Snafu Aside, Clear That Brush

To understand why Los Angeles is trying to charge some property owners a $13 brush-clearance inspection fee, a stroll back in time is necessary. Well back, before an impolitic city mailer about the fee sparked another storm of anti-tax and secessionist protest in the San Fernando Valley last month.

Fall of 1993 was the last time that usually reserved fire officials sounded so alarmed about a fire season hazard. There were 26 separate fires over two months. Nearly 1,000 homes and more than 200,000 acres burned, and the damage was more than $1 billion.

Take note of the science of wildfires. Once large enough, they can create their own weather, particularly in the form of very high winds. In 1993 they sent burning embers soaring aloft, enough to immolate trees and shrubs miles from the fire front.

More recently, the El Nino rains spawned a bumper crop of fire fuel in Southern California. This year’s unusually cold and wet spring has helped ease what looked to be a sure tinderbox situation, but a higher than usual threat certainly exists.

Also, too many Southern California homeowners in areas at risk ignore their brush clearance responsibilities. Altogether, these factors provide a righteous justification for a clearance fee in Los Angeles County and stiffer enforcement in Orange County, where officials blame overgrown lots for helping to spread most fires.

But in Los Angeles the mailer mucked everything up, looking like a bill, quacking like a hidden tax and threatening fines in a way that would have made a collection agency proud. Worse, the mailer arrived at some homes after the stated due date. It also failed to clarify that homeowners did not have to pay the fee if they could provide proof of brush clearance.

A more professional and descriptive notice of the fee is required. Some properties might not need full inspections, but the fee is definitely necessary in most hazard areas and buffer zones that have been established. It’s another way to help fire departments perform the work they need to do to prevent a disaster like 1993.