COUNTERTERROR FUNDING SHUFFLED.

Byline: Staff and Wire Services

WASHINGTON - More of a $765 million counterterror program will go to cities at greater risk, the Homeland Security Department said Tuesday, cheering those who say too much has been sent to communities unlikely to face major threats.

What the changes may mean for California's share of the funds from the urban area security initiative remains unclear. While some state and local leaders worried that bureaucratic tangles could imperil the flow of badly needed dollars, others saw the potential for increased funding to protect the state's numerous bridges and seaports, crowded shopping malls and entertainment venues.

``We do have some serious concerns,'' said Chris Bertelli, spokesman for the California Department of Homeland Security.

U.S. Homeland Security officials said they will announce how much each qualifying metropolitan area will receive in June, after a competition that will include agency scrutiny of their plans for using the money.

The funds can also be used to prepare communities to respond to a natural disaster or a health crisis, such as a flu pandemic.

The agency said 35 metropolitan areas will have to apply for funding and show that they have a good use for the money. Those cities include Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, New Orleans, Denver and Miami.

Last year, nine California cities received money from the program, with $62 million going to Los Angeles and $7.9 million to Long Beach.

Under the new plan, California was condensed from nine regions into five, including a metropolitan area consisting of the city and county of Los Angeles, Long Beach and about two dozen neighboring communities.

Maurice Suh, Los Angeles' deputy mayor for Homeland Security, called the regional approach a ``common-sense change,'' adding that Los Angeles and Long Beach are natural partners because they share a contiguous seaport.

Long Beach Mayor Beverly O'Neill said she would have preferred to keep her city's homeland security grants separate to avoid confusion over local strategies.

But, she said, ``we are always cooperative and have worked as a team with Los Angeles. We have the same goals - what affects one affects the other.''

She speculated that Los Angeles/Long Beach might also see an increase in money.

``It could very well be that the combined efforts of practically most of Los Angeles County would have more funds that might be available to them,'' O'Neill said.

The new area also includes Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley, in Ventura County, as well as any town within 10 miles of the border of the combined area.

Suh said that could cause some initial bureaucratic awkwardness as counties iron out joint plans. But, he said, ``it's a recognition by DHS that we live in an area which is of strategic importance.''

Bertelli said state officials worry the new combinations of urban areas mean California will have to create several new bureaucratic structures all before March 2, when applications are due.

Bertelli said the urban initiative grants make up about a fifth of the state's share of homeland security funds.

The larger pot of anti-terror money remains under a formula that ensures small states, regardless of actual risk, receive at least some of the funds - something Sen. Dianne Feinstein and others think is unfair because it has made a state like Wyoming a greater per capita recipient of homeland security money than California.

Rep. Jane Harman, D-Los Angeles, said she was encouraged that the administration is beginning to emphasize the risk of terrorist attack over population and other factors.

``The Department's decision to invest more in areas facing the greatest risk is long overdue,'' Harman said in a statement.