San Fernando Finds Quake Losses Worse Than Believed : Aftermath: A new assessment says 53 structures need to be demolished at a cost of about $47 million.

San Fernando city officials have found that 53 structures need to be demolished, at a cost of about $47 million, because of unexpectedly heavy damage from aftershocks.

The updated assessment, which more than doubles earlier loss estimates, includes 30 businesses, or about 4% of those in the city, and 87 residential units, about 1% of the total.

“It’s more than I had anticipated based on the initial assessments that were made,” San Fernando Mayor Dan Acuna said Friday. “We knew there would be a substantial loss, but we didn’t expect this. This is going to be extremely costly.”

The initial estimates, done in mid-February, found only 21 structures--mainly commercial buildings--needed to be demolished. Inspections are not yet complete, and another update is due in two weeks.

One of the main reasons the number of buildings that must be razed has changed so drastically is the 5.3 aftershock of March 20, according to Jim Eldridge, director of building services for DGA Consultants, Inc., the firm contracted to perform the assessment.

“This aftershock that we had has significantly affected our analysis,” Eldridge said. “Some (yellow-tagged buildings) are now red, and some red-tagged buildings that were salvageable before will now have to be demolished.”

According to the report, inspections of 2,075 structures in the tiny 2.4-square-mile city revealed:

* 158 structures are unsafe. Of those red-tagged structures, 105 are residential buildings containing 204 housing units, and 53 are commercial structures housing 54 businesses.

* 147 have been posted as restricted to limited entry. The yellow-tagged structures include 120 residential buildings containing 221 housing units, and 27 commercial buildings containing 36 businesses.

* 53 have already been destroyed or are scheduled for demolition.

There are about 650 commercial and 5,700 residential units in San Fernando.

Alicia’s Beauty Salon on San Fernando Road, originally yellow-tagged, was red-tagged after a recent inspection.

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“The initial inspector didn’t notice the amount of damage,” said Jim Rodriguez, the store’s manager. “One of our other stores, a beauty supply store down the street, has already been demolished.” One of the cornerstones of San Fernando’s popular pedestrian mall, a 1920s masonry building at San Fernando Road and Maclay Avenue, was recently demolished, forcing the five store owners there to find new locations.

Walter Rueff Auto Center on San Fernando Road, which has been in business since the 1930s, sustained about $1 million in structural damage during the quake, according to co-owner Mike Rueff. Although many of the center’s buildings are yellow- and red-tagged, the business is still in operation.

“We’ve already had several of our buildings demolished, and numerous walls,” Rueff said. “Our Buick showroom suffered quite a bit of damage.”

The city’s largest severely damaged structure, a 17,000-square-foot office building at 451 Brand Blvd. has already been demolished. Northeast Valley Health Corporation, a health care provider that also has offices in Van Nuys, was the building’s main tenant.

Acuna said he is not concerned about businesses leaving town. But the costs of rebuilding--and the large loss of revenue to the city--worry him.

“The single largest source of revenue in San Fernando is sales tax,” Acuna said. “This is very definitely going to affect us heavily.”

Among the buildings red-tagged is the San Fernando Superior Courthouse. Many of the city’s businesses have reported being severely hurt by the courthouse’s closure, Acuna said.

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To speed up the rebuilding process, the San Fernando City Council voted last month to waive all construction permit fees for repairs that began within 45 days after Jan. 17, half of the fees for work undertaken between 46 and 90 days, and one-fourth of the fees for work that starts within 120 days.

The updated assessment due in two weeks is expected to find more buildings that will need to be demolished, Eldridge said.

In the city of Los Angeles, about 11,000 structures sustained enough damage to warrant immediate repair, city records show. About 9,000 of those were posted with yellow notices, and 2,000 were marked with red tags. Commercial buildings account for about 1,000 of the yellow-tagged structures and about 500 of the red, according to David Keim, principal inspector for the Department of Building and Safety.