Mary Cummins, Real Estate Appraiser, Animal Advocates, Los Angeles, California

Mary Cummins, Real Estate Appraiser, Animal Advocates, Los Angeles, California
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Showing posts with label testing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label testing. Show all posts

Sunday, May 4, 2025

Study Shows High Levels of Lead, Arsenic, Mercury Post Los Angeles Fires by Mary Cummins

High levels of lead, arsenic and mercury have been found in the soil after post fire soil removal in Los Angeles, California. Previously FEMA and USACE would remove six inches of topsoil, test then remove more if the tests revealed toxic materials. After the January 2025 Los Angeles fires they decided to only remove the top six inches and not test. That's when the LA Times sent out their researchers to test the soil. They found toxic materials in fully destroyed and nearby intact properties. This is why I've been telling people to do their own testing. 

https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2025-05-04/the-government-wont-test-soil-on-properties-burned-in-the-la-fires-so-we-did-it-ourselves

"In the wake of the recent L.A. area fires, federal officials have broken with their decades-long tradition of testing soil to determine whether and when it is safe for people to come home.

The federal agencies typically tasked with this work — the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers — decided not to conduct comprehensive soil testing, stating that removing 6 inches of topsoil from properties that burned in the fires is enough to meet health-based cleanup goals.

An investigation by The Times uncovers government failures to ensure comprehensive cleanup of fire-related contamination in Altadena and Pacific Palisades left toxic substances buried in the soil of L.A.’s burn zones.

Times reporters conducted soil testing on 40 properties across both the Altadena and Pacific Palisades burn zones. The testing followed strict protocol with samples carefully collected, stored and transported to a state-certified lab in Fresno to be analyzed for 17 toxic metals.

The results confirm that some properties deemed safe are in fact still contaminated: Two of 10 properties remediated by the Army Corps in the Eaton fire burn area are still imbued with heavy metals above California’s health protective standards, the results show.

The Times’ tests also revealed elevated levels of arsenic, lead and mercury in the yards of three homes out of 10 homes that survived the Eaton fire.

The findings underscore the risk lurking just beneath the surface for nearly all residents in California — and for millions of Americans who will rely on future federal support in the wake of worsening climate disasters."

Mary Cummins of Cummins Real Estate is a certified residential licensed appraiser in Los Angeles, California. Mary Cummins is licensed by the California Bureau of Real Estate appraisers and has over 35 years of experience.


Mary Cummins, Mary K. Cummins, Mary Katherine Cummins, Mary, Cummins, #marycummins #animaladvocates #losangeles #california #wildlife #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehabilitator #realestate #realestateappraiser #realestateappraisal #lawsuit real estate, appraiser, appraisal, instructor, teacher, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Brentwood, Bel Air, California, licensed, permitted, certified, single family, condo, condominium, pud, hud, fannie mae, freddie mac, fha, uspap, certified, residential, certified resident, apartment building, multi-family, commercial, industrial, expert witness, civil, criminal, orea, dre, brea insurance, bonded, experienced, bilingual, spanish, english, form, 1004, 2055, 1073, land, raw, acreage, vacant, insurance, cost, income approach, market analysis, comparative, theory, appraisal theory, cost approach, sales, matched pairs, plot, plat, map, diagram, photo, photographs, photography, rear, front, street, subject, comparable, sold, listed, active, pending, expired, cancelled, listing, mls, multiple listing service, claw, themls, historical appraisal, facebook, linkedin

DISCLAIMER: https://mary--cummins.blogspot.com/p/disclaimer-privacy-policy-for-blogs-by.html

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Monday, May 9, 2022

California Balcony Bills SB 721, SB 326 Inspections Due January 2025, by Mary Cummins Real Estate Appraiser

balcony bill, sb 721, mary cummins, real estate, appraiser, los angeles, california, repair, inspection, 2025, permit, building, safety,Wikipedia. 

The California Balcony Bill SB 721 passed in 2018. All building owners of three multifamily units or more with balconies or decks must be inspected by a professional by January 1, 2025. Subsequent inspections will be every six years. Any repairs must be made by a professional with permits. The purpose of the bill is to prevent a balcony or deck collapse which can and has killed people. 

SB 721, Hill. Building standards: decks and balconies: inspection.

Existing law provides authority for an enforcement agency to enter and inspect any buildings or premises whenever necessary to secure compliance with or prevent a violation of the building standards published in the California Building Standards Code and other rules and regulations that the enforcement agency has the power to enforce.

This bill would require an inspection of exterior elevated elements and associated waterproofing elements, as defined, including decks and balconies, for buildings with 3 or more multifamily dwelling units by a licensed architect, licensed civil or structural engineer, a building contractor holding specified licenses, or an individual certified as a building inspector or building official, as specified. The bill would require the inspections, including any necessary testing, to be completed by January 1, 2025, with certain exceptions, and would require subsequent inspections every 6 years, except as specified. The bill would require the inspection report to contain specified items and would require that a copy of the inspection report be presented to the owner of the building within 45 days of the completion of the inspection and would require copies of the reports to be maintained in the building owner’s records for 2 inspection cycles, as specified. The bill would require that if the inspection reveals conditions that pose an immediate hazard to the safety of the occupants, the inspection report be delivered to the owner of the building within 15 days and emergency repairs be undertaken, as specified, with notice given to the local enforcement agency. The nonemergency repairs made under these provisions would be required to be completed within 120 days, unless an extension is granted by the local authorities. The bill would authorize local enforcement agencies to recover enforcement costs associated with these requirements. The bill would require the local enforcement agency to send a 30-day corrective notice to the owner of the building if repairs are not completed on time and would provide for specified civil penalties and liens against the property for the owner of the building who fails to comply with these provisions. The bill would exclude a common interest development, as defined, from these provisions. The bill would require any building subject to these provisions that is proposed for conversion to condominiums to be sold to the public after January 1, 2019, to have the required inspection conducted prior to the first close of escrow of a separate interest in the project, and would require the inspection report and written confirmation by the inspector that any recommended repairs or replacements have been completed to be submitted to, among others, the Department of Real Estate and included in certain required statements and reports, as specified. The bill would authorize a local governing entity to enact stricter requirements than those imposed by these provisions.

Link to actual bill with full text.

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB721

SB 326 Bill

This bill mandates that HOA's hire a competent inspector to inspect the common areas of a multi-family project at least once every nine years. This includes load bearing structures such as balconies, decks, stairs, elevated walkways including a sufficient sampling of units by January 1, 2025. If there are repairs to be made, they must be made. 

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200SB326

Some tips on inspecting, looking at your own balcony, deck..

https://amtrustfinancial.com/getmedia/3aa40bbd-bf5c-4906-b2e6-295dfe2d0095/Deck-and-Balcony-Inspection-Things-to-Look-For.pdf

Mary Cummins of Cummins Real Estate is a certified residential licensed appraiser in Los Angeles, California. Mary Cummins is licensed by the California Bureau of Real Estate appraisers and has over 35 years of experience.


Mary Cummins, Mary K. Cummins, Mary Katherine Cummins, Mary, Cummins, #marycummins #animaladvocates #losangeles #california #wildlife #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehabilitator #realestate #realestateappraiser #realestateappraisal #lawsuit real estate, appraiser, appraisal, instructor, teacher, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Brentwood, Bel Air, California, licensed, permitted, certified, single family, condo, condominium, pud, hud, fannie mae, freddie mac, fha, uspap, certified, residential, certified resident, apartment building, multi-family, commercial, industrial, expert witness, civil, criminal, orea, dre, brea insurance, bonded, experienced, bilingual, spanish, english, form, 1004, 2055, 1073, land, raw, acreage, vacant, insurance, cost, income approach, market analysis, comparative, theory, appraisal theory, cost approach, sales, matched pairs, plot, plat, map, diagram, photo, photographs, photography, rear, front, street, subject, comparable, sold, listed, active, pending, expired, cancelled, listing, mls, multiple listing service, claw, themls, historical appraisal, facebook, linkedin DISCLAIMER: https://mary--cummins.blogspot.com/p/disclaimer-privacy-policy-for-blogs-by.html
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