County’s Busiest Welfare Office Reopens : Social services: The Panorama City site was nearly destroyed in an arson fire. The wait for aid is still long, but residents and caseworkers alike are glad to be back.

Four months after it was nearly destroyed by an arson fire, Los Angeles County’s busiest welfare office reopened Monday in Panorama City to serve the 41,000 people who depend on it for assistance.

As dirty as its employees said the place was and as long as its clients complained the waits were, the nondescript office on Lanark Street was home. For all the grime and all the lines, they missed it.

Martha Lupercio was glad to come back and sit in the familiar--if uncomfortable--plastic chairs. After the April fire, Lupercio and thousands of other San Fernando Valley residents had been forced to commute to other facilities for help.

Without a car, the 20-year-old woman often spent 90 minutes riding three buses from her home in North Hollywood to an office in Glendale to pick up checks or see her caseworker.

“Then, I’d spend the whole day waiting and waiting and waiting,” Lupercio said.

On Monday, the waits often were just as long as always, despite the efforts of caseworkers and clerks to keep the lines moving. Facunda Tinajero of North Hills, for instance, waited seven hours before she was called to the windows at the front of the room.

“We’re trying to make sure everyone gets served as quickly as possible,” said Bryce Yokomizo, district director for the Department of Public Social Services. “But this is the first day.”

Part of the problem, Yokomizo said, was that the office’s case files were still boxed in temporary quarters across the street, which is where most of the facility’s 300 employees are setting up shop until renovation of the old building is finished in January.

Although the two buildings are directly across from one another, employees were told to shuttle back and forth all day between the two in a station wagon to prevent accidents.

The Panorama City office was torched April 13. No suspects have been arrested and Los Angeles City Fire Department investigators said Monday that they are still looking for leads.

Renovation of the damaged building is expected to cost about $2 million, social services spokeswoman Lois Ruedaflores said. Rent for the 30,000-square-foot temporary facility across the street will run about $17,700 a month, she said. All rent and renovation costs are covered by insurance.

Welfare workers were happy to be home after four months in cramped temporary quarters. Before the fire, Patricia Ahumada and Rosa Castellanos had been sick of their aging office. They dreamed of greener pastures and cleaner walls.

But after four months of sharing three phones and one office with 20 other caseworkers, Ahumada was glad to come back.

“No matter how bad it is, it’s yours,” she said.