All Martinez Schools Appear Seismically Sound

None of the schools in the City of Martinez appear on a list of schools that may be seismically unsound, according to public data assembled by California Watch.

While Martinez schools appear to be seismically sound, a 19-month California Watch investigation, which was released Thursday, uncovered holes in the state's enforcement of seismic safety regulations for public schools. 

Luckily, no Mt. Diablo Unified School District school projects are on the list as being the most potentially dangerous.

California began regulating school architecture for seismic safety in 1933 with the Field Act, but data taken from the Division of the State Architect’s Office 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.