$6.2 Million OKd to Fix Up Van Nuys City Hall

Five years after the Northridge earthquake damaged Van Nuys City Hall, Los Angeles officials said Friday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has finally approved $6.2 million needed to restore the historic structure.

The city has accepted FEMA’s offer of $4.9 million for reconstruction work and $1.3 million to relocate 160 city employees during the retrofit project, according to Paul Cauley, acting city administrative officer.

While around $10 million would be needed for a full upgrade including electrical and plumbing systems, the FEMA settlement is well above the $2 million that city officials expected FEMA to offer, said Deputy City Engineer Rod Haraga.

“This [money] will repair damage and make the building seismically safe,” Haraga said. “We demonstrated to them that we had more damage than they realized.”

Mayor Richard Riordan welcomed the news of the grant, spokeswoman Jessica Copen said.

“It’s good to know the federal government functions even slower than the city does,” Copen joked. “We’re glad the money has come through, and we look forward to seeing a beautiful Van Nuys City Hall again.”

The 64-year-old Art Deco-style building has become a symbol for San Fernando Valley secessionists who have said the city’s failure to repair the structure is evidence of how downtown officials neglect the Valley.

Just Tuesday, members of Valley VOTE, the group pushing secession, cited the lack of repairs as one of their grievances.

For that reason, Don Schultz, president of the Van Nuys Homeowners Assn., voiced skepticism about the timing of the grant.

“Why did it take five years after the earthquake to get the money?” Schultz asked. “FEMA money has been spent all over the city fixing buildings. Meanwhile, Van Nuys City Hall has been ignored.”

He also believes the timing might be affected by the fact that city officials are asking voters to approve $744 million in bonds for police and fire stations on Tuesday’s ballot.

Haraga said the city had to prove to FEMA that the repairs would be as expensive as the city claimed.

The Northridge earthquake damaged hundreds of city buildings that all had to be processed and inspected, said Chris Lopez, a federal coordinating officer for FEMA.

“The positive thing about this settlement is it includes things for hazard mitigation, so the city can do things to strengthen the facility so it is safer to work in,” Lopez said. He called the settlement a “win-win” for the city and FEMA.

The next step is to submit the city’s repair plan to the state Office of Historic Preservation, which has registered the building as one of historic significance.

Normally, getting state approval could take six months, but Haraga said city political leaders plan to get involved to expedite the project so construction can begin this year.

The building, a smaller-scale replica of the downtown City Hall, has been partially closed, but employees of the mayor’s office and city attorney’s office still toil inside amid cracked walls and chipped plaster.

Some of the employees are scheduled to move into a new civic center building that will be built nearby, but Haraga said the city never seriously considered demolishing the old City Hall building.