Irate Homeowners Told to Hold Off Slide

City officials in Orange advised scared and angry homeowners Wednesday to drain their swimming pools and stop watering the lawns of their homes in the Vista Royale and Peralta Pointe developments in a last-ditch effort to stave off a catastrophic landslide.

Owners of the 30 upscale homes in the danger zone were called to the meeting to hear an explanation of the emergency orders and to have a chance to vent frustrations, Assistant City Atty. Wayne Winthers said.

He declined to answer several homeowners’ questions, though, citing pending litigation. That did not sit well with many in the room.

“The city came out 12 years ago to inspect every building and issue permits, and now the city is not taking responsibility,” homeowner Michael Morcos said.

“We’ve been told so many things. I want some facts,” said Janie Clairmont, who lives next to the affected area. “This is our city, and nobody seems to want to help us. Do you know how hard this is for these families? I don’t think you people care.”

Residents of the two communities, built in the 1980s in the foothills east of the Costa Mesa Freeway, learned in February that their homes could be on the brink of disaster.

City officials have been monitoring the ground near the sites for nearly two years and this winter declared that a catastrophic slide could happen any time.

At that point, owners of the houses, valued at $300,000 to $1 million, were told to take preliminary steps such as removing irreplaceable items, sleeping with shoes by their beds and preparing to evacuate on short notice.

The homeowners have filed more than a dozen lawsuits against Vista Royale’s developer, 396 Investment Co. of Newport Beach.

All parties have been in and out of confidential mediation sessions ordered by Superior Court Judge Robert E. Thomas.

There are several ways to fix the situation, Winthers said. “It’s just a matter of whether or not the money will be there to do the work.”

For residents living near the site, a meeting has been set for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at City Hall, 300 East Chapman Ave. The Vista Royale hotline is (714) 744-5588.