20 Most Unsafe State Buildings Are Identified

By MARK GLADSTONE

April 16, 1994 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

SACRAMENTO —

Four years after voters approved bonds to strengthen government buildings, the Wilson Administration on Friday identified the 20 most seismically unsafe state buildings in California, including three in Downtown Los Angeles that it singled out for demolition.

Among other structures most in need of repair are a San Quentin prison block, a complex of nine buildings at Camarillo State Hospital and a prison administration building at Norco, according to the long-awaited report issued by the state Department of General Services.

Despite the rankings, State Architect Harry C. Hallenbeck sought to reassure the public as well as those working in the buildings, saying that none of the top-ranking buildings are unsafe to occupy.

“Nothing that we have seen so far produces any imminent concern” for people who work in the buildings, Hallenbeck said. “However, we shouldn’t delay” retrofitting or replacing the buildings, he said.

In a report to the Legislature, the Wilson Administration urged lawmakers to immediately earmark $195 million in remaining bond funds to strengthen or reconstruct the buildings.

Hallenbeck said he does not believe that any of the state buildings identified on the list were damaged in the Jan. 17 Northridge earthquake. “None of them appear to have any significant damage,” he said.

When voters approved $250 million in bonds in 1990, authorities said the ranking of 14,000 state buildings would be completed in two years. But the process became mired in red tape and even now only 6,800 buildings have been inspected, Hallenbeck acknowledged.

As the state was preparing its rankings, lawmakers earmarked more than $50 million for pet projects, including improvements to the Museum of Science and Industry in Exposition Park.

After the Jan. 17 quake, state engineers scrambled to finish the report--saying it would be completed by the end of the year.

Among the factors considered in ranking the buildings were location in seismically active areas, the number of people who occupy the building and how much the structure is used.

In the case of the three Downtown Los Angeles structures, tearing them down and rebuilding was deemed to be less costly than trying to retrofit and strengthen.

Ranked first on the list was the Junipero Serra State Office Building on South Broadway, which was recommended for demolition at a cost of $40 million, including $32 million to relocate electrical and communications equipment. About 3,000 people work in that building.

Second was the Caltrans district office on Spring Street, which would be rebuilt on the site of the Serra State Office Building. The $77-million cost of this project would be paid from transportation funds, not seismic bond money. About 3,000 people work at the Caltrans building.

The third Downtown building proposed for demolition is the state garage on South Hill Street.

The state review excluded structures in either of the state university systems, which have conducted their own reviews and are not eligible for money from this bond fund.

Damaged Buildings

Here are the most seismically dangerous state buildings in California, according to a report by the state Department of General Services. The report classified buildings as needing replacement, full retrofitting or seismic retrofitting:

REPLACE

* Junipero Serra State Office Building, Los Angeles, Building and parking garage

* Caltrans District 7 Office, Los Angeles

* San Diego State Office Building, San Diego

FULLY RETROFIT

* Camarillo State Hospital, Camarillo, Buildings B-H, J, K

* Fairview Developmental Center, Costa Mesa, Building H

* Metropolitan State Hospital, Norwalk, Buildings CT East A-E, Receiving and Treatment Building 1

* Napa State Hospital, Napa, Q Unit 3

STRUCTURALLY RETROFIT

* California State Prison, San Quentin, East Block Building

* California Rehabilitation Center, Norco, Administration Building 101, Men’s Housing 107