Weed Abatement Program Starts Collecting Fees

The owners of 18 Loma Linda properties can expect to get a bill in the mail soon as the city tries to get reimbursed for the expense of clearing brush from private properties.

Every year, homeowners, especially those with homes near more forested areas, are required to clear brush and debris from their property to create a buffer in the event of a fire as part of the city’s weed abatement program.

Typically, there are homeowners who do not comply. This forces Loma Linda’s Fire Department to step in and contract with a landscaping company to clear brush. The city picks up the bill and then passes it on the property owner, officials said. This is a common practice among cities with the same requirement.

As of Jan. 11, 18 residents still owed collectively, just over $13,000 to the city, said James Gray fire marshal with the Loma Linda Fire Department.

It’s typical that there are homeowners who fail to pay before the deadline, Gray said.

“The contractor is paid through city funds,” he said  “A lien is put on the property. The property owner at time to pay his taxes or when the property is sold, pays and the money comes back to the city.”

The spring weed abatement begins in April, fire officials said.

"Well, it’s important and it has to be done,” said councilman Ron Daily

Weed abatement programs is held twice yearly. The fall weed abatement started in September, said James Gray, fire marshal.

A handful of homeowners owe the lowest amount of $175. But four property owners owed in the thousands. One bill totaled more than $3,000.

The San Bernardino County Fire Department provides the following tips:

• Keep yards well-maintained, well-pruned and watered to serve as a green belt and protection against fire.

• Keep plants green during the dry season and use supplemental irrigation, if necessary.

• Keep flammable materials, liquids and solvents in metal containers outside the home at least 30 feet away from structures and wooden fences

• Create fire-safe zones with stone walls, patios, swimming pools, decks and roadways.

• Remove tree branches and limbs within 10 feet of the flue opening of any stove or chimney.

• Check your local nursery or county extension service for advice on fire resistant plans that are suited for your environment.

• Use rock, mulch, flower beds or gardens as ground cover for bare spaces and as effective firebreaks.

• There are no “fire-proof” plants. Select high moisture plants that grow close to the ground and have a low sap or resin content, such as rockrose, ice plant and aloe.