Paul Ramsey and Lee Shilling, founders of Ramsey Shilling & Associates, were partners for over 50 years.

SOLD! Bing Crosby Estate 10500 Camarillo

Jon & Shirley have been partners for nearly 20 years! When asked what the glue is that has kept them together for so long, Shirley answered that they both enjoy a job where they’re helping people. Jon answered much in the same way. He said he enjoyed helping Shirley … helping the people … (most of the time).

More seriously, they realize that the client who needs to lease an apartment is more than just a “lease” client but is a person who needs the right place in which to live. This is of paramount importance to this person. This is also true with the clients who are in a position to buy the home of their dreams. One such family has just closed escrow on the Bing Crosby Estate. This estate is truly a home of historic and aesthetic value. Nearly two acres, with a night lit tennis court, swimming pool, and two guest houses.

The other such scenario is a lady who is a superb working actress. She desired to live in the Toluca Lake area and wanted a two bedroom condominium to lease. This would afford her the flexibility to be in proximity to the studios, while allowing her the opportunity to walk to the village for shopping and eclectic restaurants. Lock the doors, put your suitcase in the car, and fly to your next film location, with no concerns for lawns, pets, or maintenance. Differing needs, changing situations all trigger the need for a real estate professional.

1410 N. Sycamore — Hollywood For Lease and For Sale $2,700.00 – Fully Furnished Or $649,000 List Price

There is the president of a prominent Toluca Lake insurance agency who said he would like to buy some investment property in the local area. He closed escrow on a four unit building in Toluca Lake south of Riverside for an excellent price. Or the CPA who needed to sell a large building in Korea Town near Wilshire Boulevard for his lodge that also closed escrow in 2011.

The homeowner who grew up as a small girl in the home bought new by her parents, which was now to be sold. The goal was to have the proceeds from the sale be used to purchase a new residence with no mortgage. It needed to be a one story, ground level in a good area, and have a large enclosed patio with at least three bedrooms and no subterranean garage. The result: Studio City, South of Moorpark, Large enclosed private patio, hardwood floors, three bedrooms, and a convertible den with two bathrooms. Dreams can come true.

For those whom need less of a sales person, and more of a Real Estate Consultant, consider contacting Jon Molin & Shirley Duenckel of Ramsey Shilling at (818) 481-8643 or (818) 317-1006.

Oscar nominee Viola Davis at SBIFF.

Although she has a 23-year acting career, it took the eight minute scene with Meryl Streep in Doubt for Viola Davis to really get noticed. As an Oscar nominee for Aibileen Clark in The Help, Ms. Davis was honored at the 27th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival last weekend. Co-star Octavia Spencer introduced her.

Film lovers and esteemed industry types were on the edge on their seats listening to her eloquent words at the Arlington Theatre, where she accepted the Outstanding Performer of the Year Award. But although she’s receiving many accolades, what really puts a smile on her face is the mention of a baby girl she and her husband Julius Tennon recently adopted.

The South Carolina native (whose family moved to Rhode Island when she was a baby) grew up in poverty. “I didn’t want to have that future. I met my sister Diane when she was nine and came to live with us. (Viola was five.) Diane said the only way to make it out of this situation was to have a dream. I remember watching Cicely Tyson in The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. Before that, I noticed people of color on sitcoms. With this, I saw something different — magic. And I thought, ‘That’s what I want to do with my life.’”

She refers to herself as the theater geek. She and her sister produced plays. “We even had a budget for costumes that we bought at the Salvation Army. We did rewrites in the closet!” Acting lessons came and, with timing and luck, she wound up at the esteemed Julliard.

“It was hell. You know when you’re sick and you have to take that nasty orange medicine? It’s the same thing with Julliard. It’s the best of the best, in class 13 hours a day, in a class with no windows. But it works!”

Her first job was at the Public Theatre for $250 a week. She thought she had made it!

Although movies were not in her plans, she had aspirations to work as an actress in any medium. “When you do theater, you can do these exercises before you go on. In film and TV, I find you can just be in the moment and the camera picks it up.” (She credits director Steven Soderbergh for that realization.)

Actress Jane Alexander told her acting is about problem solving. “A lot of characters on the page (and especially for a woman of color) are incomplete. Sometimes you can’t fill it in with words. You try to add an emotional feeling that can illuminate to the audience. That’s the best that it gets for an actor.”

Through the years, Davis has worked with George Clooney, Tom Cruise, Julianne Moore, Julia Roberts, Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, and Diane Lane. How fortunate they were!

“It’s a great pleasure to play people who are messy, who have shortcomings. It’s a joy to get inside the head of a character and humanize her.”

Although Julius is the man in her life, we think there’s a man named Oscar in her near future.

Sue Facter owns a news agency that specializes in the luxury brand. Her work has appeared in USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Women’s Day Australia, on broadcasts, and the web.

Dustin Hoffman in HBO’s “Luck.”

Former Vice President Al Gore and actor Dustin Hoffman gave journalists an earful at the recent gathering for the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour. Gore took shots at the Republicans and basically all politicians during the interview session for Current TV; while Hoffman was on hand for a panel for his new HBO series Luck, and took his swipes at Hollywood studios.

Gore is co-founder and chairman of Current TV, and was critical during his comments. “I think that one of the reasons why politics in America seemed to get crazier and crazier is that it is now dominated by big money,” Gore pointed out. “Of course, the Supreme Court, whose opinions I’ve not always agreed with, declared that ‘corporations are people, and that money is free speech.’ You know this, but now you’re seeing how it plays out, with a casino billionaire dropping five million dollars into Newt Gingrich’s so-called super PAC. That’s happening in a very pervasive way.”

He continued, “And when you see all these candidates line up to deny science, and say that black is white, it’s because that helps them get more big money. And when you see the gridlock in the Congress, where they are willing to put up the credit rating of the U.S., when the Tea Party Republicans are willing to drive the country towards actual bankruptcy in order to avoid any slight increase in the tax rates paid by the wealthiest Americans, that’s because that’s where the campaign contributions come from. They are bought — lock, stock and barrel.”

Gore said that his Current TV presents frank discussions of the state of cable news and the importance of independent progressive political commentary and analysis as America faces one of the most important presidential elections in a generation. Among the shows offered are The War Room with Jennifer Granholm, hosted by former Michigan Governor Granholm, and The Young Turks with Cenk Uygur as its outspoken host.

Speaking during the HBO session, Dustin Hoffman was there to plug his latest role on the series Luck, filmed at Santa Anita Race Track. It’s from producer David Milch (Deadwood) and director-producer Michael Mann giving a behind-the-track look at the world of horse racing, with the owners, trainers, jockeys, and gambling denizens. Nick Nolte, Richard Kind, John Ortiz, and Jill Hennessy are among those in the impressive cast.

Oscar-winner Hoffman, best known for his many iconic movie roles, said, “I have not had this experience with TV before. [With movies] it’s very hard to do your best work now, but you want a shot at it. You cannot do your best work in the studio system with committees and meetings. They are on the set. They get involved in a kind of creative way. They buck heads with people that they shouldn’t be bucking heads with. With HBO there is no committee. Once they give a go, there is no committee, there are no meetings. These guys are allowed to do their best work and they give it to us.”

Hoffman revealed, “I was expecting 20 pages a day. I was expecting an atmosphere that was monkeys on cocaine, or something. And it’s the opposite. We did the best we could with as much as we had, and we came back the next day. Producer Michael Mann hired all film directors, not to disparage TV directors, and to me there was no difference of making a movie, except he did it digitally, and we had three cameras which actors love because you don’t have to repeat in coverage. We are given the best shot to do our best work, and I’m very thankful for that. You always want to do your best work. When you’re lucky enough to work with heavyweight talent, there’s no problem because they’re not afraid of suggestions. Movies are a bastard art form. A script is never what the movie turns out to be, or vice versa. It’s either better or worse, but it’s a blueprint, primarily.”

As for his move to television after his lengthy relationship with the big screen, Hoffman said, “It goes back to wanting to do your best work. You never know what a marriage is going to be like until you get married. And if you’re not laughing at the same stuff; if you’re not being moved by the same stuff; if the director, producer, whatever — they’re being satisfied before they should be satisfied — you want a divorce.” Thus begins his affair with TV.

My wife and I have just seen Walt Disney’s Song of the South after not seeing it for more than 25 years and, once again, the picture moved us to tears. What a wonderful, life affirming, beautiful movie it is. What a shame that it has been kept out of release in this country for decades. U.S. kids and their parents just don’t know what they’ve missed.

Song of the South is such a great movie on so many counts that it really does deserve to be seen and enjoyed by Americans once again. I’ve felt strongly about this ever since it was first taken out of distribution. I first addressed this publicly in a column that ran a couple of years ago. Generally I don’t like to rerun old columns, but seeing the picture again this past week has convinced me that pushing for its release is definitely worth another shot. Here then is my original column:

From the time I was a kid my favorite movies were the Disney films. Movies like Pinocchio, Dumbo, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Peter Pan, and Song of the South were among my favorites. As I sat there in the dark of the theater I imagined myself soaring through the skies high above London with Peter Pan, cuddling with my mother like Dumbo did with his, or sitting at the knee of Uncle Remus as I listened to his wonderful stories of Br’er Rabbit and Br’er Fox.

At some point I made up my mind that I wanted to work for the Walt Disney Studio. I wanted to be part of the team who made the movies that made me feel so good, that made me laugh, cry, and want to sing. I finally got my wish and was hired by the studio in 1970. I spent the next 27 years contributing to the Disney culture of great family entertainment, first as a cartoonist, then as a writer, and finally as a creative executive.

There were no politics or messages, just pure joy in the entertainment we created. We made stuff that (we hoped) people would find funny, heartwarming, and uplifting. Characters with personality and stories with heart — that was the Disney formula. Those characters and stories, many of which were created decades ago, still live and talk to the kids of today, just as they talked to me when I was a kid. Kids still dance with Snow White and fly with Peter Pan, but sadly today’s kids don’t have a clue who Uncle Remus was.

Song of the South has been kept out of the U.S. public arena for around 25 years, a decision made by the Disney Company because of complaints that the movie was racist. What a shame that one of Walt Disney’s greatest achievements has been locked away from public view. Back around 1986 civil rights groups demanded that the film be taken out of distribution and not shown anymore. The company complied and has kept it out of circulation ever since.

Granted, Song of the South was made in 1946, when attitudes concerning racial stereotypes were much different than they are now. But the same can be said of Gone with the Wind, and dozens and dozens of other pictures that depict blacks, Asians, and American Indians in ways that we would never do in movies now — and yet those movies are shown all the time while Song of the South has disappeared.

Let’s set the record straight about the picture. This movie is not racist. The black characters in Song of the South are all treated with respect. They are never treated badly, nor are they spoken to in any demeaning way. There are no slave characters in the film. The movie is set after the Civil War. The blacks at Miss Doshy’s plantation are working employees, not slaves.

The film is set during the Jim Crow era, and one can argue that the general quality of life (in terms of housing and education in particular) of black Americans shown was not much better than that of pre-Civil War slaves, but that’s a part of real history. That’s the way it was. To depict it otherwise is to deny the truth of what our country was back then. Furthermore, compared to a lot of black portrayals we see now on TV and movies, the black portrayals in Song of the South are absolutely dignified and stately.

The Uncle Remus character is not ignorant. He is a warm, lovable, sensitive man. As a matter of fact, he possesses more intelligence, compassion, and common sense than anyone else in the picture, including the white characters. When I watched this movie as a kid in the fifties I absolutely adored Uncle Remus. I wanted to spend time with him, listen to his stories, be his friend.

And speaking of Uncle Remus, it is a travesty that the actor who so brilliantly portrayed him has now been completely forgotten. Most Americans under the age of 35 have never been able to see the marvelous performance of James Baskett as the loveable storyteller Uncle Remus, the role of his lifetime. Baskett won an Honorary Oscar for his fine work in this film, the first black man to win an Academy Award. I can still see and hear him singing “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” with that animated bluebird on his shoulder. Wonderful stuff! By the way, that song won an Oscar, too.

And as long as this picture remains banned, people will never see the wonderful Disney technical artistry on display in Song of the South that perfectly blends live action with animation. The special effects were “state of the art” for their time, and still look spectacular even by contemporary CGI standards.

The cartoon sequences are among the most hilarious ever produced by the studio. Br’er Rabbit, Br’er Fox, and Br’er Bear — wonderful characters told in stories by Uncle Remus that delivered important life lessons and Aesop fable-like morals along with a truck load of belly laughs.

I wish I could convince the Disney powers-that-be to reconsider re-releasing this classic Disney movie. Walt Disney’s Song of the South deserves to be seen and enjoyed by all.

JACKIE: Hello February, you short month that is long on Romance (with a capital “R”). I’m thinking sweet thoughts — like chocolate, and a perfect place to find Swiss Chocolate, like Switzerland?

We want to Talk about the singular Widder Hotel in Zurich, the last stop on David’s solo sojourn last fall. This superior and imaginative hotel had dazzled me a few years back. Now let’s try to bring you there:

THE WIDDER

The Middle of the Riddle of the Widder: The entrance, in the center of the nine original buildings, behind those windows, imagination runs wild.

DAVID: I have traveled the world for over 50 years for pleasure and for business. I have stayed in dozens of cities, towns and villages, in hundreds of hotels, and if I had only one to choose as my last stay, it would be the Widder in Zurich, Switzerland. First reason (and second and third): General Managers Mr. and Mrs. Jan E Brucker who have assembled and trained a team of young, pleasant, helpful men and women who grant your every wish almost before you’ve requested it. Next, the Widder is the epitome of style, comfort, and conveniences.

Speaking of comfort and convenience, getting to Zurich, with the aid of my Swiss Rail Pass, was a piece of gateau! I had zipped from Geneva to Lucerne in First Class on the swift, silent, sexy Swiss rail and two days later my Pass (courtesy of L.A. based Maja Gartmann), allowed me to walk onto the snazzy train, choose any seat, and ride without a care to my destination, Zurich and the wonderful Widder.

I was greeted with warmth, escorted up the unique glass and steel elevator, and was shown into my Suite 210. It is magnificent with a huge living room intricately paneled with lustrous, richly-grained wood on walls, ceiling, and floor. An enormous matching armoire covers one wall; another holds a glass and chrome desk with WiFi and a Nespresso system. An emerald-green suede couch and chair face a Bang & Olufsen outfit providing television (lots of English channels), great sound, radio, and CD and DVD players. My bedroom sported another TV, another huge armoire, and a bed with a remote control that raises and lowers sections for supreme comfort. A giant bathroom with dark-green veined marble and mirrors galore includes the central mirror that comes to life at a touch to reveal a TV showing through. In actual fact, I wouldn’t mind at all living in Suite 210 for quite a long while…. (JJ comments: Me neither, with its separate WC and sink.)

Mr. Brucker’s note welcomed me; his Veuve Clicquot and living white orchids made me wish once more Jacqueline was with me. Later, Jan, an utterly charming and urbane gent who is also Chairman of Swiss Deluxe Hotels, told me, “It is the fact that the original nine buildings dating from the 1200s have been meticulously combined and totally restored, modernized to form one perfect hotel. It opened in 1995 as the Widder (‘Ram’ in English, named after the Society of Butchers who once inhabited the original Guild Hall in the 1500s).” Today, 42 rooms and seven suites with no two identical make up the Five Star Hotel, with a superb location. I wandered ancient streets around the Widder, and the modern world of major designers and zillions of watches lining the main street that lead down from the rail station to Lake Zurich. On another day, I took the short walk from the Widder across a bridge over the Limmat River fed by the lake and strolled around the very old section which is much more Bohemian in nature.

Through all this sightseeing my appetite was fueled and satisfied one night at the formal gourmet Widder Restaurant featuring the delicious work of Executive Chef Alexander Kroll. I chose the Chef’s three-course menu starting with a lovely filet of John Dory with goose liver and crunchy hazel nuts. My first wine was the lush ‘09 Chateauneuf du Pape. For my main, a slow-cooked goulash of tender chunks of venison with rich gravy, red cabbage, bacon, and mushroom. A hearty 2005 Rioja accompanied. The dessert was called B&W — dark and white chocolate in various forms. Ruinart rose champagne was the finishing touch.

JACKIE: I peacefully visualize the Widder, and its assortment of fantastic quarters, courtesy of Google.

DAVID: Sil vous plait; check out online sites for the Widder in Zurich and Swiss Rail Pass.

We’ll Travel….

On Feb. 10, the Los Angeles Orphanage Guild will hold the fundraiser An Affair to Remember at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills. In addition to benefiting the Maryvale Girls’ Home in Rosemead, this year’s event will celebrate the Guild’s 60th anniversary and honor Mrs. William H. Doheny.

The Doheny family and Maryvale first partnered in 1950 when Mrs. Edward L. Doheny contributed land and funds to construct a new children’s home. She was a founding member of the Los Angeles Orphanage Guild, and Mrs. William H. Doheny later served as Guild president. The Dohenys have remained active and continue to generously support Maryvale and the Guild.

Since 1952, the Los Angeles Orphanage Guild has financially supported Maryvale’s vital programs. Maryvale, founded in 1956 by the Daughters of Charity, addresses the needs of today’s children and families through services including early education, mental health services, residential services, and transitional housing. The Guild supports these and other programs that further Maryvale’s mission to help young people attain dignity, productivity, and self-esteem in an environment of stability and love.

For more information about this Los Angeles Orphanage Guild event, please contact Committee Chair Patti Di Tullio at ldrunnerpfdt@aol.com or visit www.laorphanageguild.com.

“She what?” I yell as I drive down Sunset Boulevard. My cell phone gently rests on my thigh as I use the trusty speaker phone because I’ve lost my headset, yet again.

“Jesus, Alice, I said she just got a cappuccino machine out of the dumpster and sold it on EBay for four hundred dollars!” my mother shouts back.

“But didn’t she just find Jesus?” I joke.

“Oh honey, relax,” my mother utters, a little perturbed by my playfulness.

“Oh Jesus, she needs the money — what else is she supposed to do!” my mother exhales the Capri Ultra Light and ashes at the top of a pancake-piled high stack of old cigarettes — I just know it.

I pull up to a red light and notice an attractive blonde being photographed right there on the street. She’s wearing a bright pink mini-dress and equally noticeable high heels. She leans forward, extends her chest out, and flirts heavily with the lens, unbothered by the hundreds of passing cars glancing her way.

Struggling Actress, I think to myself. Or model. She’s a struggling something — that’s for sure. I watch her prance around the street as comfortable and confident as though she were practicing poses in the mirror at home. The man shooting her crouches low to the sidewalk. He wears jogging pants and a baseball cap. He’s into it. He’s on his back now angling the camera up towards the woman as she moves away from him like some sort of feline. So self obsessed. So ridiculous, I think again.

“Well I love the scanner she got me for Christmas; I don’t care if she got it out of the dumpster.”

“Move a little over to your left, Alice,” my friend Tony says as he snaps a photo.

I step a little over just like he says.

“A little more … out of the way of the garbage cans!” He fiddles with something on the camera then holds it up again, points it at me and clicks.

Tony started an online magazine and needs some photographs, so I’ve agreed to help him out. We’re at Griffith Park. A little boy chasing a balloon runs past quickly squealing excitedly, little drops of drool sliding down his chin. His mother runs and scoops him up, saving him from falling into a little ditch. She looks me up and down. She stares at the thigh high boots I’m wearing, the mini dress, the red lips. I see what she’s thinking: Struggling Actress. Self-obsessed. Ridiculous.

I feel my heart sink a little and my mood shifts. Tony asks what’s wrong. I tell him it’s just a headache.

Then I remember the blonde on Sunset Boulevard. I did the same thing to her.

And it occurs to me in this moment that never again will I be so quick to judge.

I just found my New Year’s resolution (if it’s not too late).

Alice can be reached at AliceActress@yahoo.com.

LOS ANGELES — On Oscar ® Sunday, Feb. 26, the Beverly Hills Hotel’s Crystal Ballroom will once again provide the venue for the arrival of approximately 150—200 film and TV stars who will attend the hottest celebrity awards party in town with even bigger names than last year.

Norby Walters, veteran music agent, reprises his role as Producer and Dinner Chairman.

The formal sit-down dinner viewing party has always included past Oscar winners and nominees who will return to pay tribute to this year’s favorite award nominees. Stars and their guests will be dressed to the nines in formal fashions represented by the nation’s finest design houses.

The media has always rated the “Night of 100 Stars” as one of the top award parties. Last year over 200 + media outlets from the U.S. and nearly 50 international news outlets covered the “Night of 100 Stars.”

This awards party is the first to ever stream a live show worldwide starting seven years ago when announced by the Hollywood Reporter‘s Paul Bond in a special Oscar-party edition. This year the live streaming show is being produced by Beverly Hills Courier TV®, a new division of the weekly and daily online award-winning newspaper that has spanned two centuries of excellent journalism for the most famous city in America. “The new ‘Night of 100 Stars’ awards party TV show will be seen live by millions thanks to our new relationship with Beverly Hills Courier TV®, which will broadcast live over www.foxnews.com,” says Norby Walters.

The “22nd Annual Night of 100 Stars Awards Gala” hosted by Norby Walters will be at The Beverly Hills Hotel Crystal Ballroom located at 9641 Sunset Blvd. in Beverly Hills on Sunday, Feb. 26. Celebrity arrivals begin on the red carpet at 4 p.m.

Tickets are $1,000 per seat. Call for tickets only at (310) 446-5416. For media credentials and interviews, email Edward Lozzi & Associates PR at epl@lozzipr.com. Please request credentials by email and include your phone number contact. Please bring the print-out of your confirmation to the event.

BURBANK, Calif. – NBC4 continued its “Best Newscast” winning streak by sweeping all three categories at the 62nd annual Radio & Television News Association of Southern California’s awards ceremony held at the Universal Hilton Hotel on Saturday, Jan. 21.

Receiving the top honors at the 2012 Golden Mike Awards adds to the station’s incredible run of “Best Newscast” honors. Last year, NBC4 made industry history by winning all three Los Angeles-area Emmy Best Newscast Awards and won two-out-of-three top honors at the 2011 Golden Mike Awards.

“This is an amazing tribute to our news organization, which strives every day and on every newscast to make a difference and an impact,” said Steve Carlston, NBC4 President and General Manager. “I could not be more proud of the entire NBC4 team.”

The “NBC4 News at 5 p.m.” won the Golden Mike for Best News Broadcast (60 Minutes). The program is anchored by Chuck Henry, Colleen Williams, and weathercaster Fritz Coleman. Marissa Sifuentes served as the producer.

The Best News Broadcast (30 Minutes) trophy was awarded to “NBC4 News at 11 p.m.” The newscast is anchored by Chuck Henry and Colleen Williams, with weathercaster Fritz Coleman and sports anchor Fred Roggin. Tara Wallis is credited as the producer of the program.

“Today in LA,” airing at 6 a.m., was the big winner in the Best Daytime News Broadcast (any length). Alycia Lane and Kathy Vara are the show’s anchors, along with weathercaster Elita Loresca and traffic reporter Shawn Murphy. “Today in LA” at 6 a.m. is produced by Jeff Evans.

Hi Robert,
My home was built in 1975. I was told that I could disturb my lead paint during remodeling but I can’t have a contractor do that or else he will have to abide by certain rules and regulations. I’d like to confirm if this is true or not.

Ernesto G.

Hi Ernesto,
Yes that’s true. Contractors have to abide by the lead laws as set forth by the EPA, which are substantial.
The EPA issued rules of safe practices while working with lead painted surfaces in April 2008. In April 2010, all contractors were required to be certified — both Firm Certified and RRP Certified. Firm Certification for the company license, RRP, or Renovation, Repair, and Painting Certified for staff.
Affected structures: homes, day care centers, or schools built in 1978 or before. Lead paint began to phase out during the mid 1970s and was banned Dec. 31, 1977.
Back in the old days, you would buy paint and a bucket of fine lead dust separately. After mixing the paint, get a handful of the lead and mix that with the paint. Lead makes the paint more colorful and more durable. It is still used by the military and on ship hulls because of its strength, but it’s deadly poisonous. Especially in dust or fume form.
This prompted the EPA to initiate a very thorough set of containment procedures and practices that must be followed whenever disturbing pre-1978 painted surfaces.
These procedures include heavy duty plastic in the work area to walk on; sticky pads to step on when exiting the containment area; sealing the windows, doors, air vents, and handlers; hepa vacuums for tools and personnel; wrapping each piece of debris, like drywall pieces, into a plastic-covered package to be placed in locked dumpster or receptacle. If the debris weighs 220 pounds or more, then it is considered hazardous waste and the contractor owns it forever. This means after it is disposed of, the contractor can be contacted 30 years later and be told that his waste needs to be moved at “X” amount of dollars per pound.
There are many additional steps necessary for working with lead paint. If a contractor happens to miss one of those steps, like not handing a pamphlet to one of the affected homeowners in a condominium complex, they can be fined $37,500. Also, California laws are different than national laws and the EPA laws are not exactly the same as the HUD — Housing and Urban Development — laws. As Firm and RRP certified, we are required to know these differences.
This is a tremendous amount of additional expense and work required to adhere to these laws. More steps and manpower translate into additional costs passed onto the HOA or homeowner.
You as a homeowner, on the other hand, do not need to follow these stipulations. If you want to do all of the strip work and prepping, then call the contractor to complete the project, you could save a large percentage of the cost.
I would strongly recommend that you make yourself familiar with abatement procedures so that you can adequately protect yourself. It is critical that you learn how to control, contain, and dispose of the lead dust properly for the safety of you and your family.

Robert Lamoureux of IMS Construction, Valencia, CA, has 30 years experience as a Commercial, General, Electrical, and Plumbing contractor. The opinions expressed in “Ask the Expert” are not to replace the recommendations of a qualified contractor after a thorough visual inspection has been made.