THE SIERRA MADRE EARTHQUAKE : Latest Damage Estimates Top $42 Million : * Temblor: Officials in Altadena, Arcadia, Monrovia, Pasadena and Sierra Madre are still getting calls about the effects of the June 28 earthquake.

City and county damage estimates from the Sierra Madre earthquake grew this week to more than $42.7 million from $33.5 million, and local officials surveying the losses say they expect the total to go even higher.

The biggest jump came in Altadena, where last week officials reported damage totaling $625,000 from the June 28 quake. By Wednesday morning, county officials said the figure had swelled to $5 million.

Al Shaw, a program specialist in Los Angeles County’s Office of Emergency Management, said the huge increase probably was due to people gradually learning about a hot line set up in County Supervisor Michael Antonovich’s office for homeowners to report damages. Since then, Shaw said, the office has received hundreds of calls.

A final damage figure may mean little, however. The county relied on homeowners’ own estimates of their damage and tallied the numbers last week--before all the calls were in--so Gov. Pete Wilson could decide whether to declare a state of emergency.

It would have taken too long, Shaw explained, to ask county inspectors to put a dollar figure on the amount.

“We were pushed to give the numbers early on,” Shaw said. “But how do you know whether the homeowner is a licensed contractor or a musician? They could be looking at the problem, and would have no idea whether it’s going to be $500 or $7,500.”

Wilson on Friday declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles County, clearing the way for low-interest loans for home and business repairs, and freezing property taxes at the pre-quake rate. On Wednesday, the governor asked the federal Small Business Administration to offer low-interest loans to home owners, tenants and business owners.

Meanwhile, officials in Arcadia, Monrovia, Pasadena and Sierra Madre--the cities hit hardest in the 5.8 temblor--said they still are adding up the losses as residents and business owners continue to trickle in to City Hall to report everything from cracked chimneys to buckling foundations.

In Arcadia, damages grew to an estimated $7 million by Wednesday, up from $3 million reported last week. Officials said the higher figure is simply due to more people calling in damage information.

“We’re still getting calls,” said Donna Butler, Arcadia’s assistant planning director. “It’s incredible. I was surprised. The Building Department got six more calls today.”

Monrovia reported a slight increase, from $6.5 million to $6.7 million.

In Pasadena, which last week reported between $10 million and $12 million in damage to homes, businesses and public buildings, officials said as many as 200 buildings may still have to be inspected, and those damages could add up to another $1 million.

In Sierra Madre, building inspector Steve Pock said his office is continuing to receive calls from people who just returned from vacation, or those who chose to wait before reporting damage. He said there are about 100 homes to inspect, with damages totaling several hundred-thousand dollars. The city last week reported $8.5 million in damages.

One brick house that suffered major damage, including crumbling interior and exterior walls, went unreported until Monday, Pock said, because the owner “just wanted to get things cleaned up first. He also didn’t want reporters around.”

Officials agreed that calculating damage from homeowners’ guesses, experts’ inspections and city employees’ rough estimates is an inexact exercise.

“Calling (the damage figures) an estimate is a misnomer,” said Tom Wilkins, a senior administrative analyst in Pasadena’s Department of Planning, Building and Neighborhood Services. “It’s a moving target at best.”

State and federal officials said homeowners who waited to report their damages until after Friday, when Wilson declared a state of emergency, won’t be excluded from any government assistance programs.

State loans will be offered as a last-resort program after all federal funds, insurance polices and bank loans are exhausted. In addition to requesting Small Business Administration help, the governor is considering asking President Bush to declare a federal state of emergency. A federal declaration could provide money to repair public facilities and grants for needy homeowners.

Residents’ frustration with the bureaucratic process simmered at a Sierra Madre City Council meeting Tuesday night. Several, complaining about the long wait for government assistance, approached officials to ask for advice about the rebuilding process.

“When you suffer damage, it’s a life-changing experience,” said Steve Halasey.

“There is a lot of confusion,” Bill Treder said. “What should we be doing?”

Times staff writer Anna Cearley contributed to this report.

Quake hot lines

To report structural damage or request rubble removal (Area code for all numbers is 818):

Pasadena: 405-4200

Arcadia: 574-5416

Monrovia: 359-3231 Ext. 327

Sierra Madre: 355-7135

Unincorporated areas: 574-0941