City Toughens Soil Stability Requirements

A home in the Hollywood Hills that was damaged during 2005 rainstorms.

Hillside residents will welcome the rain now that, thanks to Councilmember LaBonge, the city is adopting tougher soil standards for construction in steep hillside areas. After the record rain storms of January, 2005, mudslides forced officials to close several canyon roads, some of which remained closed for months. Over 100 hillside buildings were also “red-tagged” by the City, which means they were declared “unsafe to occupy,” and residents of the Mount Olympus neighborhood in Council District 4 were temporarily evacuated. The councilmember immediately directed the Department of Building and Safety to review its standards for soil stability in these areas and determine whether requirements need to be tougher. After careful review, the department determined that every building that had been red-tagged was constructed before current building, grading and soil stability standards were in place. To tighten enforcement of those standards, however, the city will now require all new hillside development - including building additions and major improvements – to supply engineering and geological reports on the mitigation of flood and mudflow hazards. “Soil stability isn’t glamorous or exciting until you wake up on a rainy night and your house is sliding down the hill,” the Councilmember said. “I made sure the City is doing everything possible to protect people and their homes if a mudslide should happen.”