Council Kills Fee Charged for Brush Inspections

In a dramatic turnabout, the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously Friday to rescind the controversial $13 brush clearance inspection fee it imposed earlier this year and to return $930,000 that has been collected.

Most of the money came from San Fernando Valley residents, who objected to the threatening language and early deadline in a notice that the Fire Department mailed to 180,000 property owners.

“It seems to me that the best way to deal with this, colleagues, is to wipe the slate clean and start all over from scratch,” Councilwoman Laura Chick said.

The furious opposition was cited by observers as a reason for the defeat of a police and fire bond issue at the polls in April. Mayor Richard Riordan stepped in two weeks ago to halt planned mailing of a revised notice just before Tuesday’s charter reform election.

Inspections have been completed for this year, according to the Fire Department. About 73,000 property owners have paid the fee, while more than 100,000 have not. The department has already sent out 31,000 noncompliance letters.

The council suspended the fee in March in response to an outcry over what many called the abrupt and confusing notification letter sent to homeowners by the Fire Department. The council then reinstated the fee and ordered a friendlier, more comprehensive letter with a June 30 deadline.

On Friday the council, on a 10-0 vote, instructed the city administrative officer to work with the Fire Department on a report recommending how the brush clearance program can be better handled next year. The report is to review the necessity for the fee and which neighborhoods need to be part of the clearance program.

The council as yet has no plan to compensate for the loss of the $2 million that the fee generated--funds used for fire safety operations.

Many residents complained that the inspection fee had not been levied before. And many who were charged did not feel they lived in fire danger areas.

Fire officials are reviewing the areas covered by the fee and reconsidering how to measure the fire risk, said Mike Fulmis, assistant fire marshal.