today in the hills of Sherman Oaks at which he will support scaling back the inspection program from 170,000 properties to 100,000 in the most fire-prone hilly areas of Los Angeles. Deputy Mayor Jennifer Roth said Riordan opposes any inspection fees, but will back other proposed fees for failing to comply with brush-clearance requirements.

“The [CAO’s] proposal is to reinstate the fee,” Roth said. “The mayor will not support the reinstituting of the fee.”

“We believe the Fire Department should be focused on clearing the brush,” Roth said, “and not be distracted by the collection of fees.”

Asked what role public opposition to the fees played in his decision, Roth said Riordan weighed many issues but “was not persuaded by [any single] factor.”

The proposals are scheduled to be taken up Monday by the council’s Public Safety Committee. Despite the CAO’s recommendation, Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski, who chairs the panel, and Councilman Joel Wachs, a member, said Thursday they will oppose an inspection fee. Both have large areas of hillside homes in their districts.

“I really never liked the idea of charging a fee for inspections,” Wachs said. “I think, more importantly, we should be aggressive with those who don’t clear their brush and make them foot the bill.”

Other council members, including Council President John Ferraro, said they want to review Fujioka’s report before taking a position on the fees.

City law requires property owners to clear brush from within 200 feet of buildings.

The brush-inspection program has been mired in controversy since April, when the City Council approved a $13 fee for the 170,000 properties in the Mountain Fire District and surrounding buffer zones.

The initial Fire Department notices were criticized for not clearly explaining that the fee could be avoided if the property owner performs the inspection and certifies compliance with the city.

Many owners of property in flatland areas far from brushy hillsides said their parcels should not have been subject to inspection.

The council repealed the fees in June and ordered the refunding of $900,000 already collected, directing the Fire Department to go back to the drawing board and draft a new program for next year’s fire season.

In a report sent to the City Council this week, the Fire Department proposed that the number of parcels subject to mandatory inspection be cut from 170,000 to 100,000 to eliminate flatland properties and many that are well-landscaped and some distance from wild brush.