[Robert A Cook PE]

Well, it's not "all" fill problems: the basic soil (San Fran area especially) is unstable, and "creeps" downhill even in pastures (where there is no load or weight on it from buildings at all!) after every rainy season. (Nov-April).

You'll drive by and see huge "scoops" of soil sliding down.

The people to pity are the ones at the BOTTOM of the hill (with 5,000,000 houses) whose neighbors (with 10,000,000 dollar houses) are falling into their living rooms from above.

But - they bought the house. They paid the insurance (?).

[PhiKapMom]

I know about the fill dirt not being the cause on the edge of the mountains but that is what they were using in some areas where I lived and foundations cracked with rain and only reason they didn't slide down the hill was there was no large hill.

Anyone that builds on the edge of the mountain or at the bottom of the bottom of the hills/mountains, I have no sympathy for -- they have built in places that should never have had houses.