LOS ANGELES >> The Los Angeles City Council instructed staffers Friday to report back on ways property owners could pay for seismic retrofitting projects that could be required as part of Mayor Eric Garcetti's earthquake resiliency proposal.
Garcetti in December unveiled a plan that called for requiring certain older homes to be reinforced against earthquakes.
The proposed mandates would apply to soft-story apartments, which are built atop carports, and brittle concrete buildings, constructed prior to 1980, when the city began requiring earthquake reinforcements on new construction.
The City Administrative Officer will evaluate possible financing agencies and report back on his recommendations.
City officials also will look into a statewide program, known as PACE or Property Assessed Clean Energy, that would allow property owners to finance the retrofit projects through their property taxes.
This would benefit people who may not have all of the funds up front, according to Councilman Bob Blumenfield, who proposed the idea.
Concerns were also brought up at a recent Housing Committee meeting about the degree to which landlords would be allowed to pass the retrofitting costs onto renters.
Some property owners also are asking city officials to look into doing away with the city's rent control law, which they say makes it difficult for them to come up with the funds to pay for the seismic retrofits.
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