AGENCY TO CLEAR BRUSH; CONSERVANCY WANTS CITY TO HELP PAY TAB.

Byline: Alex Roth Daily News Staff Writer

Facing complaints from firefighters preparing for a severe fire season, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy said Thursday it will clear more brush from its properties - if the city of Los Angeles splits the cost.

Councilman Mike Feuer, who has been negotiating with the conservancy, said he believes the city will help pay to bring the 4,000 acres into compliance with fire codes.

``I expect that sometime next week we'll have a handle on whether we can find the resources or not,'' Feuer said. ``I'm optimistic we'll be able to find them.''

Los Angeles Fire Department officials, bracing for what could be the worst fire season in a decade because of El Nino, are hoping to pressure the conservancy, the state Department of Transportation and more than 8,000 other property owners into clearing more brush before the high-risk season begins.

Conservancy officials said it would cost $192,000 to clear the additional brush. They said they were confident they would be able to come up with their half of the money, although they couldn't specify how.

New city regulations require property owners to clear brush within 200 feet of a structure, but the conservancy has cleared only 100 feet, saying that's all it can afford to do.

Because the conservancy is a state agency, the city can't force it to comply. But firefighters have publicly accused the agency of creating a fire hazard at a time when El Nino has left huge swaths of dried growth on its property.

It might take three to nine weeks to clear the extra brush, said Walt Young, a conservancy deputy division chief. The fire season begins in late September to early October, depending on weather conditions.

The conservancy receives no city money for operations other than payment to help patrol certain areas of Mulholland Drive, Young said.

However, city officials have targeted $10.5 million in Proposition K parks bond money for the conservancy to buy 1,764 acres of land that were targeted for luxury homes and $4.5 million to preserve 80 acres of open space in Deervale in Sherman Oaks.

Firefighters also accuse Caltrans of not clearing enough brush along the city's freeways. Caltrans officials in Los Angeles said they've done enough, given the agency's resources.

Transportation officials also said the brush helps prevent erosion in some areas. To clear it would create even more of a public hazard, they added.

A Caltrans official in Sacramento said Thursday that the agency won't second-guess its field representatives in Los Angeles. ``This is a local issue, and we're going to defer to the technical expertise of our people who are out there,'' said spokesman Jim Drago.