Agoura Hills Storm Victims Criticize City : Flooding: The property owners cite a lack of municipal support, try to determine who is liable.

Agoura Hills residents whose homes were damaged by last week’s fierce storms accused the city Saturday of lack of support during the crisis.

They also said they are frustrated by statements from city officials that the property owners are probably responsible for the damage. At a news conference, the homeowners said they have spoken with attorneys to try to determine whether anyone else can be held liable.

One of the lawyers the homeowners consulted was Richard D. Norton, a specialist in landslide law. In 1989, Norton represented seven Pacific Palisades residents and won $26.8 million in damages in a case brought against State Farm Insurance Co.

“We’ve got a lot of angry people here today,” said William Ferber, whose residence in the 27900 block of Via Amistosa was condemned after his back yard shifted, resulting in large cracks in the walls of his house.

Two of the hillside houses, ranging in value from $300,000 to $500,000, have been condemned, and a dozen others have significant damage, ranging from flooded bathrooms to cracked driveways and retention walls.

Richard O’Linn’s house also was condemned, and his family has been living in a Ramada Inn for a week. O’Linn organized the news conference and enlisted the help of other residents to contact each other.

“The city said the fault lies with the homeowners who didn’t clean their storm drains,” O’Linn said.

Councilwoman Louise Rishoff said city officials have done everything they can to help the beleaguered homeowners.

“We had several members of the City Council out last Saturday,” Rishoff said. “We had 25 members of the volunteer disaster response team helping with traffic and any physical assistance that was needed.

“There was an early and substantial city response,” she said.

Rishoff said the residences on the hillside tracts were built years before the city was incorporated in 1982, under grading standards that were more lax.

“We’re going to determine the cause, and when it is determined then it will be the time to start assigning responsibility for the correction,” she said.

But residents were critical of the city on several fronts.

In regard to being held responsible for cleaning out the drainage pipes, they said the pipes were underground, and residents weren’t even aware of them.

Einar Linaro, a homeowner who lives next door to Ferber on Via Amistosa, said that after the storms he and his son were digging in the back yard and found a remnant of a four-inch pipe.

“They were designed to be maintenance-free,” Linaro said. “Nobody in the tract knew about those interior drains.”

After the first rainfall, O’Linn said, the city issued a 48-hour notice for him to repair his residence, or evacuate.

O’Linn said he and other residents asked the city for help in reinforcing the hillsides using bulldozers, or building a retaining wall.

Instead, resident Bob Fenton said: “They brought up the tarp and sandbags. This city guy said, ‘What are we supposed to do, cover every single hill in Agoura with plastic?’ ”

“Some of these homes could still be saved,” Fenton said.

“All of what we asked for has fallen on deaf ears,” said Lou Alfonso, who lives on Calle Montecillo, a street on the hill above Via Amistosa.

“You would think the city has a vested interest in protecting this property. They are not even here,” he said.

After his house was condemned, Ferber and his wife moved to the Ramada Inn in Agoura Hills. He also contacted a geologist.

“The geologist said there had been improper grading,” he said. “The homes were built in the 1970s, and there has been a lot of land movement since then. The city says it’s our responsibility. Fix it or get out.

“I’ve been told to have patience, but my patience is wearing thin,” he said.