Quake-Zone Legislators Are Quick to Respond : Government: Valley lawmakers are heeding their constituents’ calls for change, relief. Some measures already are law.

By now, Assemblywoman Paula Boland has hired a contractor to knock down the brick chimney towering precariously over her Granada Hills home and Assemblywoman Barbara Friedman has buried the grandfather she lost to earthquake-related injuries.

Assemblyman Richard Katz’s cracked tile kitchen floor has been ripped out with a jackhammer and state Sen. Tom Hayden--one of the lucky ones because his Santa Monica home was bolted down--has long since swept up shattered glass from pictures that crashed to the floor on Jan 17.

Like the constituents they serve, many of the state legislators who live in the fault zone have had to cope with property damage from the Northridge quake, along with lasting memories of heartache and terror too.

In Friedman’s case, any damage to her district office or home was “way, way overshadowed,” she noted, by the loss of her 95-year-old grandfather, who died due to medical complications after falling and breaking his hip during the quake.

And for Katz, the worst was not losing objects with sentimental value such as an antique desk and his wedding china, but being haunted by a recollection of fires and explosions in the pre-dawn hours after the quake. “It was an experience I’m not likely to forget anytime soon,” Katz said.

But if the temblor was a reality check for lawmakers trying to stay in touch with real-life concerns, it was also a powerful reminder that political survival hinges on swift response to crises on the home front.

Two months after the quake, nearly all of the legislators whose districts fall within the San Fernando, Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys have heeded that call by proposing changes in public policy to help make life easier for earthquake victims.

The results, in some cases, have already passed both houses and been signed into law by Gov. Pete Wilson. Other bills are moving more slowly, and may not go up for a final vote until June.

And while much of the earthquake-relief legislation is being offered up by lawmakers from outside the stricken districts, a glance at the proposed new laws being shepherded by members of the local delegation reveals a wide array of ideas.

The legislation ranges from practical (allowing retirement account money to be used for quake emergencies) to common sense (requiring public notices to be displayed on unsafe buildings) to the preventive (retrofitting more freeway bridges).

Many of the lawmakers who are teaming up to jointly author bills say the quake sparked a new, urgent spirit of cooperation, nudging the local delegation together in pursuit of a common goal.

“I think one of the good things that’s come out of this is that legislators are trying to work with each other to make sure relief is provided to the community as a whole,” said Friedman (D-North Hollywood).

Others report being disappointed with the pace of quake-relief efforts in Sacramento, noting that, in 1989, funding measures moved quickly after the Loma Prieta quake struck Northern California.

“So far, what we’ve seen is a long delay followed by very onerous bond measures being proposed as the only solution, putting the burden on taxpayers of future generations,” said Hayden (D-Santa Monica), who favored a temporary sales-tax increase to finance reconstruction.

Observed Katz (D-Sylmar): “After the Loma Prieta quake . . . all the (funding) legislation was passed within three weeks of the quake,” compared to the nearly two months it took to get bond legislation passed this year. “I think it would have been good if the Legislature had moved quicker this year.”

To examine whether state government has been responsive enough, a new oversight panel, the Senate Select Committee on the Northridge Earthquake, will start hearings later this spring, with state Sen. David A. Roberti (D-Van Nuys) as its chairman.

And next Friday, Roberti is hosting a leadership conference in Reseda to review legislation and discuss ideas for more remedies. The event, with panels on transportation, emergency preparedness, housing and economic development, is expected to draw politicians from the city, county, state and federal levels.

Here is a look at some of the proposed new laws that local delegation members have pushed in Sacramento:

ECONOMIC RELIEF

Known as a conciliator during his 13-year reign as Senate president pro tem, Roberti was tapped by the governor to gather bipartisan support for a $2-billion bond measure to finance quake recovery costs and highway seismic safety improvements.

The measure, signed by Wilson last week, was a result of the governor’s refusal in an election year to go along with the temporary tax increase proposed by Hayden and other Democrats. The bonds will go before voters on the June ballot as part of a total package of nearly $4 billion in borrowing measures to finance quake recovery.

Last week also saw the signing of a measure by Katz and Boland to give Los Angeles County bailout money to help make up for lower tax receipts because of earthquake-damaged property.

The new law also provides needed relief to individuals who suffered heavy financial losses because of earthquake damage. Those victims can deduct from their 1993 state tax bill the full amount of their uninsured losses that exceed 10% of their gross income.

The same deduction can then be applied to state tax returns for five years, and for 10 years after that, 50% of the losses can be deducted.

State Sen. Herschel Rosenthal (D-Los Angeles), Friedman and Hayden also proposed similar remedies to help victims write off their losses and give local government stop-gap funding.

In addition, Boland is backing a bill that she says would slice wages for repair work on public projects by 20%.

Boland maintains that if the state suspends the “prevailing wage rate” paid to workers repairing shattered freeway bridges, it will save more than $450 million in salary costs.

CONSUMER RELIEF

Efforts to stop price gouging in the aftermath of earthquake were proposed by state Sen. Cathie Wright (R-Simi Valley), Katz and Friedman.

And Wright and Assemblyman William J. (Pete) Knight (R-Palmdale) both came up with the idea of asking the federal government to waive early withdrawal penalties for individual retirement accounts if the money is used for earthquake-related expenses.

Wright is also pursuing legislation to allow quake victims whose records were damaged an extension on the tax filing deadline of April 15.

And Roberti is proposing waiving fees for driver’s licenses that were lost or destroyed as a result of the disaster.

For those who have private insurance but need help negotiating the system, Hayden is holding a consumer workshop at Dixie Canyon Elementary School in Sherman Oaks on Thursday.

TRANSPORTATION

If voters approve the bond measure written by Roberti and supported by other Valley-area members, funds will be freed up to pay for reconstruction of crippled roadways and collapsed freeway bridges.

Two other proposals will help traffic flow until the work is completed--a Katz measure to encourage staggered work hours for public employees, and a plan proposed separately by Rosenthal and Wright to urge telecommuting.

Katz also has authored a bill requiring Caltrans to finish up seismic retrofitting of freeway spans before the agency launches any new projects.

And Hayden is drafting a request to the governor that he include some seismic safety experts in his appointments to the state transportation commission.

PUBLIC SAFETY

Hayden, who has balanced his gubernatorial bid on the back of his indignation over California’s lack of quake preparedness, blames “official neglect for more than half the damage” from the Northridge temblor.

He says he is drafting amendments to toughen preparedness requirements, particularly in schools. One of his top goals, he says, would be to force schools to quake-proof classrooms so objects couldn’t fly off shelves and strike children should another powerful temblor occur.

Another proposal he authored would require the posting of public disclosure notices on buildings that have not been strengthened to current seismic safety standards.

A measure by Assemblyman Burt Margolin (D-Los Angeles) would require not only that a sign be posted, but that all California hospitals built before 1973 be brought up to current safety standards. Friedman is also co-authoring the bill.

HOUSING

Katz, whose Sylmar home is located halfway between two mobile home parks that exploded into flames after the Northridge quake, has written a bill to toughen earthquake standards for such homes.

Assemblyman Terry Friedman (D-Brentwood) authored a measure to prevent eviction of tenants who are awaiting disaster relief assistance from the federal government.

And a Roberti bill would penalize landlords who raise rents exorbitantly after a quake.

While there is no small amount of duplication in the proposals being placed on the table, things have improved since the Loma Prieta quake in 1979, when a special session produced an avalanche of legislation, said Chris Lindstrom, legislative liaison for the Seismic Safety Commission.

“There’s been a greater coordination of efforts so there isn’t a free-for-all. There hasn’t been an influx of bills based on gut reactions,” Lindstrom said. “It’s been more orderly, more definite and more deliberate.”