‘Dream Condos in Monterey Hills’

I got a terrible “sinking” feeling when I saw the article on Monterey Hills. As a resident of Monterey Hills, I felt that the only thing worse than living with the soil settling problems was seeing the problems headlined in the newspaper. But then I thought, “why kill the messenger?” Everyone should know the story of how over 1,000 home owners--many of them first-time buyers lured by special financing--got sold down the creek. Now, many residents are stuck in the project, unable to sell their units, and probably all owners will experience plummeting property values.

Who is to blame for the whole mess? All involved parties, including the City of Los Angeles, the Community Redevelopment Agency, Cal-Coast (the builder), and the company who compacted the soil. The only fair solution is for all these parties to accept financial responsibility. They must then all work toward a fix recommended by experts in the field. This fix should be conducted in a timely manner with the highest standards of quality control. In the meantime, the city attorney’s office should investigate the entire affair.

JACQUELINE NAIDITCH

Los Angeles