AREA CLEANING UP QUAKE-HIT HOMES.

Byline: Sherry Joe Crosby Daily News Staff Writer

Just two quake-damaged houses remain unrepaired since the 1994 Northridge Quake, according to a recently released city report.

The houses at 25538 Via Desca and 22509 Sixth St. are uninhabitable and have cracks in the foundations, walls and ceilings. But the owners promise to fix the unsightly houses, which have drawn vagrants and vandals in the past.

``I'm very pleased,'' said city building official Ruben Barrera. ``I think we've been very successful in working with the property owners in getting the properties cleaned up and repaired in a reasonable time frame.''

Homes in Valencia Hills, the Summit and Old Orchard tracts were hard hit by the 6.7-magnitude quake, which caused $29 million in total damages to the city of Santa Clarita.

Unable to afford the repairs, many property owners abandoned their dilapidated houses, which now feature trash-strewn and weed-filled front yards.

``The landscape was dry. There were weeds and overgrown vegetation and earthquake debris,'' Barrera said. ``It would really look dilapidated and abandoned and it wasn't really in conformance with the look of the neighborhood.''

But thanks to a crackdown on derelict property owners that included threats of legal action, the city narrowed from 21 to two the number of quake-ravaged houses identified as eyesores in January. Since then, five houses have been completely renovated; 10 are undergoing repairs and four show signs of improvement. Repairs haven't begun on the remaining two but the owners promised they would soon take action.

Morgan Ramy, a real estate agent who bought the Via Desca house in September, said she plans to renovate the house and resell it for a profit. She already has repaired a sagging fence surrounding the property and placed locks on the front doors.

The owner of the Sixth Street house plans to raze it by the end of this month.

Homeowners said they're pleased with the progress but said much still needs to be done before their neighborhoods return to their pre-earthquake condition.

``It's hard to see if there's change because the properties change hands so often,'' said Steve Hart, president of the Valencia Hills Homeowners Association. ``They're bought by speculators or builders and they're not necessarily burning with desire and energy to fix them.''

Via Onda resident Eugene Vilkas agreed. ``There are still some empty lots and some houses that have not been rebuilt. They're standing like monuments but nothing happens.''

Repairs have been slow city officials said because they had to track down absentee homeowners, contractors and builders who bought the houses on speculation. It's not uncommon for a house to change hands three times before significant repairs are made, Barrera said.

Steve Angelo, a damaged property specialist with The Prudential in Valencia, owns nine quake-ravaged properties in Santa Clarita. He said he plans to rent most of the properties and sell the others for a profit. He said seven are repaired and the other two will be completed in about six weeks.

Angelo said he can understand his neighbors' frustrations, but said he is doing a service for the community by repairing blighted houses.

``We're getting blamed for these properties when we should be heroes in the neighborhood,'' said Angelo who calls himself, ``Mr. Earthquake.'' ``We're not only having to deal with the property but with the mess that comes with it.''

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

Photo: (1--color) A Valencia home on Via Desca that wasdamaged in the 1994 earthquake has been fenced in to keep out trespassers.

(2) Steve Angelo, the owner of one of the two remaining quake-damaged homes, says the house should be repaired in six weeks.

Shaun Dyer/Special to the Daily News