CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA : Builder Ends Radon Disclaimer for Now

Pending further study, customers of Pardee Construction Co. will no longer be required to sign a controversial radon disclaimer form that prohibits buyers from testing for the cancer-causing gas before a sale is completed, an official for the developer said. The firm’s senior vice president, David Lyman, said Pardee is undertaking a “complete review of its policy” affecting company developments in the Antelope Valley and in Ventura, Riverside and San Diego counties. The California Department of Real Estate asked Pardee to halt sales until the state could review the firm’s radon contract requirement. An official of the state agency said that as a result of Pardee’s decision to review its policy, the firm can continue to sell homes and condominiums.