Deukmejian Says Quake Readiness Is Up to Cities

With a simulated earthquake disaster as a backdrop, Gov. George Deukmejian on Friday declared that California is better prepared than ever for a major catastrophe but said when it comes to making old buildings safe, cities will have to fend for themselves.

The Republican governor, speaking from the site of a statewide earthquake drill on the grounds of Los Alamitos Armed Forces Reserve Center, defended his veto last year of a bill that would have required communities to inventory and upgrade unsafe buildings, saying, “that’s primarily a local government responsibility.”

Citing his own city of Long Beach, where a disastrous earthquake prompted officials to draft strict building codes, Deukmejian added: “I would certainly expect that the people (local government) represents would certainly want to insist . . . that (buildings) are brought up to earthquake standards.”

City Responsibility

The state’s role, he said, is in assuring quick response to disasters, but preparing for a quake, he said, “is a responsibility of city councils and the leadership of those communities.”

Within California’s metropolitan areas, the greatest peril, according to authorities, is from 50,000 to 60,000 unreinforced masonry buildings built before the major earthquake that hit Long Beach in 1933.

Los Angeles in 1981 adopted what is considered a model ordinance that sets a timetable for owners of unsafe buildings to upgrade their structures.

Another Proposal

A proposal similar to the one vetoed by Deukmejian is once again being considered by state lawmakers. However, because of the governor’s philosophical opposition to state-mandated local programs, it is much milder than its predecessor and seismic safety experts say it would be more difficult to enforce.

The earthquake drill capped a week of demonstrations and training sessions by federal, state and local officials throughout much of Southern California and coincided with the 80th anniversary of San Francisco’s great 1906 earthquake and fire.

“Scientists tell us we can expect a similar quake in California in the next decade,” Deukmejian said, adding, however, that California is much better prepared now because of lessons learned from the 1985 Mexico City earthquake and other disasters.