Recent controversies have called into question whether Los Angeles officials have done all they can to prepare the city for its next big earthquake. Mayor Eric Garcetti is making earthquake preparedness a top priority.
Recent reporting in the Los Angeles Times on questionable development approvals without comprehensive seismic evaluation and thousands of potentially dangerous concrete buildings have called into question the city's seismic safety measures. In response to the controversies, "Mayor Eric Garcetti said Thursday he was considering a new 'chief resilience officer' to oversee preparations for a major earthquake and ensure Los Angeles can minimize the disaster's damage," report Michael Finnegan, Rosanna Xia and Ari Bloomekatz. "Garcetti's suggestion for a top coordinator of earthquake issues came as he prepares to announce what he called 'some very concrete steps' to enhance seismic safety in a city with a long history of deadly temblors."
"Until this week, Garcetti had said little publicly about earthquake planning," they note. "But on Thursday, he said his administration had been working on the issue 'at a pretty fast pace' since the day he took office in July. 'I have a very strong sense of urgency about this,' he said."
For more context on the city's seismic challenges, The Architect's Newspaper spoke with California State Geologist John Parish—chief administrator of the California Geological Survey.
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