Danville could mandate use of gas shut-off valves

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Apr 6, 2007 | by Jeanine BencaSTAFF

Danville could become one of the first cities in the state to require residents to install a special device that automatically would shut off the home's gas pipes during an earthquake.

The Town Council this week agreed to continue until May 1 a hearing on the proposed ordinance, so that an even more stringent version of the law -- one that would apply every time a house is bought or sold in Danville -- can be explored.

The staff's original recommendation would have made the gas shut- off valves mandatory only when a new house is built or an existing old one is remodeled. But council members Tuesday said they felt their townwide ordinance should match the one that already exists in unincorporated Contra Costa County.

A new county ordinance now requires homeowners in Alamo and other unincorporated communities to install the valves at the time of resale, as well as when new homes or built or old ones remodeled.

"As we listened to some people's testimony saying, 'Why don't we have (the requirement) at the time of resale, since this is what the county is already doing?,' we discussed it and saw the merit of that position," said Councilwoman Candace Andersen.

The shut-off devices, which fasten onto gas pipes leading to homes, automatically shut off the gas supply during earthquakes registering magnitude-5.2 or more. The valves are thought to help prevent gas leaks and explosions.

Of the 10 California cities with a gas shut-off valve ordinance, only Los Angeles and West Hollywood require installation at the time of home resale. Other cities with the requirement -- Brentwood, Clayton, Hercules, Lafayette, Martinez, Orinda and Pittsburg -- mandate installation only in newly built homes and in houses undergoing remodeling.

Councilmembers Mike Shimansky and Mike Doyle stressed the need for urgency in adopting the ordinance. Safety during earthquakes is so important that the vote shouldn't be put off, they said.

But Andersen and Councilwoman Karen Stepper said they preferred to continue the hearing to give local real estate agents a chance to weigh in.

"I think because there's so much confusion about (which communities have the requirement), and because more and more insurance companies have been adding the requirement anyway, it is a good practice for cities," said Danville Realtor Ginny Mees.

Allstate Insurance Co. is among those now requiring policyholders in earthquake-prone areas to install the valves in their homes. The company has been lobbying California cities to adopt ordinances like the one Danville is considering, said Judy Morton, an Allstate agent from Pleasanton.