Many Cities Fail to Meet Quake Safety Standards

Fewer than half of the 29 cities in the San Gabriel Valley have met a state deadline for complying with an earthquake safety law to make unreinforced masonry buildings less hazardous, a report shows.

The number, included in a report released last week by the state Seismic Safety Commission, reflects a 43% compliance rate statewide. State law requires cities and counties in earthquake zones to notify owners of brick buildings constructed before 1933 that the structures may be unsafe and to adopt safety measures.

Only 14 San Gabriel Valley cities have fully complied with the law’s Jan. 1 deadline. In some of the other 15 cities, a lack of building experts and a number of historical landmarks contributed to their failure to comply.