Containing an Urban Cancer : Earthquake-caused ‘ghost towns’ bring crime

The major temblors appear to have stopped but, in a sense, the earthquake is far from over. Now Angelenos are struggling to deal with mini ghost towns that have grown up in the wake of Jan. 17’s Northridge earthquake. There are at least 10 of them in the San Fernando Valley and Hollywood: Scores of apartment buildings, businesses and condominiums lie abandoned.

The sudden economic vacuum is strangling adjacent communities, too, much like the situation that existed after Hurricane Andrew ravaged parts of Florida. But here in Los Angeles, there’s an ominous twist--the ghost towns are being occupied at a frightening pace by gangs, drug addicts and dealers, prostitutes and squatters, becoming beachheads for crimes of many sorts. This is a public safety issue that demands immediate attention. City officials gathered Thursday to try to form a strategy, and more meetings are planned.

Yes, they should use some discretionary federal funds to fence off and board up structures, but that is only a stop-gap solution. The buildings need to be sealed more strongly than that, and demolition is required in some cases.

Many people ask what is happening with Mayor Richard Riordan’s call in May for at least $150 million in federal and local monies for low-cost rebuilding loans. This plan must proceed apace.

The reasons for speed are simple. First, when damaged buildings are exposed to the elements, they deteriorate rapidly. The longer they are unrepaired the more it takes to repair them. Second, some of the new occupants are stripping the structures of everything of value, adding significantly to the costs of rebuilding.

Also, the defeat of Proposition 1A, the $2-billion earthquake repair bond issue, in the June 7 election looms even larger now. Gov. Pete Wilson, incredibly, had no plan to fall back on if the voters rejected the proposition. The ghost towns and their increasingly criminal atmosphere point out that it is time for Wilson and the Legislature to enact a temporary quarter-cent increase in the sales tax to fund the rebuilding.

It’s also apparent that greater speed in the processing of Small Business Administration loans is in order. Some owners cannot even afford to fence off their structures, much less rebuild, without those funds. Absent such action, the ghost towns will persist--and perhaps spread their decay in a city that is already battling the tugging forces of economic upheaval and malaise.