Gas Shut-Off Safety Valves Mandated

Despite objections from the real estate industry, the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to require home buyers to install valves that seal off gas pipes during an earthquake.

Realtors complained the additional $350 cost of installing the valves could hurt home sales.

“This will be another impediment to buying a home,” said Mel Wilson, president of the San Fernando Valley Assn. of Realtors.

In an effort to appease the real estate industry, the council agreed to waive a $47 installation permit fee if the valves are installed within a year after escrow closes.

Councilman Hal Bernson, whose northwest Valley district received the lion’s share of the Northridge quake damage in 1994, proposed the valve requirement after the devastating gas fires that followed the 1995 earthquake in Kobe, Japan.

“What is a life worth? That is what we should be asking ourselves,” he said.

The unanimous vote was an unexpected victory for Bernson, who faced a setback last year when the council balked at approving the same measure, saying it would pose too much of a burden on low-income home owners.

Some council members continued to express concerns about the cost of the valves.

“I really want to have an earthquake-safe city but this is far too expensive,” Councilwoman Rita Walters said.

But council members reluctantly voted for the measure after Bernson assured them the city would support federal and state legislation to provide tax breaks for homeowners to help defray the cost of installation.

Despite the council’s efforts to appease Realtors, Anita Zusman, a spokeswoman for the Beverly Hills-Greater Los Angeles Assn. of Realtors, said her group still believes the measure will slow home sales.

She added that if the council insists on requiring the valves, it should be required of all homes, not just those that are sold.

“If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right,” she said.

Bernson previously persuaded the council to adopt an ordinance requiring the valves on all homes.

The valves have been hailed by seismic experts as an effective tool in reducing the risk of fires fed by leaking gas after an earthquake. The measure applies to any house that is sold. The proposal also requires the valve installation on any apartment complex, condominium, hotel or motel with five or more units.

Building and Safety officials said the measure would require the valve installations on about 10,000 buildings per year.

The measure will not take effect until the council approves the final draft of the law, which is subject to approval by Mayor Richard Riordan.

Riordan is expected to support the measure.