Revised Fee for Brush Clearance Sent to Council

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Laura Chick said Monday she will ask the council to reinstate a controversial $13 brush-clearance fee that would be due June 30.

Under the proposal backed by Chick, a new letter explaining the annual fee would be mailed to property owners June 1. Landowners would then have the option of paying the fee or inspecting their property for adequate brush clearance themselves.

The City Council suspended the Fire Department-imposed fee March 31 after an embarrassing series of events that many in City Hall believe led to the demise of the police and fire bond on last month’s ballot.

Critics said the initial letter mailed by the Fire Department to 180,000 property owners in high-hazard fire areas about the fee was confusing and did not give residents adequate notice.

The furor forced the Fire Department to put out another letter telling property owners to postpone paying the fee until concerns could be addressed. Landowners who inspect their property themselves can have the fee waived if they provide photos of their property to the Fire Department.

On Monday, fire officials said they have drafted a new letter that the council likely will review on Friday.

Chick said the brush-inspection system is needed and that the concerns from property owners have now been addressed.

“As chair of this [public safety] committee, I feel that this is the only way . . . to help make our city considerably safer from brush fires,” Chick said. “This time we’ve got to do it right.”

In addition, Chick recommended that the Fire Department hold educational meetings for the public at fire stations around the city and that the council receive updates on the brush-clearance program.

Fire Chief William Bamattre said the department wants property owners to better understand the fee and why it is required.

“We don’t like to be the bad guys,” Bamattre said. “We don’t like to be the enforcers.”

Several hillside residents told the committee that they believe the fee is arbitrary and unnecessary.

“We still see the $13 fee as being a great problem,” said Gordon Murley, president of the Hillside Federation. “We don’t think this is fair. . . . There is no mechanism to make this work to the benefit of the public.”

The Fire Department wants to send the new letter to property owners by June 1, with a June 30 deadline for paying the fee for property owners who are not conducting a self-inspection.

If the fee is not received by that date, a second notice likely will be mailed giving property owners another month to comply. Property owners who miss that deadline and haven’t made arrangements to inspect their land themselves would get a third notice with a $39 fee.

Property owners who inspect their own property and are told hazards still exist will be notified of needed corrective measures. If they fail to comply, the Fire Department would levy a $204 fee.