RIORDAN SEES BRUSH CUTTING AS URGENT NEED.

Byline: Rick Orlov Daily News Staff Writer

Citing an increased risk of brush fires, Mayor Richard Riordan on Friday asked the City Council to approve an order cutting through red tape to allow the hiring of more contractors to clear vegetation that grew after the winter's El Nino storms.

Riordan called for the City Council to declare the same state of urgent necessity it did before El Nino, when it wanted to get work done quickly in cleaning out storm drains and other problem areas.

Under his proposal, the city would lift competitive bidding procedures and give the Los Angeles Fire Department the power to directly negotiate with contractors to get brush cleared.

Riordan spokeswoman Noelia Rodriguez said all other city requirements, including the payment of a living wage, would remain in effect.

``There are currently more than 6,000 parcels in the city of Los Angeles out of compliance with city brush clearance regulations,'' Riordan wrote to City Council President John Ferraro.

``Given this situation, it is of urgent necessity that the Fire Department be authorized to expedite the contracting of services to clear these parcels.''

The department has come in for criticism from council members in recent weeks for failing to do more to prepare for this year's fire season, considered more dangerous than past years because of the growth of brush due to the rainy El Nino winter.

Ten contractors have been working on clearing the brush, but officials are concerned it is not enough to complete the work in time.

Riordan indicated that he is prepared to declare a state of emergency if necessary to get the work done.

``The large amount of uncleared, hazardous brush and the short time remaining to mitigate the risk creates a condition of urgent necessity in our city today,'' Riordan said. ``It is imperative that we ensure that we have enough contractors available to clear brush from these parcels.''