Council Balks at Measure on Averting Fires in Quakes

Balking at what some said would be a burden on homeowners, a divided Los Angeles City Council returned a proposal to committee Friday that would require home buyers to install valves that would seal off gas lines during an earthquake.

Advocates said the law would reduce the risk of fires after quakes, but they were unable to muster sufficient votes in the face of opposition from the real estate industry and concerns that the proposal was too narrow.

“Every day houses are sold,” said Councilwoman Jackie Goldberg, arguing for rapid approval. “Every day there are people who could become safer” if the law is passed.

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On the other side was Councilwoman Rita Walters. “What does it do to affordable housing?” she asked, saying the proposal “requires a lot more consideration by council.”

The council split 6 to 5 in favor of the measure, falling two votes short of the necessary majority. It was sent to the Public Safety Committee for further consideration.

The valves cost about $350 with installation, and have been hailed by seismic experts as an effective tool in reducing the risk of fires fed by gas leaking after earthquakes. The proposal would apply to any house that is sold. The measure would also require installation in any apartment complex, condominium, hotel or motel with more than five units and only a single gas connection.

Councilman Hal Bernson proposed the requirements after the devastating gas fires in last year’s Kobe earthquake, which struck the Japanese city on the one-year anniversary of the Northridge temblor. The Northridge quake shattered much of Bernson’s west San Fernando Valley district.

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Bernson said that after the early morning Northridge quake, thousands of homeowners shut off their gas lines. Had they not--or had the quake hit later in the day, when people were away from their homes--fire officials “told us a good portion of the city would have burned,” Bernson said.

In that case, real estate officials told the council Friday, the law should be expanded to include schools and hospitals. “There are major gaps here,” said Mel Wilson, president of the San Fernando Valley Real Estate Assn.

“Sometimes you have to walk before you can run,” replied Bernson, saying that schools and hospitals were not in the council’s jurisdiction and additional requirements could be added later.