Local News in Brief : West County : Soil Study OKd at Sites of Failing Foundations

Gov. George Deukmejian has signed legislation authorizing a study of the corrosive soil conditions that have caused housing foundations to deteriorate in the communities of La Palma and Cypress, as well as the Los Angeles County community of Lakewood, according to Assemblywoman Doris Allen (R-Cypress), who sponsored the bill.

The bill was nearly identical to one vetoed by the governor last year. Allen credited Deukmejian’s turnaround to a campaign of telephone calls and letters by affected residents.

The legislation appropriates $350,000 to the state Division of Mines and Geology, which will contract with a university or college to study the causes of the deteriorating foundations in the area.

Sulfates appear to be the primary cause, but the problem has occurred in a wide area under differing conditions, Allen said. If it can be shown that the problem is a a natural condition, the next step will be to seek long-range assistance for homeowners, as if they were victims of a natural disaster, she said.

More than 400 homes in one La Palma tract are damaged and repairs are estimated at $50,000 to $150,000 each, she said.

“There is reason to suspect that this crisis could occur elsewhere in California, wherever similar soil conditions exist. And such a study could serve as a blueprint for other communities to minimize the major damage that results from these attacks,” Allen wrote in a letter to the governor.