Most of the residents who were evacuated from 12 units in the Palisades Bowl mobile home park in January after heavy rains caused the hillside behind the park to move and the streets to buckle, have returned to their homes. However, some of them are concerned about safety and health issues at the park as a result of the still un-remediated damage. In February, the Palisadian-Post reported that more than 10 inches of rain triggered a crack at the top of the Asilomar bluffs, which in turn severely damaged the foundations of at least seven mobile homes in the park, located just north of Temescal Canyon Rd., off PCH. Retired engineer Abul Rashid, who lives near the corner of Terrace Drive and Shore Drive, was one of the tenants evacuated by the Los Angeles Fire Department. Rashid re-occupied his unit in July, though he said he did not receive an official note from the Bowl management stating whether or not he could return. “I am here but still don’t have any gas,” Rashid told the Post Tuesday. Rashid’s home, however, suffered less damage than some of the units on Terrace, just north of Shore, where the hillside slid farther down to the homes. A visit to the site on Monday found “Road Closed” and “No Trespassing” signs along that street, which is higher than the level of the units and has been covered with gravel. Electrical wires surrounding the homes are tied to trees. A walkway to one home was disconnected from its main unit and another, tilted home had a significant crack in the center, where the earth below is visible. Most of the homes in the Bowl, which contains 178 mobile homes, are held up by dozens of 4-foot-high pylons’some metal and others concrete. Rashid, who bought his unit about eight years ago, said he is a little worried about the foundation of his house, but his real concern is the dirty-looking water that drains from the hill and collects along the front of his unit. “It’s not very healthy,” he said. “I’m really worried about the accumulation of mosquitos.” Rashid said he mentioned the water to the management more than a week ago but nothing has been done about it. Yet he is more optimistic than some of the other tenants affected by the rain damage who are living there without gas and are unsure whether the work being done on the hillside is to their benefit or not. Construction workers in skip loaders are active on the hillside, which is scattered with pipes. “They’re digging holes and putting a well there to [remove] the water from the hill,” Rashid said. “They’re also putting in more drainage pipes and trying to clean up the hill.” Diane Scott, park manager, declined to comment on the work but said that, in terms of securing the hillside, “the recommendation that is on the table from an expert geologist is on hold right now, thanks to the [California] Coastal Commission.” Scott confirmed that residents have moved back in but said, “We were never officially red-tagged, and it was the Fire Department that came in and enforced the evacuation.” Scott added that she is not in a position to prohibit tenants from returning to their homes: “Those who have moved back in have done so at their own will.” Meanwhile, Captain Bill Ernst of Fire Station 23 visited the site this week and told the (Continued on Page 3) Post, “I didn’t see any signs of life or cars. The only car was in the corner unit. I’m sure [the homes] are still condemned.” He added that if people are living there, they’re “probably living there without utilities.” The mobile home park was sold September 1 to a new owner, Eddie Biggs, who told the Post that he hasn’t been there since he closed escrow but that he is aware of the damage done to the Terrace Drive area. “I understand that they’re a little unhappy,” he said, referring to the tenants who have moved back in. “We’re supposed to get together to meet with them.” Biggs confirmed that he is in the process of getting a permit from the Coastal Commission to repair the hillside. He also said the former owner, Fred Keeler, “started repairing the hillside because he had a permit from HCD [the California Department of Housing and Community Development].” The HCD is one of 16 departments within the state’s Business, Transportation and Housing Agency. L.A. Department of Building and Safety official Luke Zamparini informed the Post Tuesday that the state, not the City, has jurisdiction over mobile home parks. “The City’s involvement with mobile home parks is pretty much limited to inspecting electrical meters they hook up to,” Zamparini said. The state’s mobile home ombudsman, who is only available between 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, could not be reached before our Wednesday deadline.
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