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Toxic mold: A stubborn houseguest

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13StarsManager
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“Behold, if the plague be spread in the walls of the house…” Book of Leviticus, King James Version of the Holy Bible.

Although different from the “mold” referred to in the Bible, today’s toxic mold can make people sick and force families to move out of their house, leaving possessions behind.

Recently, a Malibu family was affected by toxic mold in a home they had just purchased near a private beach. They were initially attracted to the house because it offered space for the children and it seemed like paradise for this family of five, but the dream was quickly shattered when the children became inexplicably sick, developing allergies they never had before.

Once they found the cause for their persistent illnesses, the family moved out, leaving everything behind.

The 19-year-old house was affected by mold, a tenacious, unwelcome houseguest. It climbs up bathroom walls, invades carpet and infests drywall.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, six varieties of household mold are common, and three can produce toxins. The CDC linked one of them, stachybotrys atra, to 10 cases of lung disorder in infants five years ago and 100 cases since then. Unfortunately, it’s impossible for homeowners to distinguish between toxic and the benign molds–they all look like black or gray sooty patches.

This invader usually surfaces when moisture accumulates in hard to reach areas. But not all molds are toxic. However, this Malibu family was heavily impacted by the mold in their home.

“When it rained, it became apparent that water was draining into the house and into the bedroom wall,” said the new property owner. “That construction defect was ignored for years.”

At first, the young mother did not know anything about mold, so she watched her family come down with flu-like symptoms. But two more unusual symptoms showed up in some of the family members–they began to have nose bleeds and rashes. “For a while I thought this was stress. I didn’t really understand what was going on,” she said. “In a way it’s lucky, because right after we moved we had two big storms and we noticed that the walls were wet,” she continued.

Months later, the family is now involved in a lawsuit because of the mold. Furthermore, the family’s insurance company did not compensate for losses because they stated that this was a pre-existing condition.

In an effort to save a few treasured possessions, the family recently hired a special restoration firm. “They sent in a crew of six people who went in the house with masks and saved some treasured hard furniture items and most of the photographs,” said a family member.

“Our philosophy is that it was so expensive that it became necessary for us to save only things that had sentimental value.” Soft items like couches or bedding could not be saved.

This family is not alone. Last year another Malibu resident had $100,000 worth of work done to clean up mold, said Stephen Roy, founder of Process Environmental, Inc., a company based in Valencia that specializes in environmental and structural mold detection and removal.

A few have even taken the drastic step of burning down their houses and possessions to avoid spreading the mold any further.

While there are many reasons why toxic mold may grow in a house, tight insulation could be a primary cause.

As builders and homeowners attempt to insulate homes to alleviate the costs of heating and cooling, the combination of tight insulation and inexpensive water pipes can cause leaks in a tight environment. This increase of moisture leads to mold growth.

According to Process Environmental, mold problems are always the result of a moisture problem. If mold is growing in a home, there is something wrong that needs correction to prevent recurrence. The company states, “Just as with an iceberg, the invisible portion of the contamination is often much larger than the visible bloom. It may be hidden within wall cavities or in the building’s framing.” When certain kinds of molds are present, they release micro toxins, which can what makes people sick. “Even when you kill the mold, the spores can make you sick,” said Roy.

Spores are usually everywhere in the air, but in low concentrations until mold begins to grow.

There are many areas in a home or building where moisture intrusion can take place. For example, mold will live on the backside of wallpaper in the bathroom and eat the glue.

There are 50,000 varieties of mold, of which 50 may be harmful, said Roy. But when moisture comes in and increases moisture content to more than 60 percent, then it only takes three days for toxic mold to grow.

Mold problems can be detected when someone has allergies that originate when they are in a particular building, but go away if they leave the building.

“If they went away from the home for a period of time and felt better, then that’s an indication something in the environment is bothering them,” said Roy.

A musty odor in the house can also be an indication of mold. “Always look at the air flow in the heating and A/C system,” said Roy. Mold puts out spores that can spread throughout the house, and the A/C and heating ducts are a means for it to spread.

Climate is not necessarily a factor. “It turns out there are problems in many areas,” said Roy, including desert areas because they use cheap plumbing.

In Malibu, the climate has higher moisture content and that will precipitate the growth of mold.

Because the concerns about toxic mold and its effects on people have been increasing recently, the California state Senate approved the country’s first mold bill.

Bill 732, authored by Sen. Debra Ortiz, will require a seller to disclose the existence of mold in a home in a real estate transfer.

Mold has also created another domino effect for homeowners. Insurance companies changed their policies in an effort to minimize costs, starting April 1, because of escalating claims. “But it’s much disputed in the courts,” explained Roy, because no clear cut direction exists.

More information about mold can be obtained on the Center for Disease Control’s Web site at http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/asthma/factsheets/molds/default.htm and on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Web site at http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/moldresources.html.

Let’s bond together

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13StarsManager
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Last week, The Malibu Times, a strong local opinion maker, characterized the proposed $15 Million Bond Measure as “another hot potato soon to be tossed to voters.” I’d like to suggest a rethinking of that characterization.

How about seeing the Bond as a great Opportunity and Challenge for the Malibu community to show some political maturity by working together in spite of differences.

How about seeing the Bond’s passage as the first common goal we’ve had since Cityhood.

How about seeing the Bond as a great, last chance to do something to preserve land before all the large parcels are developed and to choose to build parks, ball fields, or a community center instead of another shopping center or high-density residential project.

The Bond Measure is a wonderful opportunity to stop complaining and start accomplishing something excellent for the entire community.

Mona Loo, Steering Committee member

Malibu Coalition for Parks and Land

Malibu publishing guru expands

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13StarsManager
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Dot-coms have taken a dive, financial forecasters predict gloom and doom for everything from the stock market to the federal budget, and California may face financial straits because of the energy crisis, but one man seems unfazed by it all.

Bill Curtis just bought his favorite magazine, which he intends to make better (and make lots of money on), and his bustling company is expanding across the country. All that, and he has dizzying plans for the future.

The wildly diverse CurtCo Media Labs, which includes the magazine publishing company, Malibu Studios (a post production house), a recording studio and an Internet radio station, is still growing.

Curtis projects 100 or so employees in the near future reporting to work every morning to the beautiful wood offices off Heathercliff Road. That and the offices he is building in Boston–“We’ll drop it right in there in Harvard Square”–and New York.

All of the growth is coming in response to the purchase of the Robb Report–think GQ with absurdly lavish toys–and its sister publication, Showcase–the Victoria’s Secret for luxury item connoisseurs.

The two high-end journals (the average income of their subscribers, according to Curtis, is more than $1 million per year) would be king scores to any publishing company, but are especially sweet for CurtCo Media. The expert acquisition group specializes in niche publications, that focus on a specific market or item. Curtis says, “The market is just limitless, and virtually untapped–you have houses, boats, planes, everything that the wealthy purchase.” He says he can see dozens of spin-off possibilities from the two existing magazines.

Curtis’ big move, which he calls “something really special for me,” is the latest in a string of renovation projects. The company, now named CurtCo Robb Media, LLC, has already found success in the stereo and video markets–again focusing on particular niche audiences.

“What we do,” explains Curtis, “is go in with what we refer to as the SWAT team. We have this group that infiltrates the publication on every level, getting into everything. We completely overhaul it from there.”

And CurtCo Media brings something a bit different to the table. “We have an editor in chief and the art director. And the graphics department doesn’t necessarily report to the editor. Just because you can write doesn’t mean you have any aesthetic taste, you know?”

And it does work. CurtCo Media, like a real estate developer going in renovating, then selling, has turned around dozens of publications.

After spending several years as an advertising representative for the Financial Times of London and CBS Publishing, Curtis opened his own firm in 1982 in Marina del Rey, representing clients like Inside Sports, Stereo Review and Popular Photography.

Three years later, CurtCo Media Labs was launched with Car Audio and Audio Video Interiors, both of which were aimed at markets Curtis says “simply cried out for representation.” Both were sold after they reached top positions in their fields.

In 1989 Curtis entered the computer and communications market by launching such magazines as Mobile Office, Portable Computing and Cellular Buyer Guide; again, after they achieved significant circulation, they were sold. The eight-figure deal enabled Curtis to launch Home Theater Magazine and, soon after, he formed a 50-50 partnership with Freedom Communications (publishers of the Orange County Register, 27 other dailies and owner of eight TV network affiliates), with Curtis remaining as president and CEO. Last December, Home Theater was sold to Petersen Publishing for $60 million,” according to an April 1999 article in The Malibu Times.

What does all this mean? Is there a publishing guru in Malibu?

“Yeah, yeah,” Curtis shrugs. “We do have a unique thing. We should be on Madison Avenue, I guess, but who wants that? We come to work every morning and the beach is right there, I mean it’s beautiful. We can work year round. We’re not climbing over one another screaming for a vacation. So I think we get more done out here than they do in New York. There are a lot of advantages.”

And the acquisition of Robb Report confirms the CurtCo Media phenomenon, with continued success despite the location on the West Coast. And you get the feeling Curtis is just getting started.

Drowning in the voice mail vortex

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13StarsManager
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The trouble with going on vacation for a month, particularly if you’re leaving the country, is that you have to get everything in order.

Time’s run out on all those pesky projects.

When the weather got nice, I abandoned my desk for the garden. The gray fleece sweats went into a trunk and the khaki shorts came out. There is nothing as life affirming as the feel of the sun warming the backs of your legs while tending nature’s blessings: watering, weeding, planting or just moving the rocks around.

I’m leaving for France this week–ohmigod, I’ve only got three days left-and my desk is piled high with bills to pay, tax forms to fill out, documents to find, receipts to file, catalog orders to be checked (something’s always on back order).

Every single thing seems to require an hour or more on the telephone, usually in a holding pattern, listening to elevator music interrupted every 30 seconds by an automated voice saying, “Your call is important to us, so please stay on the line. Don’t hang up, the next available idiot, er operator, will take your call.” Yeah, right.

Now there are only a few things you can do while in Bell hell. Those who find canned music soporific can doze off, at the risk of missing the next available operator. I find faux music less soothing than supremely irritating, so a quick nap is out of the question. I have a portable phone, but I can’t carry it out to the garden because if I ever get connected to a live body, they will want a zillion numbers from my invoice or whatever. So, confined to the desk, I do crossword puzzles, pondering the possible synonyms for “parapet opening,” nine letters beginning with “e” or “rendezvous participant,” seven letters ending in “r.” Maybe tryster? Dumb word.

I must limit these telephone quests to one a day or I’ll go mad. For instance: I’ve been trying to get a replacement for a defective plumbing part for about two months. A series of calls to the sales rep went unanswered, messages were not returned, etc. Finally, I reach her, tell her my sad story, give her the numbers off the invoice, and she says, “No problem. Just call Price Pfister and they’ll send you a replacement.” Oookay.

Now P.Pf. holds the all time record for long distance waiting. “Due to the unusually heavy volume of calls, you may experience longer waits than usual (about a week). Please try another time or stay on the line for the next available you know who.” Two minutes of elevator music. La, la, la. Lest we nod off: “Your call is important … blah, blah, blah.”

I’m frowning over 61 across when finally a cheery voice says, “Thank you for waiting. May I help you?” I certainly hope so.

I describe what’s wrong with the faucet, date and place of purchase and a zillion numbers from the invoice. “We should be able to send that to you, but we’ll need you to fax us a copy of the invoice.” Great. I drive two miles to my son-in-law’s shop. The fax won’t go through. Are you sure it’s the right number? I call back; get 20 minutes of la, la, la.

No puzzle, so I gaze at posters of super cross riders flying through the air on their motorcycles. This keeps me awake. Right number. “I’ll go check the fax machine.” Elevator music. “The machine isn’t out of paper or anything, so fax it again. Would you like me to stay on the line till it comes through?” Wow. You bet I would. “I got it,” she says. “It’s very faint, but I can read the letterhead.” She gives me a ticket number and I go home having spent almost three hours on this quest. Out to the garden to recapture my sanity.

Two weeks go by, no faucet, no UPS man driving up the dusty road. I lay out my crossword puzzle and dial with dread. Same drill, I’m lost in the voice mail vortex. Finally a gentleman answers. Ms. Cheery Voice has gone home. Can he find my faucet? How was it sent? He leaves the line. More elevator music. Let’s see, 24 down is “Hillary’s conquest.” Not that one! Seven letters. Oh, it’s Everest.

A voice breaks in mid-cadenza, “It’s on back order.” Fearing I will be in France and the faucet will be left on my deck by the UPS man and carried off into the brush by coyotes, I begin to whimper. “The spout will be in within a day or two, and we’ll send it right out.” That was last week.

It’s three days till blast off. The UPS man delivered my rain barrel, which has been back ordered for two months, but still no bright, chrome faucet spout.

I can’t call P.Pf. again. Today I’m calling the Bakersfield Californian to have my paper delivery stopped for a month. The puzzles are done. I turn on the French tapes. “Je suis presse parceque j’ai beaucoup de choses a’ faire avant je part pour des vacances.” A voice from the ether asks if I’d like the Spanish translation.

Sacre Bleu!

Manager of Lower Topanga property threatens to sell to developers

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13StarsManager
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Man stabbed in the back on Tuna Canyon Road

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13StarsManager
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Kicked in the face and stabbed twice in the back, a man staggered down Tuna Canyon Road to Pacific Coast Highway, after being attacked by an unknown suspect on Saturday, according to a sheriff’s report.

A motorist insisting that a man needed help on the highway flagged down sheriff’s deputies. When they found the victim, he was barely able to speak and losing consciousness. His coat was soaked with blood. Paramedics were called and the victim was airlifted to UCLA Medical Center.

Three men had been driving down Tuna Canyon Road when they saw a man standing in the middle of the road, frantically waving his arms and calling out, “I need your cell phone. My friend has been stabbed.” He then pointed to another man standing on the side of the road, and said, “He did it!” A third man, the victim, was apparently trying to hide from the suspect in the bushes.

Thinking it was a scam and they were about to be robbed, the men in the car drove away and contacted the Sheriff’s Department. By the time sheriff’s deputies arrived at the crime scene and after attending to the victim, the suspect had fled.

The victim later told deputies that he and his friend had been sitting on a rock near Tuna Canyon Road, about one-third of a mile up from PCH, when suddenly a man appeared and said, “You have to leave.”

The victim asked the man what was going on. The suspect kicked him twice in the face and stabbed him twice with a 10-inch (approximately) fixed-blade knife. As the suspect walked away along the creek, the victim told his friend to go for help. The victim then walked down to the highway.

A nurse at UCLA said that his injuries were serious and that both knife wounds punctured his right lung. He was listed in stable condition.

The victim told deputies that he’s seen the suspect before, walking on Tuna Canyon Road, and that he’s probably a transient who sets up camp next to a fire road in the area.

Manager of Lower Topanga property threatens to sell to developers

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13StarsManager
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Responding to attempts by tenants of the Lower Topanga area to stay put on 1,659 acres that the California State Parks Department is buying and turning into a park, the vice president who oversees the property threatened to evict all tenants and sell to developers.

Fred Zepeda, vice president of LAACO, LTD, said, “I have offers from developers.”

He stated that if the deal falls through, then he would evict all tenants and sell the land to private parties.

This was after both sides agreed that the land would be in better hands with the state rather than private developers and that the acquisition of the land needs to happen soon or funds may be reappropriated ($40 million of Prop 12 funds, and additional $8 million have been obtained for the purchase). And after tenants and legal representatives continued to argue that the tenants should be allowed to stay on the land where they have lived and operated businesses for more than 30 years.

“The question before you tonight is not whether or not the land should be acquired. The question, is at what human, economic and social costs,” said Frank Angel, attorney representing tenants who face eviction.

“The sociological profile of the tenants is very different from Crystal Cove,” he said, speaking of a similar situation in Crystal Cove State Park, where tenants were recently evicted from a beachside community in Orange County. “These are not vacation homes; the tenants live in there year round.”

The law governing relocation plans would obligate the state to provide comparable housing and they cannot, explained Angel.

While there is a potential for the businesses on the property to stay, residents are hoping for the same.

Residents who live on the property, which has been owned by the Los Angeles Athletic Club since the 1920s, are asking for long-term leases from their new landlord.

In an effort to be heard, residents and businesses have gathered signatures petitioning the state to let them stay, and claim that 10,000 people have signed.

“We are really a community, not just a bunch of houses,” they said, claiming that relocation in similar housing as a community is not possible. “We are a community of artists and craftsmen with an alternative lifestyle.”

“In the past I have done ceremonies to bless your activities but not this time,” said Chokosh Auh-ho-oh, a Native American representative. “That area is sacred ground, it was a place of ceremony and it has artifacts of our people.”

“If you choose to move on these people with heavy equipment, we will be standing there to stop you,” she said, concerned that the area will be paved over for a parking lot.

Park officials first gave a Power Point presentation at the standing room only meeting, explaining why they believe this land should be acquired and preserved.

But, “This meeting is only to hear your comments, not about future land-use plans, which will be discussed later, extensively,” said Warren Westrup, manager of acquisitions for State Parks.

While State Parks receives the support of various local environmental organizations like the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, Heal-the-Bay, the San Fernando Valley Audubon Society, the Sierra Club and others regarding the acquisition, the majority of these groups did not directly oppose tenants desire to stay.

Among them, Joe Edmiston, head of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, offered $2 million to move the people out quickly, stating that it was for their own good.

Otherwise, most of the speakers concurred that the tenants have been good stewards of the land; in fact, they have preserved it so well that State Parks is now buying it because the area continues to offer a refuge to endangered wildlife.

But tenants do not want to be relocated in a fast-paced method, they pleaded to the state once more, asking for time.

“This is land I always felt should be with State Parks,” said Scott Dittrich, co-chair of the tenants group, Lower Topanga Community. “But forcing relocation is no answer. There is no reason for this rapid transition and fast track eviction. We can co-exist.”

People can already hike the trails, and the septic systems in the houses have never been proven to be defective, he said, in response to accusations that residents were blocking access to the public and polluting the creek with defective septic systems.

At the very end of the meeting, Rusty Areias, director of State Parks, said he would support a solution acceptable for all, but the details still need to be worked out.

City hall in the toilet

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13StarsManager
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City Hall was closed to the public Monday, after the first floor and basement were flooded out by an overflowing toilet and a “malfunctioning pump station” over the weekend. The toilet water apparently flowed freely from Saturday until it was discovered on Monday morning.

Carpets were saturated and had to be removed. Many ceiling tiles were soaked and will have to be replaced. Furniture and some equipment, including computers, were damaged.

But damage to important files appeared to be minimal. “We’ve learned over the years to keep files up off the floor,” said City Engineer Rick Morgan.

Initially, damage was estimated to be as high as $50,000, but that estimate was being revised downward as assessment continued early in the week.

Malibu Seen

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kimdevore_2
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MAKING WAVES

It was smooth sailing for Malibu’s “Titanic” director James Cameron as he splashed down in the waters off Marina del Rey to raise money for the Planetary Coral Reef Foundation.

“I’ve never sailed before,” he warned just before embarking on his journey, “but I’m going to learn today. It might not be pretty, but we’ll have fun.”

The famous filmmaker seemed to be a natural for the sport. Paired with “Dark Angel” beauty Jessica Alba, the two came in as the winning entry in a six-boat sailing race, which pitted them against fellow celebs like Tom Arnold, Michael Weatherly, Dennis Weaver, Bill Paxton and Billy Zane.

Several nautically-clad guests like Gary Busey gathered dockside to cheer on captain and crew while a Beach Boys-style band gave the group a rousing send-off.

But all the fun had a serious side with Cameron making a plea to save the world’s waterways.

“Seen from space, our planet is blue. It is a planet of water,” he explained. “Our destiny is interlocked with destiny of the sea. We are on a ship through space. We are at the helm of this great blue ship and if there is an iceberg, there aren’t any lifeboats.”

Cameron noted that the planet’s coral reefs are dying at an alarming rate and likened them to our rain forests. “Rising water temperatures are a factor of coral death. I want to do what I can as a filmmaker and to give something back. I want to put my money where my mouth is and to make a difference to inspire and create a passion for the ocean.”

This summer, Cameron will be doing just that as he joins an underwater expedition to visit the real Titanic. A diver since 1969, Cameron will join Jean-Michael Cousteau, son of legendary Jacques Cousteau, and venture 12,000 feet beneath the sea to capture the experience for “Ocean Challenge,” a series which he plans to air this fall.

After claiming his prize, Captain James & Co. retired to a private boat to celebrate with a little brie and Chablis, strawberries and champagne.

Sail on, sail on sailors!

ITS A DRAG

Gender benders seem to be all the rage these days. First came the wild and wacky “Dame Edna: the Royal Tour,” which had the crowds roaring after a celebrity-studded opening night performance and party, sponsored by Venice Magazine. Dame Edna’s debut was followed by the equally outrageous Lypsinka. John Epperson, creator of the glamour goddess, has moved his act from small cabarets to prestigious stages in Paris, Sydney, London and Tokyo and now to Los Angeles, where it has been winning rave reviews.

The production continues at the Tiffany Theater until July 31. If you just can’t stay up for those midnight performances of “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” check it out.

Left is not right

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13StarsManager
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Pam Linn’s column entitled “Happy Birthday, America,” contained the same left-wing dogma those of us living in the Heartland of America would expect in a California newspaper.

Ms. Linn expresses the straight-Democrat line on issues such as the so-called patients bill of rights, praising the destructive trial lawyers, opposing exploration for new oil and gas resources and advocating further economic losses for U. S. automobile manufacturers through unrealistic fuel economy standards.

It is frightening how socialistic California state government is becoming. Governor Davis is blaming electric energy shortfalls on outside energy suppliers when the California state Legislature and the governor himself are to blame for not allowing sufficient power generation plants to be built. The power structure in Sacramento is more likely to listen to environmental extremists.

It is certainly too bad that California is gaining additional Congressional representation as the result of a census that counts every human body rather than just legal citizens.

Paul W. Matthews

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

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