EARTHQUAKE: THE LONG ROAD BACK : Board OKs Ordinance Outlawing Price Gouging : Recovery: Law applies to costs of emergency supplies in unincorporated areas following disasters.

Cities hard-hit by last week’s earthquake moved Tuesday to smooth the road to reconstruction or force demolition of dangerous buildings, while the county Board of Supervisors approved an emergency ordinance to make price gouging during disasters a crime.

Responding to complaints of inflated prices for food, gasoline and building materials in the hours after the Northridge quake, the supervisors unanimously approved Dist. Atty. Michael D. Bradbury’s request to outlaw such practices.

“There are bad seeds out there who will take advantage of whatever they can,” Supervisor Maria VanderKolk said. “You just cannot trust some people, and that’s unfortunate.”

The Thousand Oaks City Council joined the Simi Valley council--which acted Monday evening--in waiving fees for building permits for repair of quake-damaged buildings.

Most Simi Valley council members also said now is the time to consider building a new police station to replace the severely damaged 20-year-old one.

And some Thousand Oaks council members said they were considering new legal action against the architect of the city’s 12-year-old main library, which suffered more damage than any other building in the city.

In Fillmore, the City Council identified 14 structures to be demolished because they are structurally undermined and pose a public hazard. Included in that number are the historic Masonic Building, the Fillmore Theater and the Fillmore Hotel.

But a state architectural historian told the council that such demolitions would rob Fillmore of significant monuments to its oil and farming past.

Meanwhile, the nation’s top housing and disaster aid officials visited Fillmore and hailed the city’s response to the 6.6-magnitude Northridge quake as something to be proud of.

Although suffering an estimated $250 million in damage--including massive destruction in its historic business district--Fillmore opened its first emergency shelter within 90 minutes of the 4:31 a.m. quake, noted U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Henry Cisneros as he saw the devastation first-hand.

“Obviously, they’re proud of their downtown,” said Federal Emergency Management Agency Director James Lee Witt. “It reminds me of where I came from” in Arkansas.

Buttonholed by county Supervisor Vicky Howard, Cisneros promised to sign the $2.8-million block grant for Ventura County that he announced last week. The housing secretary also offered to make good on another promise for an immediate $1.2 million in loans to rebuild damaged houses.

Howard drove Tuesday evening to Pasadena to pick up the checks.

At the same time, Fillmore Mayor Linda Brewster announced that FEMA has promised the city trailers as emergency housing for some of the 100 families still seeking a place to live. The trailers should be delivered within 48 hours and set up on county-owned property, she said.

Witt promised that federal agencies would continue what he characterized as a rapid response to the needs of Ventura County, which suffered $500 million to $1 billion in damage.

Fillmore Councilman Roger Campbell, who lost his house to the quake, said he has been impressed with FEMA’s local efforts.

“They gave me hope,” Campbell said.

About 6,000 dwellings have been damaged countywide, including about 1,350 with moderate or severe damage in Fillmore and Simi Valley alone, inspectors have reported. About 200 businesses, mostly in Simi Valley, Fillmore and Piru, also were moderately or severely damaged.

While federal officials surveyed county damage, local officials responded with new laws and fee breaks to aid quake victims.

County supervisors voted 4 to 0 to adopt a price-gouging ordinance that makes it a misdemeanor to inflate prices in the county’s unincorporated areas after a disaster. Bradbury also has proposed that all 10 local cities adopt similar laws.

Under the new county ordinance, anyone who is caught raising prices on food, water and other emergency supplies by more than 10% could face a fine or jail time.

After the Jan. 17 quake, Bradbury’s office received about a dozen complaints of price gouging on essentials--such as $8-a-gallon milk and $8 pieces of plywood sold for $200.

“Unfortunately, excessive price increases were not uncommon,” Assistant Dist. Atty. Colleen Toy White said.

The supervisors also voted to eliminate building permit fees for quake victims and gave victims permission to stay on their property in trailers until houses are rebuilt.

The Simi Valley Council, at its first meeting since the quake last Monday, moved to help residents and business owners repair damaged buildings, ratifying the city manager’s emergency decision to waive building fees for quake-related repairs.

The council also warned residents to watch out for fly-by-night contractors who are popping up in the city.

“You don’t want to have someone come in, take your money, do a halfway job and then disappear,” Councilwoman Judy Mikels said. “People really need to be careful.”

Through Monday, Simi Valley city inspectors had plastered red or yellow tags signifying extreme or moderate damage on 317 homes, 108 commercial and industrial buildings and six churches--deeming them unsafe or of questionable safety. Thousands more buildings suffered less severe damage.

Permits are required for repairing everything from fireplaces, roofs and foundations to gas, water and sanitation lines.

A resident seeking permits to replace a roof and fireplace normally would pay about $200 in fees.

City officials also agreed to accelerate the permit process by allowing residents with engineer-certified construction plans to skip the city’s plan review, a process that can take up to 10 days.

Meanwhile, Councilwoman Barbara Williamson called for a new police station, saying she feared for the safety of police officers who work at the city’s quake-damaged Cochran Street facility.

“I have a real problem with our men in blue going into that building,” Williamson said.

The quake sank the southeast corner of the station several inches, ripping a stairwell away from the walls and snapping a water line on the second floor, flooding the building’s lockers and gym.

Williamson asked city staff to prepare a study on the possible relocation of the department.

Simi Valley Mayor Greg Stratton and council members Bill Davis and Sandi Webb said they supported construction of a new station eventually.

For the short term, Stratton said he would favor relocation of some police officers to the old Simi Valley courthouse rather than rebuilding the damaged police station.

“We’re going to have to do it one day, and maybe now is not a bad time to start the planning,” he said.

In announcing its list of buildings to be demolished, the Fillmore City Council said that even a moderate quake could topple the 14 damaged structures city inspectors have decided to raze.

But a representative from the California Office of Historic Preservation urged the council to reconsider the condemnation orders. Mitch Stone said demolition of the Masonic Building, which lost its back wall and is leaning toward Central Avenue, would be a tremendous mistake.

“This is a key building for downtown,” said Stone, a former Fillmore planner, in an interview. “If it were demolished, nothing equaling its importance could replace it. It would be missed forever.”

Stone was also concerned that the owners of the Fillmore Theater, built in 1917, and the turn-of-the-century Central Avenue Market seem intent on demolishing their buildings or letting the city do it for them.

“The city should be looking at alternatives for these owners,” Stone said. “I don’t think they understand that in most of these cases, when the building comes down nothing will be put up in its place and the city will have vacant lots.”

Demolition of the six houses and eight businesses may start this week, although owners can appeal to the City Council, officials said.

In Thousand Oaks, the City Council waived building permit fees that officials said could amount to $30,000 in lost revenue.

Although the city did not take any formal action Tuesday night, some council members said the city should take a hard look at whether the architectural firm that designed the city’s $9-million library made mistakes that led to $2 million in quake damage.

The city has already sued Albert C. Martin & Associates of Los Angeles, claiming the firm is responsible for $1.8 million in alleged flaws with the roof, lighting and duct work.

Council members said they are waiting for investigators to determine whether the collapse of the 12-year-old building’s metal ceiling could have been avoided.

Falling ceiling panels ruptured sprinkler pipes and crashed into books and shelves, officials said.

“Obviously they should have taken into consideration the dangers of having a metal ceiling,” City Councilman Frank Schillo said before Tuesday night’s meeting. “They assured us this would be the best possible ceiling, and now it doesn’t look like that was true.”

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Times staff writer Sara Catania and correspondents Maia Davis, Scott Hadly and Matthew Mosk contributed to this story.

* RELATED STORIES: A1

How to Help

Ventura County residents who want to help earthquake victims may contact the following agencies:

* The American Red Cross is seeking volunteer nurses and financial donations. Send checks made out to “American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund” to P.O. Box 5850, Ventura, CA 93005. Information: 339-2234.

* The Salvation Army is requesting bottled water, tents, blankets, cots, sleeping bags, packaged food, diapers and toys. Financial donations marked “Earthquake” may be sent to the Salvation Army, 900 W. 9th St., Los Angeles, CA 90015. For credit card donations and assistance, call (800) 725-9005. Items can be delivered to 155 S. Oak St., Ventura. Information: 648-5031.

* Catholic Charities is accepting money, blankets, tarps and plastic, non-perishable food and clothing, including warm jackets and sweaters, at four locations: 798 E. Thompson Blvd., Ventura (643-4694); 402 N. A St., Oxnard (486-2900); 80 E. Hillcrest Drive, Suite 216, Thousand Oaks (496-1113), and 77 1st St., Moorpark (529-0720).

* The Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce, Lutheran Social Services and the city of Thousand Oaks need bedding, sleeping bags, blankets and sheets, flashlights and batteries, diapers, tents or tarps, personal hygiene items, first aid supplies, bottled water and food for Conejo Valley and Simi Valley residents. Supplies are being collected at 80 Hillcrest Drive, Suite 215, Thousand Oaks. Information: 497-6207.

* Food Share Inc., 4156 N. Southbank Road, Oxnard, is accepting bottled water, non-perishable food and money. Information: 647-3944 or 983-7100.

* The United Way is providing referrals to various Ventura County agencies for those needing assistance or seeking to offer help. The United Way is also accepting financial donations. Checks made out to “United Way Earthquake Relief Fund” can be sent to United Way of Ventura County, 1339 Del Norte Road, Camarillo, CA 93010. Information: 485-6288.

* Clinicas del Camino Real Inc., which provides medical care to needy residents in Fillmore and Piru, is accepting financial donations to help buy a mobile medical unit to replace its clinic, Centro de Salud Familiar de Fillmore, which was heavily damaged in the quake. Send donations to Clinicas Disaster Relief Fund, P.O. Box 4669, Ventura, CA 93007. Information: 650-0688.

FYI

Residents hiring building contractors should ask to see a valid California contractor’s license and a liability and workers’ compensation certificate. To verify the license number, call the Contractors’ State License Board at 654-4515.