Voices

“If you find a seat, grab it! You’re lucky!”

--Conductor on the until-now underused Santa Clarita Metrolink line.

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“There’s a lot of things we can do with your apartment now that God has remodeled it.”

--Property manager Richard Nave to a tenant at an apartment complex in Sherman Oaks.

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“The owner says it’s safe, but with all the cracks all over. . .”

--Felix Galarza, a resident of another San Fernando Valley apartment complex who, like many of his neighbors, was reluctant to return.

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“It sucks. But at least I have someplace to stay.”

--Jonathan Latt, 24, of Sherman Oaks, who had to had to leave his apartment and moved back in with his parents.

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“There’s good food, blankets and a roof. You can’t ask for anything else.”

--Manuel Flores, at a shelter in Fillmore.

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“If anything falls on us it will be a star.”

--Jaime Serna, also left homeless in Fillmore--but camping in a field.

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“They collected things, stacks of stuff.”

--Jeff Ng, whose brother and sister-in-law were found dead in their Van Nuys home, where they were crushed by their toppled collectibles.

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“Welcome to Burbank President Clinton. Help us!!!”

--Sign at Burbank airport.

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“No water. No electricity. I haven’t had a shower in three days.”

--A Granada Hills resident, speaking to Clinton.

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“This is a national problem. . . . This is something we intend to stay with until the job is over.”

--President Clinton.

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“It may actually get people out of their cars. This may be the ultimate inconvenience that changes people’s habits.”

--Gov. Pete Wilson.

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“I haven’t had this much excitement since my first divorce.”

--Ervin (Nick) Nichols, whose stranded 65-foot tractor-trailer was rescued from a quake-damaged chunk of the Golden State Freeway.

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“On a positive note, I took a shower this morning.”

--Warren O’Brien, supervisor and general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety.

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“It’s a much bigger job than after the riots. . . Then (damage) was pretty much restricted to commercial corridors. . . . We didn’t have to fan out into neighborhoods for mile after mile after mile.”

--Art Johnson of the city’s Department of Building and Safety, responsible for inspecting hundreds of thousands of damaged structures.