$80.6 MILLION TO BATTLE TERROR MONEY TO COME FROM HSA FUNDS.

Byline: HARRISON SHEPPARD and RICK ORLOV Staff Writers

Los Angeles will get more than $80 million to fight terrorism this year, 15 percent more than last year, reflecting its continuing risk as a potential target, officials said Wednesday.

The increase Los Angeles will receive runs counter to the nationwide trend and results from a change in the funding formula to provide more money to cities at greater risk.

``We know Los Angeles is a target, that Hollywood is a target, that our ports and airports are a target,'' Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca said at a news conference announcing the grants. ``Well, the terrorists know it, too, and we have to be prepared.''

Under the federal Urban Areas Homeland Security Grant, the Los Angeles/Long Beach area will receive $80.6 million -- or $11.5 million more than last year.

By comparison, New York City received $124.5 million, down $83 million, and the San Francisco Bay Area saw a $5 million drop to $28.3 million.

Overall, the federal government allocated $1.7 billion this year -- including $710 million to urban areas, down from $829 million last year.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa credited regional cooperation and lobbying efforts as part of the reason for the increase in city funds.

``This is a regionwide problem and we have to approach it that way,'' Villaraigosa said. ``I think what we saw here was that if it was any other region in the United States, they would have been at each other's throats to get this money. We were able to work together.''

The money will be paid by the federal government as the local jurisdiction develops final plans for its use over the next 30 days, officials said.

Baca said there are 30 or 40 items from which he and other local officials want to prioritize and choose.

Baca and Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton said they expect one of the top priorities will continue to be regional efforts to gather intelligence.

``It will be the best-spent money you don't see,'' Bratton said.

Officials said they also hope to complete a program to provide radio communication among all public safety agencies.

Still, Chris Bertelli, a spokesman for the California Office of Homeland Security, called this year's grants ``a mixed bag for California.''

Previously, the federal formulas gave a greater weight to population in distributing the funds.

The new risk-analysis method resulted in decreases to cities like San Diego, Anaheim and the Bay Area, while cities like Omaha, Neb., and Louisville, Ky., saw increases.

State and Los Angeles officials had lobbied for the formula change, but Bertelli said his agency is not entirely sure the federal government got it right.

``There are a lot of places you would normally associate with being high-risk urban areas that saw significant reductions of funding,'' Bertelli said. < ``In many respects, we were lucky in California because Los Angeles did receive an increase. But the Bay Area had a $5 million reduction.

``Seeing how Omaha, Nebraska, is getting more money than San Diego, how much faith can you have in that kind of risk analysis?''

Federal officials said the new formulas were designed with cooperation and input from state and local homeland security experts from across the country.

``Our goal is to greatly enhance the collective preparedness of the nation while making certain that finite resources are directed to areas most at risk and to solutions that are innovative and regionally driven,'' federal Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said in a written statement.

The grants are spread among five programs. California received $231 million, the most of any state. That includes $136 million for the Urban Areas Security Initiative, which goes directly to cities.

The rest of the funds are distributed by state officials, who had not yet determined how the money will be distributed among California's counties.

The money is used in a variety of ways to prepare first responders for a terrorist attack or natural disaster, including training, equipment purchases and upgrading the abilities to share information among government agencies.

harrison.sheppard(at)dailynews.com

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