Houses

In a ruling that is expected to reduce the amount of money that homeowners can collect for construction defects, a state appellate court has determined that builders can be sued for damages only if the home shows physical signs of decay. Previously, homeowners have collected jury awards and settlements, sometimes for millions of dollars, after showing that their homes were not built according to plans, regardless of whether those changes resulted in defects.

A voter with two last names might confound most precinct officials, but for seasoned poll pros like Frank and Shirley Bruno, it's just a matter of remembering the regulars. It has been years since the woman with two last names first walked into the Brunos' family room-turned-polling place, first giving one half of her hyphenated last name, then the other. The Brunos couldn't find her. Had she come to the wrong location--or failed to register?

Patricia Ayala was among dozens of Southern California residents who realized a long-standing dream Saturday. The 34-year-old garment worker from Echo Park was the top bidder (at $68,000) for a three-bedroom Carson house that was one of 162 houses and condominiums offered in a special auction for first-time home buyers. "It's beautiful. There's a yard and a lot of space for the children," Ayala said. "She likes the price the most," said her real estate agent, Josefina Gonzalez.

A North Hills couple died early Tuesday when their single-engine plane crashed into a two-story home whose residents escaped injury by using an emergency ladder they had placed on their balcony just two days earlier. The plane's full fuel tank ignited a fireball that roared through the roof of the home and set the foggy morning aglow, witnesses said. The force of the blast shattered neighbors' windows 50 feet away and hurled flaming debris as far as 100 yards.

Demolition began Friday on one of two homes atop a hillside that partially collapsed onto Pacific Coast Highway and left a portion of the road between Topanga and Las Flores Canyon roads closed indefinitely. Bulldozing equipment was being used to raze a sprawling residence on Sierks Way, one of two homes that were in danger of tumbling down onto houses and the highway below.

Perched atop an unstable Malibu hillside, Caltrans crews worked steadily Sunday to shore up an area that is threatening nearby homes. Pacific Coast Highway between Las Flores Canyon and Topanga Canyon roads remained closed late Sunday. Caltrans officials said they hoped to reopen two lanes of the shoreline highway in time for this morning's commute.

None of the other down-on-their-luck farm workers her family helped out would end up famous. But that was never the point. The migrants had no money, no food, no jobs, no place to stay. Often the only thing they had plenty of was kids. So when another dismal carload would creak up near Felipe Navarro's grocery in La Colonia, he would knock on the kitchen window and his wife, Theresa, would fill a platter with steaming burritos.

On the cliffs of Malibu, above Pacific Coast Highway, two dream homes came down Saturday while business owners below waited restlessly, wondering how much longer the highway will remain closed and customers kept away. As Caltrans crews worked throughout the day to shore up the site of a landslide and demolish the two houses that were in danger of tumbling down a hill, PCH between Topanga and Las Flores Canyon roads remained shut to traffic.

Would a couple of cupolas ruin the small-town feel of Seal Beach? That was the hot debate at Monday night's City Council meeting. The controversy: the Planning Commission's denial of longtime resident and contractor Alan Harbour's request to put a cupola--a round, domed porch--on top of the Cape Cod-style house he plans to build at 519 Ocean Ave.

The anticipated demolition of two ridgetop homes teetering above Pacific Coast Highway was delayed until today or Friday, a Caltrans spokeswoman said Wednesday. The tear-down, slated for Wednesday, was delayed to give homeowners more time to remove belongings. Caltrans workers are trying to make a 500-foot-long earthen berm 14 feet high, she said, to contain the rocks, dirt and boulders that continue to slide down from the bluff.