Gas Valve Mandate Could Be Costly

A plan to require home buyers and apartment owners to install a device that seals off gas pipes during an earthquake could cost the city as much as $250,000 annually for verification and inspection, city officials said Friday.

The proposal, recommended by Councilman Hal Bernson, would require automatic gas shut-off valves on newly purchased homes and on apartment buildings with more than five units and only a single gas connection.

But a divided City Council balked at the measure last month, with several council members worried that the cost of the valves would be too much for some homeowners.

The council ultimately sent the proposal to the Public Safety Committee for further study.

On Friday, the Public Safety Committee met with representatives from the city’s Building and Safety Department, the gas company and leaders in the real estate industry in an attempt to iron out details.

Richard Holguin, the city’s building bureau chief, said the city would have to hire four new inspectors at a cost of $250,000 to verify the work of private contractors who would be hired by property owners to install the valves.

The valves cost about $350, including installation. Officials say at least six companies have been approved by the city to sell automatic gas valves.

A spokesman for Southern California Gas Co. said the state’s Public Utility Commission gave the gas company a permit last week to install the gas valves on homes and apartments.

But the spokesman said it could take as long as 18 months to install all the valves required under the proposed ordinance because the gas company does not currently have the staff to do the installation.

Holguin said that if the gas company uses certified contractors, the city would not have to hire the inspectors to ensure that the work is done correctly.

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Laura Chick, who heads the Public Safety Committee, instructed Building and Safety Department officials and gas company representatives to meet over the next four weeks to come up with a convenient and inexpensive way to install the valves.

“We certainly prefer an effective way to administer, implement and enforce the program and not have it be a major cost or require significant city staffing,” she said.

Chick also asked that officials consider establishing discounts for low-income residents.

Bernson proposed the valve requirement after the devastating gas fires in last year’s earthquake in Kobe, Japan. He has said he would like to require the valves on all homes but believes homeowner opposition would prevent the council from doing so.

Another Bernson proposal would require the gas valves on all newly built houses.