Earthquake Provided a Jolt That Southland Economy Didn’t Need

Stock traders dove under tables, aerospace workers fled their offices and hotel maids were sent home in the wake of the largest earthquake to hit Los Angeles in the past 20 years.

The quake, which measured a magnitude of 6.0, forced the evacuation of businesses from Pasadena to Huntington Beach and caused banks and shopping malls to close for the day. Merchants who peddle earthquake kits reported increased sales. Stores that remained open said they were busier than normal, because workers given the day off had little to do but shop.

Thousands of workers at McDonnell Douglas Space Systems Co. in Huntington Beach were evacuated when the quake struck. Employee Tom Williams rushed home to check on his family.

“When it shakes around here, people get serious,” he said.

Southern California Edison in Rosemead and Pacific Bell in Pasadena also evacuated workers. Vons sent employees at its Arcadia headquarters home after the quake brought down a section of the ceiling and caused a sprinkler pipe to burst.

The maids at Motel 6 in Arcadia were sent home in the face of an insurmountable cleanup. Windows blew out. Toilets spilled over. Desk clerk Alonso Bribiesca spent the morning handing out refunds. “It’s really a disaster,” Bribiesca said.

The earthquake caught Ray Martin, chief executive of Coast Savings Financial, in an elevator that was nearing the savings and loan’s 22nd-floor offices in downtown Los Angeles.

“My first reaction was that I was in a free fall. I thought it was the elevator. I had no idea it was an earthquake,” Martin said.

Bank and thrift branches in Pasadena opened late or were closed altogether Friday, as workers checked for damage and cleaned up. A taped message at the West Coast office of Secura Group, one of the nation’s top bank consulting firms, told clients that the firm’s Pasadena offices had been evacuated. “Perhaps we’ll be back in the office this afternoon,” the message said.

At the Pacific Stock Exchange on South Beaudry Avenue in downtown Los Angeles, stock specialist Rad Artukovic said traders on the floor of the cavernous main trading room “dived under their workstations” when the quake hit. But after a minute or so, he said, they crawled out from under their computers and went back to work.

Earthquake damage closed two San Gabriel Valley shopping malls, Santa Anita Fashion Park and Plaza Pasadena. Hinshaw’s, a department store in downtown Arcadia, was open, although only half of its 125 employees made it to work.

Store manager Alan Swartz said the store did not suffer much damage and was busier than normal. “One customer told me she didn’t have any power at home, so she might as well shop,” he said as he straightened out perfume and powder at the shaken cosmetic counter.

Other merchants also reported an earthquake-related boost in sales.

Del Taco Inc., the Costa Mesa-based chain of Mexican-style fast-food restaurants, reported strong sales Friday. Paul Hitzelberger, marketing vice president, speculated that people left for work later than usual and grabbed “something to eat and run” on the way.

Action Security and Investigation in Los Angeles said calls were up 35% on Friday, as shop owners with damaged storefronts sought protection against looters. Chief Executive Geri Monroe said she called in 30 off-duty guards and sought additional help from students at security guard training schools to meet the surge in business.

The day was made to order for Extend-A-Life, a small Pasadena company that sells earthquake survival kits. “Everyone’s attention was on the Gulf War or the recession,” saleswoman Arlene Roach said. “Now people are focusing on the earthquake.”

“Where do I get on line?” joked Extend-A-Life customer Richard Johnson.

At the Sierra Madre News, a community weekly and print shop, Fridays usually find Jannene Reed, the owner, editor and publisher, in her office chatting with townsfolk who stop by to fill her in on goings-on around town. But Friday, Reed put on her reporter-photographer cap, ducked all visitors and was out getting a first-hand look at the damage to the village.

“I wanted to be out in the community,” Reed said during a stop back at her office.

Contributing to this story were Times staff writers James Bates, Bruce Horovitz, Thomas S. Mulligan, Michael Parrish, Tom Petruno and Donna K. H. Walters in Los Angeles; Jonathan Weber in San Francisco; Patrice Apodaca in the San Fernando Valley, and Cristina Lee and Dean Takahashi in Orange County.

* Main Story: A1