Gas Shut-Off Valves Urged Throughout L.A.

Responding to the devastating fires that followed the earthquake in Kobe, Japan, City Councilman Hal Bernson proposed a law Tuesday requiring that every home and business in Los Angeles be equipped with valves that automatically shut off gas mains during an earthquake.

The proposal would expand on a previously approved law championed by Bernson that requires property owners to install the valves on all new and renovated homes and businesses. That law will take effect July 1.

But in the wake of the Kobe quake, Bernson asked city building officials to study the feasibility of requiring the valve on all 600,000 to 700,000 residential and commercial buildings in the city.

Bernson, a member of the state Seismic Safety Commission, has portrayed the valves as an essential safety measure that would reduce the number of fires fueled by gas leaks in the next major quake.

The previous gas valve ordinance was criticized by some council members and gas company officials who said the valves are a financial burden and may shut off gas flow unnecessarily, causing a dangerous situation when residents try to reopen the valves and reignite pilot lights on their own.

But Bernson said he believes the television images of fires in Kobe may sway his critics to expand the ordinance.

“Maybe now that they see Kobe burn, they will act on this,” he said.

Bernson said he has also asked that building and safety officials devise a plan that would phase in the shut-off valve requirement over an extended period.

He also suggested that the city might use federal funds to implement a financial assistance plan for low-income residents who cannot afford the valves, which cost about $250 each plus installation.

However, Dick Friend, a spokesman for the Southern California Gas Co., said the utility company opposes mandatory installation of shut-off valves, preferring instead to give customers the option of installing the valves voluntarily.

“We are talking about a cost of about $300,” he said. “That could be a real hardship.”

Friend also said that Japan mandates shut-off valves on buildings in quake-prone areas and suggested that Los Angeles first study how effective the valves were in Japan before implementing a mandatory installation law.

“To say that everyone should be required is premature,” he said.

Jim Nishimoto, a division chief in the city’s Building and Safety Department, said his department considered requiring the shut-off valves on all homes and businesses when the previous valve ordinance was proposed.

But he said the department concluded that the plan would impose a cost that would be out of reach for many residents and would require the city to hire 20 additional workers to implement.

“It was not going to be an inexpensive operation,” he said.

Under the gas valve ordinance that was adopted in June, 3,000 to 5,000 shut-off valves will be installed annually on new residential, commercial and industrial buildings citywide.

The Northridge quake caused nearly 17,000 gas leaks throughout the city, and Bernson has argued that if most residents had not been home to shut off the gas at the time of the pre-dawn quake, those leaks would have resulted in 17,000 fires.