Schools

Earthquake Hazards for Eagle Rock LAUSD Schools

Eight schools are vulnerable to liquefaction or landslides—or both, according to state architecture records.

Eight LAUSD school buildings in Eagle Rock, including those of two charter schools, have been classified by the state as either lying on earthquake liquefaction zones or located within a quarter mile of a landslide area—or both.

The school buildings are among thousands in California reviewed by the California Division of the State Architect (DSA) in 2002 and deemed vulnerable to damage during earthquakes, according to a 19-month  California Watch investigation released Thursday.

California Watch, the nonprofit journalism enterprise, 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, a 1933 law named after Assemblymember C. Don Field (R-Glendale), which requires careful design and inspected construction for public K-12 schools, and a violation of which is a felony.

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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, including more than 650 within LAUSD. Yet, California Watch reports, only two schools have been able to access a $200 million fund for upgrades. 

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None of Eagle Rock's K-12 public schools are on the state’s list of seismically risky school buildings, as required by AB 300, the 1999 law that requires the DSA to determine which schools need safety upgrades. But the schools’ structures and buildings are unlikely to perform well in earthquakes, largely because of their proximity to areas prone to liquefaction, the process whereby water-saturated soil beneath buildings behaves more like a liquid than a solid during an earthquake. Across Los Angeles County, at least 807 schools are located over liquefaction zones and six within a quarter mile of landslide zones.

The Eagle Rock schools vulnerable to liquefaction and/or landslides are:

  • , 1750 Yosemite Dr. (Liquefaction and landslide).
  • 2057 Fair Park Ave. (Liquefaction).
  • Dahlia Heights Elementary, 5063 Floristan Ave. (Liquefaction).
  • , 4168 W. Ave. 42. (Liquefaction and landslide).
  • , 1303 Yosemite Dr. (Liquefaction and landslide).
  • , 4545 Toland Way. (Liquefaction, landslide and proximity to fault line).
  • , 1800 Colorado Blvd. (liquefaction and landslide).
  • Celerity Troika Charter School, 1495 Colorado Blvd. (Liquefaction).

Of these Eagle Rock schools, only one—Toland Way Elementary—lies on a U.S. Geological Survey fault line, meaning that the school, among 187 in Los Angeles County, is located over a crack or break in the earth’s crust where two tectonic plates meet.

State architecture records showing the possible problems at these schools—among 2,226 schools in Los Angeles County that have been identified as seismically risky—were obtained by California Watch, which is partnering with Patch in a larger probe of the state's seismic safety problems in schools.

Because of incomplete record keeping by the state and local school districts, it’s unclear whether some of the probable hazards at buildings identified in 2002 have since been addressed even though they remain listed as potentially problematic.

“As far as I know, we’re up to code—it’s not something that I necessarily worry about,” said Carmina Nacorda, an assistant principal at Eagle Rock High School, whose original building dating back to 1927 was destroyed in the 1970 Los Angeles earthquake. “We have 3,000 kids here and my experience is that the [LAUSD] maintenance and operations people come out and fix anything that’s not up to code.” Added Nacorda: “And we do have an earthquake preparedness plan.”

Nacorda referred all seismic review inquiries to LAUSD Complex Project Manager Gerald Bryant. Eagle Rock Patch is awaiting details about the seismic safety of schools in Eagle Rock from Bryant, although other LAUSD officials have denied that the district has in any way jeopardized the seismic safety of school buildings or the security of staff and students.

“We don't open schools unless we are convinced that they are safe," said Neil Gamble, director of maintenance and operations at LAUSD. Eric Lamoureux, the acting deputy director for the Department of General Services, which oversees the DSA, agreed. “The districts have made the choice that they believe it is safe to occupy [schools] and they haven't done that in a vacuum,” he told Patch.

Still, at least some of those who spend a third of their day in LAUSD schools are concerned. “It’s frightening to know we are subject to this,” said Kimberly Orpinela, a senior at Eagle Rock High, referring to the potential perils of liquefaction and the fact that her school is one of the largest in the district. “It’s dangerous enough being in a crowded school where we may be trampled by fellow students trying to get to the designated area if an earthquake were to happen.”

Others are less anxious. “I think the schools are as safe as any other place you might happen to find yourself when the big one hits—the post office, your house, your car,” said Tracy Talbert, a mother of boy and girl twins who go to Eagle Rock Elementary School and Magnet Center. “When I think of liquefaction and landslides, it does make me want to leave, but where would we go—tornado land or hurricane land? There aren’t any totally safe zones, are there?”

True—even the best seismic guarantees only promise a certain amount of safety. “Every time I go into a building in L.A. I ask myself how do I get out of here,” says a veteran faculty member at Eagle Rock High who did not wish to be named. “The only thing one can hope for is that the building was built to standard at the time.”

To access an interactive map showing school seismic safety issues in Eagle Rock, 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.


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