111 homes evacuated as landslide wreaks havoc in La Jolla
By: Staff and Wire Reports | ∞
Aerial photos of the slide in the 5700 block Soledad Mountain Road in La Jolla, which occurred on Wednesday morning.
Courtesy of 10News
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SAN DIEGO -- Residents of million-dollar homes in a hilltop La Jolla neighborhood scrambled to rescue pets and secure belongings Wednesday after a landslide cut a 50-yard-long chasm in a four-lane street, destroying one home and damaging eight others. View A Slide Show
"The street was sinking before our eyes," said Holli Weld, who was walking one of her sons to preschool when the ground moved.
No injuries were reported but by late afternoon the evacuation had expanded to 111 homes on three streets.
The neighborhood is in an area that has a history of landslides dating to the 1960s.
The earth moved at 9 a.m. the day after city officials warned residents of four homes not to sleep in them because the land might give way. It wasn't clear whether those residents heeded the warnings.
The landslide left a 15-foot-deep ravine overlooking Interstate 5 hundreds of feet below.
Orange traffic cones and sections of big concrete pipes sat in the fissure across the crumpled residential street, which serves as a busy shortcut between the surf neighborhood of Pacific Beach to the south and the tony enclave of restaurants and shops in downtown La Jolla, a major tourist draw.
Authorities said most residents had gone to work and only seven people were inside homes near the collapse when it occurred.
Many homes that weren't in the immediate slide zone were yellow-tagged -- meaning that occupants could come and go, but not stay overnight.
Weld packed up her car and took her two children to her parents' house in Pasadena, near Los Angeles, after city officials said her family shouldn't sleep in their house on the opposite side of the street from the collapse.
Weld's husband, Bryan Smith, a researcher at UC San Diego, stayed behind to take care of their dog and cat.
Smith said many of his neighbors were affiliated with the university or retirees who had moved into their split-level homes when the area was first developed in the 1960s.
A firm hired by the city last month was in the area in the hours before the collapse installing measuring devices after a large section of slope on Mount Soledad began to slip, said Robert Hawk, a city engineering geologist. The city began noticing cracks on Soledad Mountain Road in July and water and gas main breaks in August.
Officials first became concerned about a landslide three or four weeks ago. A water line in the neighborhood was replaced with an above-ground pipeline in September to avert damage from moving earth.
After the outside firm advised that some residents should not stay overnight in their homes, the city sent letters to residents on Monday and on Tuesday sent officials to the four homes that now border the collapse, Hawk said.
The letter delivered Tuesday to homeowners stated that they should not stay overnight but said that the city was not making any recommendations about whether the homes should be occupied.
The landslide sent earth sliding into backyards of houses in the street below, Hawk said.
"It is fairly well-defined and localized," Hawk said.
Electricity was initially cut off to 2,400 customers but restored to 2,000 within two hours, according to San Diego Gas & Electric Co. Gas was cut off to about a dozen customers.
At least three significant hill slides have occurred in the area between 1961 and 1994, including a major failure in 1961 that destroyed seven homes under construction.
The slide was not exactly a surprise -- landslides are commonplace in San Diego County, certainly in North County.
When landslides destroyed homes and displaced residents in Oceanside and Carlsbad, it was during the rainy winter of 2005. Wednesday's event happened during a drought.
"Sometimes these things are kind of unpredictable," said Rex Baum, a research geologist for the U.S. Geological Survey. "There are cases where there's not an obvious cause."
Landslides happen when the soil that makes up a hillside is too weak to support itself, he said. While not citing a cause for Wednesday's event, the activities of man also can be to blame, Baum said.
Sometimes "cut and fill" excavation can weaken hillsides, he said.
Hawk told reporters Wednesday afternoon they had determined on Tuesday that a landslide was imminent. As a result, they began to knock on doors and deliver notices warning residents of the danger.
Early Wednesday, city geologists and building inspectors were back in the neighborhood when the ground gave way at about 9 a.m.
Ritzy Mt. Soledad, with views that extend across the county in all directions, was developed some 50 years ago on graded land. The area has had "a history of problems since the 1960s with movement," Hawk said. "The geology here seems to be playing a critical role."
He added, "The grading techniques (used at that time) would not be allowed today."
Southern California's fragile geology lends itself to landslides, and the steep slopes and canyons of North County can be just as susceptible to failure as those in La Jolla, officials say.
North County's most recent destructive landslides happened nearly three years ago on Arroyo Avenue and Comanche Drive in Oceanside, and La Costa Avenue and Agua Dulce Court in Carlsbad.
Lawsuits are still pending in the Oceanside slides, which some residents have blamed on leaking city water lines. Attorneys, who recently reached a settlement in the La Costa de Marbella condominium case, attributed the slides to a ruptured water line attached to a fire hydrant.
Previous landslides, an elevated water table and super-saturated soil also have also been cited by some as causes in North County's cases.
One consultant who evaluated the Oceanside landslides was Avram Ninyo of San Diego-based Ninyo and Moore Geotechnical Consultants, Inc.
"Geologic conditions vary from site to site," Ninyo said Wednesday. "That's why each site needs its own, independent evaluation."
Geologists perform such evaluations by studying aerial maps and photographs and by boring deep holes into which a geologist is lowered, Ninyo said.
"There's a lot of interpretation, evaluation and determination that takes place," he said.
On Wednesday, officials ordered Soledad Mountain Road closed indefinitely. A gaping chasm spanned the entire width of the broad boulevard and utility poles lay toppled or tilting nearby.
While the cause remains under investigation, Hawk noted the slide occurred near an upthrust of the Rose Canyon Fault.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey Web site, Southern California is prone to landslides because it straddles the San Andreas Fault, a major tectonic plate boundary. The region also is crossed with smaller faults. Moving tectonic plates push the landscape upward while gravity pulls it downward, and when gravity prevails, landslides can occur.
-- Staff writer Adam Kaye contributed to this report. Contact him at (760) 901-4074 or akaye@nctimes.com.
On the Net:
A 2005 report by the U.S Geological Survey, "Southern California Landslides -- An Overview," can be found at http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2005/3107
Soledad Mountain Road landslide
8:50 a.m. Wednesday
In 2005, landslides hit Oceanside, Carlsbad
January 2005: Arroyo/Comanche landslide in Oceanside - On Jan. 11, 2005, during a season of heavy rains, a neighborhood in eastern Oceanside was stunned when a hillside lined with homes began to slip. Over the next several days, tons of mud crept down the steep slope behind Arroyo Avenue, slowly pushing into the backyards of the homes below on Comanche Drive. On Arroyo, six homes were immediately evacuated as roofs began to slant, slabs began to crack and walls began to crumble.
By the time the slide ended, those homes were ruined and a dozen more on Comanche were damaged.
Homeowners on both streets sued the city and eventually each other, claiming that public infrastructure under Arroyo contributed to the slide. Attorneys for the city of Oceanside and a group of residents whose homes were destroyed or damaged agreed three weeks ago to appoint Mike Roberts as a mediator in the case. If they are unable to reach a settlement, the case will go to trial in April, attorney Patrick Catalano said Wednesday.
March 2005: La Costa de Marbella landslide in Carlsbad
In March 2005, the earth began moving beneath the La Costa de Marbella condominium complex on La Costa Avenue, bending walls, tearing apart a private roadway and buckling a stretch of sidewalk along the busy thoroughfare.
Eight damaged condos were condemned by the city within weeks of the discovery of the landslide, and homeowners sued both the city and their insurance companies.
The city of Carlsbad contended the slide was an act of nature, saying heavy rains during the winter of 2004-05 made the hillside soggy and caused it to start moving. Residents blamed a leaking city fire hydrant and poorly maintained water lines.
In July, city officials announced that they had reached a $12.5 million settlement with homeowners in the complex.
Attorney John Schroeder, who represented six of the people whose condos were condemned, said at that time that he thought the key to obtaining the agreement came when he learned that the city had replaced a leaking o-ring in a fire hydrant near the Marbella complex on March 2, 2005.
Nine days later, Schroeder said, the city returned to find a water pipe hooked to the hydrant had ruptured, leaking water into the hillside.
March 2005: Agua Dulce Court landslide in Carlsbad
Not long after the slide at the La Costa de Marbella complex, the earth began to move on nearby Agua Dulce Court, just east of the major Rancho Santa Fe Road commuter route.
The landslide threatened two homes when it was discovered in March 2005. When crews dug a mud wall away from the homes, the upper edge of the slide started to rapidly collapse, threatening Rancho Santa Fe Road.
The contractors tried several times to install a wall to hold the soil, but the moving mud twisted the metal rods that would have supported the wall. In an effort to reduce the water in the soggy hillside, and thus slow the slide, the city of Carlsbad drilled into the rocky hillside above and pumped water out for weeks.
The hillside eventually dried out and by the end of that year the homeowners had begun moving back into their homes.
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The hill wrote on Oct 3, 2007 10:59 AM:Is right near the rose canyon fault line and people there water the soil like crazy. They need to be stopped.
The city wrote on Oct 3, 2007 11:16 AM:Has evacuated parts of Desert View due to a sink hole.
John E wrote on Oct 3, 2007 11:48 AM:Where were the geological surveys when these building pads were cut-and-filled? I have had a taste of what these homeowners are going through -- when I was growing up in west Los Angeles, the homes of two of my friends slid down a hill, and our house filled with 4' of mud from another slide.-
Puzzled wrote on Oct 3, 2007 12:28 PM:Why is Mike Aguirre grandstanding on this one? Plus, how funny is it that after he decides to give the "all clear, no imminent danger" press conference, the hill suddenly caves?
Rich people will not listen wrote on Oct 3, 2007 1:04 PM:to any advice, like not watering. Look at all the whiners on the bluffs in Encinitas, experts have been telling them not to water for years, still goes on, now they want the taxpayers to subsidize their homes by sacrificing our beaches for their houses by building sea walls.
Andy from La Jolla wrote on Oct 3, 2007 1:10 PM:It's not about "watering the soil". Now's not the time to point fingers.
AndyFromLaJolla wrote on Oct 3, 2007 1:12 PM:It's not about "watering the soil". Nows not the time to point fingers.
ba ba booey wrote on Oct 3, 2007 1:47 PM:It's a sign from god. There is too much money in La Jolla and then land cannot hold it! Either that or it was another alien ship crashing!
wt..? wrote on Oct 3, 2007 1:48 PM:I don't think its about overwatering. Maybe the city should have never issued building permits for the types of houses built there. Maybe they should have considered house boats or airship-homes.
SaraInSoCal wrote on Oct 3, 2007 2:10 PM:I'm sorry for the people this has effected. But honestly what do you think happens when you live on a slop and the area is known for its land slides?
On that note wrote on Oct 3, 2007 2:15 PM:Then perhaps since the majority of CA sits on some form of fault line or another, we shouldn't issue permits to build anywhere? Come on! Thank Goodness no one was injured....Homes can be replaced, people cannot.
Rancidio wrote on Oct 3, 2007 2:26 PM:It's George Bush's fault!
guru53 wrote on Oct 3, 2007 2:50 PM:Soledad Mt road is a very old road. I used to travel that road in the late 70's to get to work in downtown La Jolla. The road was old and bumpy back then. I used to wonder why people would want to live on that road. It's alway so busy and old. I guess the La Jolla zip code beats everything.
shutupfools wrote on Oct 3, 2007 4:28 PM:Watering has nothing to do with this or beach errosion. This is land that moves people, any time there is a slope (not a slop I might add) the earth will move at some time, especially without deep rooted vegitation to hold it in place. Check it out on Google Earth, there is over 100 feet of elevation change from Desert View Drive up to Soledad Mountain Road over 350 feet. Do your math, how much of a grade does that make that slope? Wake up.
Al G. wrote on Oct 3, 2007 4:42 PM:This was caused by global warming. The temperature increase is causing the soil to become more elastic, and release it's water enzymes which causes it to slide. Vote for Hillary or more homes will slide.
Karl wrote on Oct 3, 2007 4:51 PM:I just knew before reading the blogs here that class envy would come into play. I am still waiting for the one that blames it on "Bush's tax cut for the rich (which is a myth)".
Kate wrote on Oct 3, 2007 5:00 PM:If I was told that I couldn't save my pets trapped in a house, they'd have to hold me in chains. If the owner is willing to risk their life for their pet, they have every right to do so. It's their life and their pet. I feel awful for those pet owners who can't get to their pets, in La Jolla.
Survivor of the Sink Whole wrote on Oct 3, 2007 5:42 PM:I'm tired of people saying that "oh, its because of global warming" the truth is that the government doesn't act out in making sure California is safe. I was walking to school when this happen I ran away from it before falling into the sink whole. I was able to get away with no scares or scratches. While I learn in Government class that the United States is the police of some states having other states back when a war is to occur but why do that if our own state is at risk.
It must have been awful ! wrote on Oct 3, 2007 5:48 PM:According to your photo, the landslide occurred at 6:00 AM, but reports from residents and others at the scene said it occurred at 9:00 AM. It also looks from your photo that the landslide has gotten worse than it originally was. And the hole is deeper, too. What time did that crew start drilling the bore holes ? Thankfully, nobody was hurt.
John wrote on Oct 3, 2007 5:56 PM:I personally think it was Mother Earth (not to be confused with Al Gore) trying to vomit up all of those ugly first-run hybrids that get worse mileage than a 1985 nissan sentra.
ahshucks wrote on Oct 3, 2007 6:24 PM:Well, if it was going to happen in San Diego it's a good thing it happened in La Jolla. Most of these people own their homes outright and can afford to put a new roof over their heads even if insurance doesn't cover their losses. Imagine if this had happened in City Heights or Chollas View? You'd see a lot of homeless people with nothing left to their names. So if there is a silver lining here, mother nature picked a good area.
American Mike wrote on Oct 3, 2007 7:04 PM:Tunnels?
Old Homes wrote on Oct 3, 2007 7:06 PM:Many of these homes were built before there was extensive geological reports required for construction of a home. The people that built in these areas knew the risk. The people that bought these homes should have known the risk. Permits for homes issued today require extensive geological reports and sometimes massive grading before a structure can be bulit on top of a problem area. These are old homes on an old slip area in the soil that will move given enough time. And oh yeas, heavey watering of lawns etc. does matter when you are in an area that may have faults. Water lubricates the fault and will help it along to move. If you don't believe me, just read the Soils report for the home you currently live in. Soils Engineers/Geologists always precaution about over watering.
Lois wrote on Oct 3, 2007 7:17 PM:At least nobody was hurt. And if anyone can afford the financial hit, these people can, as a general rule. The authorities have known for decades that the area is unstable. What will be interesting is to find out what happens to the property values there, and whether a block or two will be condemned.
Greg wrote on Oct 3, 2007 7:30 PM:Global warming? This same thing happened in the same area in 1961 and 1994. Was it global warming then? The fact of the matter is, it's just very unstable soil and on a falt line to boot...
Jill from LJ, now in TX wrote on Oct 3, 2007 7:59 PM:What was with the Red Cross spokesperson saying they were addressing "hydration issues" of the evacuated people two hours after the landslide? Was the water turned off at Kate Sessions Park, or was the La Jolla Elite unable to drink tap water? Thank heaven the Red Cross was there...with Imported Swiss Glacier water, and perhaps a lovely merlot for later.
Karl wrote on Oct 3, 2007 8:00 PM:John, that was a classic.
Pachamama wrote on Oct 3, 2007 8:30 PM: Why would anyone NOT study the geology of an area before building or buying a home ? California is full of people in sweet denial. What Californians project to the rest of the world is WHO CARES! Tomorrow may not happen here, so we do whatever we please today.
Not amused wrote on Oct 3, 2007 8:37 PM:Gophers must be stopped before we all slide.
Land of the Lawyers wrote on Oct 3, 2007 9:16 PM:Has anyone had any work done on this hill? Maybe you can blame it on your contractor? Remember this is America & it's always someone elses fault.
Scott wrote on Oct 3, 2007 9:50 PM:Wait till the Rose Canyon Fault slips . . . Geologists are expecting up to a 7.0 earthquake along the fault line, which follows Interstate 5. Next time you drive on I-5, look at the Mt. Soledad homes built on stilts high above the west side of the freeway. . .
La Vetta of Columbus,OH wrote on Oct 4, 2007 12:00 AM:"What a diaster...This is such a scenic area. Are the geologists evaluating along with engineers just how safe the homes are on stilts?"
I agree wrote on Oct 4, 2007 12:50 AM:I agree with "Not Amused". Its those darn gophers.-
Bob wrote on Oct 4, 2007 4:43 AM:What goes up, must come down.-
Greg in Oceanside wrote on Oct 4, 2007 4:56 AM:Just watch, we're going to see attorneys and lawsuits, all trying to cover the losses suffered by these homeowners. And who are these attorneys and homeowners going to try and stick it to? You bet, the taxpayers and the City of San Diego. These homeowners are going to either claim it's the city's fault because they "allowed" or authorized the building of homes on that slope, or the city's broken water system caused the earth to soften and cause the slide. It doesn't take a mental genius to understand that the earth is moving, especially there along the Rose Canyon Fault, and as it does it will destroy water-mains etc. But, the bottom line is, these homeowners took on the risk of living in these extravagant homes and need to take responsibility for their poor decision.-
It's about grading wrote on Oct 4, 2007 5:26 AM:It's about grading--cheezy city staff and sleezy politicians allowed developers to come in and get away with improper grading. Some areas are just not meant to be built on no matter how much money a politican gets in campaign contributions or promises staff gets to work as consultants/employees to developers. Over watering just makes a bad situtation worse.-
JoAnn wrote on Oct 4, 2007 6:07 AM:Aguirre to announce the cause to be one of the longest underground drug running tunnels from Tijuana to La Jolla.
Roberto1 wrote on Oct 4, 2007 6:49 AM:These gophers are illegally entering La Jolla and need to be deported back to Riverside.-
Mary wrote on Oct 4, 2007 6:49 AM:This slide was next to an earlier slide that happened in 1961. I hope this information was disclosed to anyone who bought homes in this area since that time. If so, it is buyer beware. If not, let the lawsuits begin.-
Modern Citizen wrote on Oct 4, 2007 6:57 AM:What these homeowners need to do now is sit on their butts for the next two years and whine and bitch until someone from New Orleans comes and offers to fix their house.-
Stan wrote on Oct 4, 2007 7:19 AM: i don't think we have to wait fro the Rose Cayon Fault - it slip a day or so before what is being called a slide. I hear insurance companies all over this report.-
Got Real Estate? wrote on Oct 4, 2007 8:52 AM:I wonder what sales pitch realtors used when selling these homes? I'm sure they were honest and upfront to their potential buyers! Besides, don't you know that the city would never put people in harm's way, no matter who contributed to their political campaigns. At least it doesn't happen where I live. Our council members care about their residents. Money is never an issue. Oh by the way for those of you who are too dense to get most of the comments made here that most of these comments are made tongue in cheek. If you still don't get it, I hear you can get a good deal in real estate in La Jolla right now!-
Information: wrote on Oct 4, 2007 9:14 AM:Just for anyone's information, insurance companies do not insure land movement, it is too small a provision and too much of a liability to insure just as earthquakes are. But at least you can buy earthquake and flood insurance...these homeowners are on their own, at least for now...-
Revenge from above wrote on Oct 4, 2007 9:30 AM:See what happens as a result of taking down the Mt Soledad cross?-
GURU53 wrote on Oct 4, 2007 11:55 AM:Tunnels and gophers, could be. There is a lot of underground wiring in San Diego. I guess this will deepen the pension deficit and lessen medical benefits for city employees now that the city is going to pay for all this.
GoogleEarth wrote on Oct 4, 2007 12:00 PM:Check out Google Earth. There is a large fissure in the mountain above the neighborhood. Some day nature will prevail and that entire section will slide. It is obvious from satellite photos that nature is the cause of the slide. Homes in that area will slide at some point. It is not a question of how but when.
Bendover wrote on Oct 4, 2007 12:11 PM:City planners had soil stability maps before any of the reported landslides occured. The problem is they have no power in the face of developers! Cities will continue to approve developement in inappropriate areas until city mayors and councils protect their constituents, who pay the bills for this insanity! Developers go scot free.
frank lee paranoid wrote on Oct 4, 2007 12:18 PM:I seem to remeber something about way way back when nas miramar was camp kearney , & mt. Soledad actually had a small airfield as well as a major lookout point facility to provide north island with a viewpoint that could keep watch towards the north/west .now heres the kicker...in order for the observers to reach there post atop the hill safely & undetected , they had a series of tunnels created between the mountain top & camp kearney as well as to north island ! This was back in what was the turn of the century into the W.W.I era. Signed Frank lee paranoid
Paul wrote on Oct 4, 2007 12:46 PM:Only in California can you have a million dollar earth surf board.
SDCE Resident wrote on Oct 4, 2007 12:51 PM:Garsh, a lot more of us Ramona hicks had to evacuate from the Cedar Fire and lost homes to it, but the fire wasn't a media story until it hit the expensive real estate in Scripps Ranch.-
Hey shutupfools wrote on Oct 4, 2007 1:08 PM:Before you knock SaraInSoCal about her spelling of "slope" (slop), go back and check your spelling of "vegetation" (vegitation). Now you go to your spelling class...
the cross wrote on Oct 4, 2007 2:35 PM:The symbol of christ didn't do much to save you, did it? I think the cross is too heavy and needs to be removed. As for the damage, they have enough money to build a new mountain. why should the rest of SD have to pay for this?
Has anybody wrote on Oct 4, 2007 4:06 PM:thought there might be a maid or two down there?
Geeze wrote on Oct 4, 2007 4:08 PM:why do we need the red cross, nobody showed up for dinner or a night on a cot!
Who is in charge wrote on Oct 4, 2007 4:09 PM:of San Diego, the mayor, the city attorney or the dog catcher?
philly fan wrote on Oct 4, 2007 4:18 PM:Typical California headline. Landslide causing insurmountable damage to fancy real estate. I'm no geologist but ever since 1960 Mt. Soledad has been under intense scrutiny for landslide activity. It behooves me to understand and rationalize what contractor or developer would place houses there. Furthermore the residents get what they deserve. Don't mess with nature.
Reardon wrote on Oct 4, 2007 5:21 PM:To Who is in charge: None of the above, but the dog catcher is the closest answer. Mayor Sanders and Mike Aguirre are simply the best indication of how badly off the City of San Diego has become. Now here is the really bad news -- they were the best of the group running for office! It is a lot like President Bush, as bad as he is (and he is bad) he was the best one running! Incompetents in government everywhere now have a new saying: "Thank God for San Diego!"
Karl wrote on Oct 4, 2007 5:30 PM:A lot of funny posts here, I thoroughly enjoyed most of them. As a building insider I can answer/debunk a few of the posts above. The Hill, where do you live and do you have the foresight to stop watering? John E, good point. The fact is that the construction industry is evolving as we speak, we were not perfect when these homes were built and we are not perfect today. Andy, good point. On that note, very good point. John, you get big points in my book for satire. Lois and I quote "if anyone can afford the financial hit, these people can". How can you possibly make this assumption? Some of these homeowners may have made their purchase on a shoestring decades ago as I did with my first house. Just because they have (had) equity does not make them rich. Pachama, smoke another one. Land of Lawyers, nice. It's about grading, give me a freakin' break. When these houses were built the contractors and the city plan checkers were working with the best available info. This is not to say that there are shysters in the city and building community but the odds are slim on any given project. Revenge, I like your style. Bendover, do you know an honest developer? I thought not, I do. Not all developers are the devil. I have made a good living by building everything from Biotech Labs to residential bathrooms and never, and I repeat never put profit over the quality of what I build. Respectfully a simple carpenter.
More and more wrote on Oct 4, 2007 6:08 PM:apparent what happens to a city that used to be cool to when it is run by contractors. Most Socal cities are "owned"by these clowns, and it shows in the type of cities are being developed. Why would people hand-over thier city to such unqualified, conmen?
Sharon wrote on Oct 4, 2007 7:00 PM:Since the area is prone to landslides,like what happened back in 1961,who in their right mind would build expensive homes on a bowl full of Jello??? Give me a break!!
Pachamama wrote on Oct 4, 2007 9:43 PM:Karl, you're bogarting again...
shutupfools wrote on Oct 4, 2007 9:43 PM:"Hey shutupfools wrote on Oct 4, 2007 1:08 PM: " Before you knock SaraInSoCal about her spelling of "slope" (slop), go back and check your spelling of "vegetation" (vegitation). Now you go to your spelling class... "" Wow, speared me there. That's all you have to say? Or were you actually afraid to open your mouth about your misunderstandings like most of the fools posting here? Most everyone sees this as some grand scheme, it's got to be someone's fault. No, it couldn't be BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT LAND LIKE THIS TENDS TO DO, could it? Are you all so new to the area, if you even live here or ever lived here, that you have no clue about how the Earth moves around SoCal? Come from Nebraska do you and have no common sense? Karl, excellent comments. I'm not a carpenter/contractor/developer but I do know quite a bit about the process having been my own contractor to build my own home more than once. More and more, yes, San Diego (area) used to be cool, and it still is btw, although it's definitely overgrown with PEOPLE. However, these homes are not that new. I'm pretty sure they date back to your official "cool days." Yeah, I'm sure they're all con men too.
Pappy wrote on Oct 5, 2007 6:27 PM:Hey Sharon - Who would build on a big bowl of jello? That's what the rest of the country is going to say about us when we get shaken into another life time by the big one.
Coy wrote on Oct 6, 2007 9:32 AM:It will be interesting to follow the lawsuits against the City of San Diego that will be filed, alleging city water lines were a cause. Totally bogus, of course, but it will happen. The affected homeowners are figuring out who to blame.
Diblee wrote on Oct 8, 2007 8:01 AM:All of you hillside residents are DOOMED!-
Typical wrote on Oct 8, 2007 11:07 AM:More compassionate conservatism at it's best; blame the victim. Typical.
Pablo wrote on Oct 9, 2007 10:51 AM:In reply to Kate: Kate wrote on Oct 3, 2007 5:00 PM: " If I was told that I couldn't save my pets trapped in a house, they'd have to hold me in chains. If the owner is willing to risk their life for their pet, they have every right to do so. It's their life and their pet. I feel awful for those pet owners who can't get to their pets, in La Jolla." It's not about pets. It's about the man that built his house upon the sand, not the Rock... Don't you know that it is wrong for the almighty GOV to allow any Taxpayers to be injured? That would cut down on their FED income, and we can't have that... It's also why there are such stringent laws "protecting" our children (future Taxpayers)- NOT because they care, they need to guarantee further Revenue...
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