LCF Schools May Not Be Safe in an Earthquake

Three schools in the La Cañada Unified School District have what appear to be serious earthquake safety issues, with seven unresolved projects to deal with those hazards, state data show.

The schools deemed seismically risky are , and , according to data compiled by California Watch, a nonprofit investigative reporting team, as part of a 19-month investigation into seismic safety. In the event of a major earthquake, these schools, if their varying issues remain unresolved, may not fare well, according to the data.

The schools fall into two categories of risk, as determined by the Division of the State Architect: AB 300 projects, or older school buildings with potentially dangerous seismic hazards that require more detailed evaluation, and Letter 4, or those uncertified projects whose safety-related deficiencies violate the Field Act–a nearly 80-year-old law that requires careful design and inspected construction for public K-12 schools.

Under the Field Act, violators may be guilty of a felony, though California Watch’s investigation found that the Division of the State Architect does not appear to pursue violators in the court system. Prior to the Field Act, there were no statewide building regulations of any kind, except for a few concerning general issues, such as area and lighting in private homes.

LCUSD’s Assistant Superintendent of Facilities and Operations Mike Leininger is out of the country until April 10 and could not be reached for comment as of this posting. An e-mail from a district secretary indicated Leininger "has been working on’’ Patch’s questions regarding the seismic status of various projects.

Leininger’s information should outline which projects the DSA is referencing and whether any safety upgrades have occurred. Multiple e-mails to Superintendent Jim Stratton and principals at LCHS and Palm Crest were not returned. Patch will continue to try to reach officials after spring break.

The Division of the State Architect, the chief regulator of construction standards for public schools, lists four AB 300 projects at Palm Crest, two at LCHS and one at Paradise Canyon, according to the data culled by California Watch.

California Watch's investigation, which was released Thursday, uncovered holes in the state's enforcement of seismic safety regulations for public schools. California began regulating school architecture for seismic safety in 1933 with the Field Act, but data taken from the DSA shows 20,000 school projects statewide never got final safety certifications. In the crunch to get schools built within the last few decades, state architects have been lax on enforcement, California Watch reported.

A separate inventory completed nine years ago found 7,500 seismically risky school buildings in the state. Yet, California Watch reports that only two schools have been able to access a $200 million fund for upgrades.

For Palm Crest, the DSA listed each AB 300 project as “likely not to perform well in an earthquake and in need of a detailed structural evaluation.’’ The latest data available at DSA shows “no seismic review or retrofit'’ of those projects.

The AB 300 project at Paradise Canyon is also “not likely to perform well’’ in an earthquake, and of the two at La Cañada High, one is considered “not likely to perform well’’ but a second “generally would perform well in an earthquake, but should have a detailed structural evaluation.’’ All are listed by the DSA as not having been seismically reviewed or retrofitted.

The DSA listed two Letter 4 or uncertified projects: one each at LCHS and PCR. The state data show that each project was downgraded to a Letter 3 in March 2010, which indicates some improvements have been made.

Additional data from the DSA also shows Paradise Canyon is located a quarter of a mile from a U.S. Geological Survey fault line, and both Palm Crest and La Cañada High are built within a quarter mile of a landslide zone.

Regarding the seismic dangers, LCUSD board member Cindy Wilcox said, "I appreciate hearing about this issue and am looking forward to the follow-up from District staff."

The state Legislature approved Assembly Bill 300 in 1999, requiring the Department of General Services to conduct a “collapse risk” inventory of the state’s K-12 school buildings, according to the California Watch story.

To access an interactive map showing school seismic safety issues in La Cañada Flintridge, click here.

This story was produced using data provided to Patch by California Watch, the state's largest investigative reporting team and part of the Center for Investigative Reporting. Read more about with California Watch.