EARTHQUAKE: THE LONG ROAD BACK : District Attorney Seeks New Law to Halt Price Gouging : Aftermath: About a dozen complaints are filed about county businesses raising prices of food, gas and other supplies.

Taking steps to limit price gouging after last week’s earthquake, the Ventura County district attorney’s office will ask the county supervisors today to adopt an ordinance making it a crime to inflate prices in the wake of a disaster.

After the Jan. 17 quake, Dist. Atty. Michael D. Bradbury’s office received about a dozen complaints about county businesses raising prices of food, gas, lumber and plumbing supplies, officials said.

“I don’t think the free-market concept envisioned that you would be able to charge someone $8 for a gallon of milk just because their home has been destroyed,” said Colleen Toy White, the county’s chief assistant district attorney. “We are convinced here in our office we do need a strong ordinance to prevent this for future (disasters).

“It is just unconscionable conduct for those who would take advantage of these types of disasters.”

Bradbury will also ask the board at its meeting today to push for state legislation to outlaw price-gouging throughout California.

“As public officials, it is incumbent that we take all necessary steps to protect Ventura County citizens from excessive and unjustified increases in prices charged for goods and services vital to their health and welfare,” Bradbury wrote in a letter to the board.

Supervisors Vicky Howard, Maria VanderKolk, John K. Flynn and Maggie Kildee agreed that the county should take steps to protect residents from opportunists. Supervisor Susan K. Lacey could not be reached for comment.

“I think there are very few of them out there, but I think it’s outrageous that they would take advantage of someone’s misery during this type of disaster,” Howard said. “I heard of one company that was charging $1,300 to install a water tank. We’ve heard of people gouging on rents.

“If there is something we can do about this with a countywide ordinance, I’m absolutely 100% in agreement with it.”

Flynn added: “It’s a terrible crime against society . . . especially against people who are desperate. If it’s going on, it should be stopped.”

*

White said the district attorney office’s Consumer and Environmental Protection Division began receiving complaints almost immediately after the disaster from residents who felt they had been victimized.

“We got about 10 reports within the first few days,” White said.

Among the reports were complaints that one hardware store, located just over the Los Angeles County line, was selling an $8 piece of plywood for $200. Another caller reported that a gas station in Thousand Oaks had marked up gas by 20%, White said. And yet another resident said one east county store was selling milk for $8 a gallon.

“We had people calling us asking for some sort of assistance in this,” White said. “There was nothing we could do except sympathize with them and indicate we would seek some sort of ordinance.

“It’s extremely frustrating when you have people who were already victimized by a natural disaster, then they are victimized again by someone in the corner market.”

If the supervisors adopt the ordinance as an emergency measure, it could go into effect immediately, White said. Offenders could face fines for violations, she said.

“I would suggest that we at least have a significant fine,” White said. “You would at least have to take the profit out of it.”

County counsel was still working out details of the ordinance late Monday and was expected to have a definition of what would be considered gouging in time for today’s meeting.

White said the city of Los Angeles and several states have adopted ordinances against price gouging of emergency supplies, food, water and other consumer goods necessary for the health and safety of citizens.