After the Quake, Our Values in the Gutter

More than a year and a month later, the evidence is still everywhere. Often it’s piled up at curbside: shards of drywall, chunks of concrete, colorful bits of miscellaneous debris.

In fact, the debris is getting more miscellaneous all the time. Even a casual observer would be amazed by the stuff that is being passed off as earthquake rubble, the expectation being that it will be removed without charge, compliments of the tax-supported graces of the city of Los Angeles and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

That smelly old sofa . . . O.K., maybe it was swamped by a busted water heater. That rusty old bicycle . . . would you believe it was crushed under a toppled cement block wall? And those tree trimmings . . . well, um, the Lord is famous for working in mysterious ways. It’s one of his trademarks. So isn’t it just possible that the quake cracked some trees and it took awhile for the branches to fall off? Or maybe the property owner just trimmed the trees as a precaution so quake-damaged limbs wouldn’t conk anybody on the head.

Andy Santamaria, alas, isn’t that gullible. A 28-year employee in the city’s Department of Public Works, he’s the supervisor for the Earthquake Debris Removal Program. Many people, he says, have been trying to exploit the service to dump all sorts of junk.

Human nature being what it is, this is hardly surprising. Give ‘em an inch and you know how greedy people get. Having stuff hauled to the nearest junkyard or landfill, or even hauling it yourself, can be expensive. Why bother when the city will haul it away for free?

It’s often been said that the Northridge earthquake brought out the best in people. There were countless instances of neighbor helping neighbor, in ways that were often simple and sometimes heroic. Some people gave the credit to the Almighty. He brought out the best in us, the theory goes, by scaring the hell out of us.

But if the curbside removal program is a gauge, it can only be said that our virtue is slipping. In fact, you might say it’s being left in the gutter.

“At first, everybody was toeing the line,” Santamaria recalled. “About 1% of all the debris was not earthquake related.

“Now it’s about 5 or 6%.”

A petty sin, perhaps, but still a sin. The city, Santamaria says, has thus far issued warnings to about 3,000 residents and property owners who have tried to use the curbside removal program to dispose of unwanted items such as old furniture and worn tires.

Bogus dumping has become so common that the Earthquake Debris Removal Program now includes a special non-earthquake debris unit. It’s their job to warn people that the city won’t haul off those old paint cans or that box filled with eight-track tapes.

Property owners, Santamaria says, are given notice to separate the illicit rubble from the quake debris, and arrange for the storage or disposal of that material themselves. If they leave non-quake rubbish on the street and the city ends up hauling it off, they could be charged up to $1,000.

That bit of news, Santamaria says, usually gets their attention.

Even though dubious dumping is up, it’s well worth remembering that, by Santamaria’s estimates, at least 94% of the debris is the real McCoy, quake-wise. And that is why it’s a very good thing that the city and FEMA have twice extended the removal program.

Initially, it was scheduled to end Sept. 30. Then it was extended to Jan. 17. Now it’s July 17--a full 18 months from when the quake hit. (That’s the last day the trucks will run. May 30 is the last day to call the program’s debris removal hot line: 1-800-498-CITY.)

The total cost of this program has been estimated at $180 million, so although there is no charge, we can thank our fellow taxpayers across the nation. Most of the money has gone to the 361 private firms participating in the cleanup.

Many homeowners are painfully aware why debris removal is still necessary, given the slow pace of processing insurance claims and hiring contractors to do repairs. Although Hollywood and the Santa Monica Freeway corridor were also hit hard in the quake, Santamaria estimates that at least 85% of the calls now come from the Valley.

Most people seem pleased with the service. There is, however, at least one disturbing aspect about the way the program has evolved.

In the early weeks of the program, Santamaria explains, inspectors who discovered non-quake debris would mark it with an orange tape bearing the city seal as a way to signal crews that the debris should not be removed. Opportunists would simply remove the tape.

The solution was for inspectors to carry cans of orange spray paint to mark the rubble. It may not be vandalism, but the implication is obvious.

“Can you imagine that?” Santamaria says, exasperation in his tone. “We’re tagging debris.”

Scott Harris’ column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

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