State Taking Steps to Help Homeowners With Bad Slabs

Two steps are being taken by state government to try to help homeowners in Cypress, La Palma and Lakewood whose homes are deteriorating because of crumbling foundation slabs.

The office of Assemblywoman Doris Allen (R-Cypress) said Wednesday that one step is intervention by the governor’s office. The second is action by Allen to amend an existing bill so that a comprehensive state investigation of the problem can be made.

Sam Roth, administrative assistant to Allen, said Gov. George Deukmejian’s staff met Wednesday with Allen and other legislators about the problem.

“The governor’s staff said they are going to get the insurance commissioner’s office to try to find way to get the insurance companies to fulfill their responsibilities,” Roth said.

Roth noted that most insurance companies have rejected homeowner claims for damages resulting from deteriorating foundation slabs in the three affected cities. The exact cause of the widespread deterioration of concrete slabs is not known, but some geologists have said that high salt content in the soil may be the source of the problem.

Homeowners Can’t Pay

The affected houses in the Cypress-La Palma-Lakewood area have suffered damages of up to $100,000 per home from the crumbling foundation slabs, investigators have said.

“Homeowners can’t pay those kinds of costs,” Roth said. “The governor’s staff thinks the insurance carriers should be doing more, and so pressure is going to be brought in that area.”

Roth said as a second step, Allen has amended a bill to include language calling for a state investigation of all aspects of the problem.

The amended bill has a very good chance of passing before the September adjournment, Roth noted, because the original bill had already passed the Assembly. The amended measure is now pending before the Senate Appropriations Committee, where a vote is expected next week.

“We badly need a state study because there is nothing now in state law that covers a problem such as this,” Roth said.