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From : Lila Hayes
Sent : May 01, 2006
Subject : OFRG update

 Old Fire Recovery Group Email Newsletter

 
Information compiled by
Lila Hayes, Coordinator
Old Fire Recovery Group
www.oldfirerecoverygroup.org
909-266-1459 vm/fax
 
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Index
 1. Senator Soto's Disaster Planning and Recovery Bill
 2. AIA Architectural Convention in LA
 3.Information Collection for Old Fire Survivors
 4.Yucaipa Architect has his license revoked
 
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In The News
  1. 'Apathy is our Enemy' Memories of '06 stoke fears of next Big One, 4/18/06, SB Sun
2. Panel: No funds for retrofit subsidies, 4/21/06, The Press-Enterprise
3. Archivists urge disaster planning, 4/26/06, Disaster News Network
4. Volunteer skills untapped, 4/27/06, Disaster News Network
5. Stop political wrangling, responders urge, 4/27/06, Disaster News Network
6. Tsunami workers reflect on tour, 4/27/06, Disaster News Network
7. Divisions Arise on Whether FEMA Requires a Tear-Down, 4/28/06, LA Times
8. Panel rips state readiness, 04/29/2006, SB Sun
9. Call us crazy; you'd be right, 4/30/06, LA Times Staff Writer
 
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1. Senator Soto's Disaster Planning and Recovery Bill
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I received the following from Dave Stuart of Rebuilding Mountain Hearts and Lives.
We need to get off some letters of support for Senator Soto’s proposed legislation, SB 1479.  [Please get copy of the bill off the internet – California Legislation].
 
The bill passed the Government Organization committee on Monday with 6 Aye, 1 nay and 2 abstain.  Senator Tom McClintock was the “NO” vote and has really twisted the intent of this bill.  In my opinion he is way off base, stating that the bill will (1) change the role of OES, (2)make OES responsible for long-term rebuilding and (3) will take away from the real purpose of OES in responding to a disaster;
 
FYI:  Following taken from Chapter 3 of Emergency Management in California ~ “RESPONSE”:  “The goal of the Office of Emergency Services is to provide timely, effective, efficient and coordinated government response to potential and actual emergencies and disasters through the use of education of the Scandalized Emergency Management System (SEMS)]”
 
Senator Soto’s legislation will help communities that are impacted by a disaster by assisting that community get started in forming citizen led recovery groups and the gathering of necessary contact information.  The bill would have OES make available the process to assist a community in recovering from an emergency proclaimed by the Governor by making available a location to work out of.  Thus, there would be an information gathering point which could be setup to establish an internet-based information center.  This could serve as a gathering point for public access during disasters.
 
We could have really used something like this during the “start-up” of RMHL.
 
Can be a one line letter just stating you are in support of the bill:
 
Send to:
 
Richard C. Paul
Policy Consultant
California State Senate
1020 N. Street, Suite 234
Sacramento, CA 95814
 
Would appreciate your sending a copy of the letter to me.
 
Thanks for your help.  Give me a call if you have any questions.  Also, if you can think of anyone else to write in support please contact them.
 
Dave Stuart
dstuart@heartsandlives.org
 
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2. AIA Architectural Convention in LA
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I received the following from Tom Wayman.
I thought some people might be interested in an architectural convention coming up in June at the LA convention center.  Admission is free and the 750 exhibitors will, of course, include construction product and services companies.  Online registration is at www.aiaconvention.com.  Registration before May 3, 2006 gives them time to send badges by mail.
 
Despite what the main page of the AIA website says I was able to register on-line for free.  From the AIA main page you click on 'register' till you get the registration form.  When it asks you for what type of convention involvement you are registering for, from the pop down menu choose the 'EXPO ONLY' option and there is no charge.  You just won't be able to attend the architectural seminars, etc.

OTHER INFO:  It is occurring from June 8-10, 2006 at the Los Angeles Convention Center from 9:30am to 5pm on Thursday and Friday and 9:30am to 2pm on Saturday.  There will be over 750 exhibitors including construction materials suppliers like specialty home products and new construction technologies with nine different categories of products/services.
 
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3. Information Collection for Old Fire Survivors
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For over a year I've been trying to find a way to find a more clear picture of the San Bernardino fire survivor. Unfortunately, this time consuming task has gone unfinished due to a lack of funding, but I was recently contracted by an organization called the LA Housing Renaissance Corporation who is also interested in this information. They are going to fund the collection of this information!
 
During the information gathering phase of this project, we will be collecting public record information regarding the disaster. For example, real estate sales, building permit information and court documentation. We then hope to contact the property owners who have not yet started the rebuilding process to do a short interview about the current status of their property.
 
The LA Housing Renaissance Corporation was started by Mark Adams who worked for many years at Fanny Mae and has the distinction of being the one who talked the Fanny Mae Foundation into proving CARe (www.carehelp.org) with the bulk of their seed funding after the 1994 Northridge Earthquake. You might recall that George Kehrer from CARe was the one who came to our city right after the fire and inspired us to create the Old Fire Recovery Group and came to our meetings almost every week for over a year.
 
After Mark left Fanny Mae, he wanted to more directly help improve his city and did so by buying the worst of the slum lord's dilapidated housing and refurbish it to help upgrade the neighborhood. During a research trip into San Bernardino, his organization discovered the "untold story" of the 100+ properties that stood un-built. With similar intent, he decided that if he could get these property owners to move forward, the Del Rosa neighborhood would also be upgraded.
 
After the information gathering portion of the project is complete, they will approach the property owner with the intent to help the property owner to "move forward" by providing those willing and able, a comprehensive service of financing, legal experience and construction project management.
 
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4. Yucaipa Architect has his license revoked
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At our home, we receive the quarterly publication from the California Architects Board because Jeff is in the process of transferring his Architectural license from the state we previously lived in, to this state. A large part of the 8 page newsletter is a listing of Enforcement Actions. I thought this one was apropos.
Garry Ray Terwilliger [Yucaipa]
Effective December 22, 2005, Garry Ray Terwilliger's architect license number C-21148 was revoked. The action was the result of a Default Decision, which was adopted by the Board.
 
An Accusation was filed against Terwilliger for alleged violations of BPC sections 5536(a) (Practice Without a License or Holding Self Out as Architect), 5536.5 (State of Emergency; Practice Without License or Holding Self Out as Architect), 5583 (Fraud in Practice of Architect), and 5583 (Fraud in Practice of Architecture), and 5584 (Willful Misconduct). The Accusation alleged that while his license was expired, Terwilliger executed a written contract to provide architectural services and offered to provide architectural services for a residential structure that was damaged by a natural disaster for which a state of emergency was proclaimed by the governor. He also failed to provide any service to the victim after receiving a deposit, failed to refund deposits, and failed to satisfy a small claims judgment.
 
Respondent renewed his delinquent license, and in another project, received a deposit to provide architectural services. He failed to provide a complete plan, failed to complete and/or make corrections to the plans, and abandoned the project.
This just goes to show that a) it's good to work with a licensed professional because you have recourse and b) you need to report any problems to the appropriate agency. Even if there is seemingly no action taken on your case, it might show a pattern and subsequent enforcement actions could be taken.
 
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In The News
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1. 'Apathy is our Enemy' Memories of '06 stoke fears of next Big One
Memories of '06 stoke fears of next Big One
Scott Lindlaw, Associated Press Writer 
As printed in the SB Sun, 4/18/06

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - From the back of a government SUV, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff watches downtown San Francisco flash by, its high-rises built on the ashes of an earthquake and firestorm a century ago.
The city is all sunshine and hustle-bustle, with no hint of the devastating 1906 quake. But Chertoff is paid to think about the worst-case scenario. In a ride-along interview with The Associated Press, he ticks off his nightmare images of the next Big One. 

http://www.sbsun.com/search/ci_3712077 
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2. Panel: No funds for retrofit subsidies
QUAKES: But experts say San Bernardino, which lies between two faults, should not ignore its geology.
Friday, April 21, 2006
By CHRIS RICHARD
The Press-Enterprise
 
Earthquake Law: San Bernardino requires that owners of unreinforced masonry buildings post warnings of earthquake risks, but doesn't mandate retrofits. Number of occupied unreinforced buildings in the city: 73
 
A San Bernardino City Council committee will recommend that the city enforce only the minimum requirements for unreinforced masonry buildings, even though earthquake researchers call the city one of the most precarious in the state.
 
The council's Legislative Review Committee voted 2-1 Tuesday to stick to the city's current policy: Send owners of unreinforced buildings annual notices that their buildings are unsafe and require them to post warning signs.
 
 
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3. Archivists urge disaster planning
April 26, 2006
Disaster News Network

Thanks to a quick-thinking clerk, when Hurricane Katrina struck Waveland, Miss., the city's vital records were not lost, even though the city hall was washed away, reduced to its very foundation.
 
That's because the clerk had thought to stash the records in a bank vault next door. The bank was destroyed but the vault was left standing.

But other documents weren't so fortunate. In Jackson County, Miss., a five-foot storm surge flooded the county's records center, collapsing its wooden shelving and causing many records to wash away. All evidence and criminal records in St. Bernard’s Parish in Louisiana were lost.
 
http://www.disasternews.net/news/news.php?articleid=3139
 
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4. Volunteer skills untapped
Nonprofit organizations tend to approach the corporate world for money while ignoring a viable resource of skilled volunteers, new research shows.
April 27, 2006
Disaster News Network
 
"Nonprofits are going down the wrong road when they approach corporations for financial support," said Fred Whiting, spokesperson the Points of Light Foundation. "In fact, most corporate leaders say that they would be ready, willing and able to provide volunteers for help in a disaster or for other times when they are needed."
 

A new study on volunteer impact shows that, despite citing a need for more resources, the vast majority of nonprofit organizations are not capitalizing on the professional skills of their volunteers. More than three quarters of nonprofit leaders believe that skilled volunteers could significantly improve their organization's business practices. Yet just 12 percent of nonprofits actually put volunteers to work on such assignments.
 
http://www.disasternews.net/news/news.php?articleid=3140
 
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5. Stop political wrangling, responders urge
As the Senate recommended abolishing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), national and local disaster responders expressed doubts about both the substance and the timing of this message.
April 27, 2006
Disaster News Network
 
A Senate inquiry Thursday urged the scrapping of the nation's disaster response agency. Its central recommendation - among 85 others - is to dump FEMA, then create a National Preparedness and Response Authority under the oversight of the Homeland Security Department.
 
Lawmakers who led the inquiry conceded that such an overhaul could not be made in time for hurricane season. In turn, some responders questioned whether the announcement - made weeks before hurricane season begins - was constructive.
 
http://www.disasternews.net/news/news.php?articleid=3142
 
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6. Tsunami workers reflect on tour
Organizers and participants of a recent trip to the U.S. to tour Hurricane Katrina damage sites say the experience was a success and full of lessons.
April 27, 2006
Disaster News Network
 
The trip, organized by Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA), brought eight Indonesian tsunami relief workers to the U.S. in late March to learn more about the U.S. disaster response process. It was also a way for the Indonesians to give back to the U.S. after they had received so much help after the tsunami.
 
Dr. Rebecca Young, PDA's liaison for tsunami relief, said she agreed that the trip went very well. "I really had two objectives for them and both were met," said Young, who led the delegation and translated for them. "The first was to give them an opportunity to give back to the U.S., in a real way. The second thing was also to help them understand where the support for the tsunami comes from."
 
http://www.disasternews.net/news/news.php?articleid=3141
 
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7. Divisions Arise on Whether FEMA Requires a Tear-Down
Bush disagrees with talk in Congress of remaking the agency, in or out of Homeland Security.
By Johanna Neuman, LA Times Staff Writer
April 28, 2006
 
WASHINGTON — Congress and the White House are headed toward a collision over one of the big questions left unresolved in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina — whether to beef up the nation's key disaster response agency within the Department of Homeland Security or to create a politically independent agency to handle national emergencies.
 
Just weeks before the 2006 hurricane season officially begins June 1, a Senate committee on Thursday called for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to be dismantled and reconstituted as a new, stronger agency within Homeland Security.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-katrina28apr28,1,5235189.story
 
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8. Panel rips state readiness
Major disaster-planning changes urged
Scott Lindlaw, The Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO Despite California's history of disasters, state government is underprepared for a catastrophic earthquake, flood, pandemic or terrorist attack, an independent agency warns.
As printed in the SB Sun, 04/29/2006
 
SAN FRANCISCO - Despite California's history of disasters, state government is underprepared for a catastrophic earthquake, flood, pandemic or terrorist attack, an independent agency warns.
Sweeping changes in the bureaucracy are needed to bolster readiness, the Little Hoover Commission said in a report that was sharply critical of the leadership in Sacramento.
 
http://www.sbsun.com/search/ci_3764693
 
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9. Call us crazy; you'd be right
In Southern California, we have felt the earth tremble, seen it fall away from under our feet and felt fire hot on our faces. Yeah, so? Don't you just love the view!
By Diane Wedner, Times Staff Writer
April 30, 2006
 
MICHAEL Visbal's home is a three-bedroom, three-bath monument to denial.
 
Perched near the top of Malibu's Serra Retreat — a Shangri-La where homes have names and plenty of breathing room — the smallish blue house with great big views sits on a steep slope held up by 16 steel beams.
http://www.latimes.com/classified/realestate/printedition/la-re-125wedner30apr30,1,7567851.story
 
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Old Fire Recovery Group
www.oldfirerecoverygroup.org
909-266-1459 vm/fax