ANAHEIM : 8 Residents File Claims Against City

Eight Anaheim Hills residents who were affected by a massive landslide have filed claims against the city, charging that city officials were to blame for the slide.

Among the accusations in most of the claims is that the city officials knew or should have known that houses in the area were built on unstable land and that a slide would occur.

City spokesman Bret Colson said “these people can claim whatever they want to claim,” but the city’s position is that it did nothing inappropriate.

Colson said the claims, which were filed Feb. 16 and 17, were going to be reviewed by the city attorney and submitted to the City Council with a recommendation to either accept or reject them.

Nearly all claims brought to the council are rejected.

Filing a claim with the city is a necessary step for the residents if they plan to take the matter to court. The residents have within six months of the incident to file a claim.

Of the eight claims against the city, six of them are from members of a single household on Avenida de Santiago who were evacuated in January. That household claims to have suffered more than $3.4 million in damages.

Another resident on Avenida de Santiago, who was not evacuated, filed a claim stating that he suffered more than $2 million in damages.

The eighth claim is from an evacuated homeowner on Burlwood Drive, who said he believes that his damages exceed $10,000.

Residents from 45 homes in the area were asked to evacuate because of the damage Jan. 18. Those residents remain evacuated.