January 12, 2012, 12:05 AM
Newly appointed State Architect Chester Widom is slated to discuss today what steps seismic regulators are taking to address problems with their enforcement of earthquake safety requirements for public schools. Widom will brief the state Seismic Safety Commission in Sacramento about a...
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December 23, 2011, 12:05 AM
The office that regulates California school construction routinely destroyed key documents that might have shed light on its lax enforcement of earthquake safety standards – despite a binding agreement it has with the State Archives to preserve public records. For the past five...
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December 22, 2011, 12:04 AM
Despite California’s strict seismic safety regulations, the construction process at two school districts illustrates how mismanagement, disregard for safety requirements and allegations of fraud led to structural defects that could endanger students during an earthquake.
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December 8, 2011, 1:48 PM
State regulators charged with overseeing school construction have failed to ensure that the buildings children occupy are safe, according to a state audit released today.
The California State Auditor’s report found that the Division of the State Architect has limited authority to penalize...
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November 18, 2011, 12:05 AM
UPDATE, Dec. 6, 2011: Gov. Jerry Brown announced today that he has selected Chester “Chet” Widom as the new state architect. An ex-designer and supervisor of building projects at UC Berkeley, two former national presidents of an architectural organization, and the state architect...
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October 31, 2011, 12:05 AM
As many as 17,000 older concrete buildings in California could be vulnerable during a major earthquake, according to a new inventory by a coalition of volunteer structural engineers, universities and government agencies. A number of schools, state and local government buildings, and other...
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September 29, 2011, 12:05 AM
A study released this week calls for a total revamping of how California schools are built and asks the state superintendent of public instruction to take over the school construction system. Tucked inside the 90-page report, called "Schools of the Future," is a proposal that...
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August 30, 2011, 12:05 AM
In 2004, Liberty High School had just laid new carpet, finalized a fresh paint job and installed up-to-date air-conditioning units when the Liberty Union High School District learned the campus was on a state list of school buildings that may be unsafe in an earthquake. Alarmed and trying to...
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August 25, 2011, 12:05 AM
The governor's office has been working with the American Institute of Architects to help find a new leader for the embattled state office responsible for the seismic safety of school buildings. Gov. Jerry Brown has taken a special interest in the position of state architect in light of...
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August 22, 2011, 12:05 AM
In a move designed to kick-start the review and repair of 7,600 potentially unsafe California school buildings, the State Allocation Board in May scrapped restrictive rules that blocked school districts' access to nearly $200 million in seismic retrofit money. But weeks after lowering...
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August 11, 2011, 1:57 PM
Nearly a decade ago, state experts flagged thousands of school buildings that might be vulnerable in an earthquake. Engineers cautioned school districts that more inspections were needed to tell if the buildings were in trouble. But here in San Diego County, many of those inspections never...
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August 3, 2011, 12:05 AM
Concerned about a renewed state focus and the potential for lawsuits, the Los Angeles County Office of Education has stepped up efforts to help local school officials investigate the seismic safety of their buildings. In June, the office asked Terry Tao, an attorney who specializes in...
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July 7, 2011, 12:05 AM
The La Honda-Pescadero Unified School District's problems with managing school construction projects have triggered scrutiny, lawsuits, an emergency county loan and the resignation of a superintendent. Two years ago, Bryan Burns, a parent in the district in southeastern San Mateo...
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June 9, 2011, 12:05 AM
California Watch's investigation of seismic safety in public schools featured an interactive database identifying campuses that are home to hundreds of buildings with structural flaws and potential safety hazards. Our interactive now features more potentially risky construction projects at...
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June 2, 2011, 8:49 AM
Seven weeks. Fifteen hundred miles. Thirty-six thousand coloring books. It’s been nearly two months since California Watch published its "On Shaky Ground" series on seismic safety in California’s public schools, but the stories’ publication did not mark the end of our...
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