Agoura Hills Schools Meet All State Earthquake Safety Standards, Superintendent Says

Following a series of structural upgrades completed earlier this year, all schools in the now meet state earthquake safety standards, according to Superintendent Donald Zimring. 

Agoura Hills Patch asked Zimring to comment on the findings of an investigative report released Thursday by the journalism watchdog group California Watch, which uncovered holes in the state's enforcement of seismic safety regulations for public schools.

California began regulating school architecture for seismic safety in 1933 with the Field Act, but data taken from the Division of the State Architect’s Office shows 20,000 school projects statewide never got final safety certifications. In the crunch to get schools built within the last few decades, state architects have been lax on enforcement, California Watch reports.

A separate inventory completed nine years ago found 7,500 seismically risky school buildings in the state. Yet, California Watch reports that only two schools have been able to access a $200 million fund for upgrades. These schools were placed on a list known as AB 300.

Three local schools—Agoura High School, Lindero Canyon Middle School and Sumac Elementary—were placed on that list.

But Zimring said all of the buildings were brought up to code within the last three to five years, including the complete reconstruction of Lindero Middle School, which opened in January.

"We had inspectors, sometimes two, on-site at all times," Zimring said. 

The school district’s documentation for completing all of the recent renovation projects was filed with the state but is still in a "mire of backed up files" and has not yet been recorded, Zimring said.

"I'm not blaming the state," he said.  "They are grossly understaffed.  I think we are basically dealing with issues of a paper chase."

Zimring assured Patch that all LVUSD schools meet state earthquake regulations and are structurally sound, noting that schools in Agoura Hills and throughout the school district already proved their sturdiness after withstanding the 6.7 magnitude Northridge quake in 1994.

"There was virtually no damage at any school anywhere in the district," Zimring said.

He went on to add that the Federal Emergency Management Agency set up relief efforts at Calabasas High School shortly after the Northridge quake.

"Schools are safe places for disasters, that's why they're designated disaster centers," Zimring said.

Editor's Note: To see schools listed on the California Watch AB300 list click here. Data used in compiling the list pre-dates upgrades made to LVUSD schools.