An SF Gate story reported on January 21, 2009 by the city’s Building Inspection Commission, states that San Francisco should mandate all owners of the city’s most fragile buildings to assess their properties’ seismic safety and undertake the proper retrofit work where needed. Approximately 2,800 large, wood framed buildings would be covered under such a mandate. This approximation is a minimum and would help buildings that are liable to crumple or suffer serious damage during a major earthquake. Geologists and seismologists forecast that a major earthquake is likely to hit the bay area before 2032.
According to the report, authorizing these retrofits would considerably curtail damage and the need for crisis shelters, along with the overall preservation of neighborhood character. It is estimated that $9,000 to $28,000 would be needed per residential unit to complete the seismic upgrades.
The reports states that the city of San Francisco can assist building owners to pay for the upgrades by offering low-interest loans backed by bonds, which would first have to be approved by the voters. Only a small fraction of the buildings that would be ruined in a big earthquake are represented here. Approximately 60,000 tenants and 7,000 employees are affected under the report. This is only 10 percent of the San Francisco’s housing units that are believed to be hazardous.
Laurence Kornfield, San Francisco’s chief building inspector said, “This data is confirmation that these buildings represent a significant hazard to the community and possibly all sorts of problems.”
Property owners who open their doors to the public have an ethical and legal duty to make sure their premises are free of avoidable dangers. Premises liability lawsuits can be very complicated because they frequently involve more than one business or even government agencies, each of which has a separate insurer, and sometimes multiple victims. The skilled Los Angeles premises liability attorneys at Panish, Shea & Boyle have extensive experience handling and winning this kind of complex litigation. Please call 1-866-992-1700 for a free consultation with one of our skilled premises liability attorneys.
