Learn about seismic dangers near California schools
Earthquakes are a fact of life in California, and many schools are near fault lines or other earthquake hazards. That doesn't mean they'll collapse in a quake, but many school construction projects have failed to follow basic safety standards. California Watch uncovered about 20,000 projects that lack Field Act certification. Another state report released in 2002 found 9,659 buildings at about 3,000 schools with potentially dangerous seismic hazards. If you contact your district, please e-mail California Watch at seismic@californiawatch.org to let us know what you have learned.
But the state's data is messy. Names are misspelled. Schools are located in the wrong district, or don't appear to exist at all. California Watch's investigation found about 1,400 "Letter 4" uncertified projects and about 4,500 AB 300 projects at public schools. But about 595 "Letter 4" uncertified projects and about 1,671 AB 300 projects could not be mapped and are not included. You can download more complete uncertified and AB 300 lists here.
Homestead High
- 2 projects matched to this school were on the "AB 300 list," which identifies older school buildings with potentially dangerous seismic hazards that require more detailed evaluation. See below for current project statuses.
- 0 projects were listed with "Letter 4" Field Act problems by the state architect's office and were able to be matched to this school.
- 10 projects were listed with "Letter 3" Field Act problems by the state architect's office and were able to be matched to this school. See below for a list.
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Homestead High is ...
- Within 1/4 mile of a USGS fault line
AB 300 list projects More about the AB 300 list
| Project ID | Building use | Vulnerability type | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21117 | Use not listed 6,100 square feet |
Generally would perform well in an earthquake, but should have a detailed structural evaluation. | Seismic review and retrofit completed according to Division of the State Architect. | |
| 21117 | Use not listed 30,000 square feet |
Generally would perform well in an earthquake, but should have a detailed structural evaluation. | Seismic review and retrofit completed according to Division of the State Architect. | |
| 21117 | Use not listed 30,000 square feet |
Generally would perform well in an earthquake, but should have a detailed structural evaluation. | Seismic review and retrofit completed according to Division of the State Architect. | |
| 21117 | Use not listed 4,700 square feet |
Generally would perform well in an earthquake, but should have a detailed structural evaluation. | Seismic review and retrofit completed according to Division of the State Architect. | |
| 21117 | Use not listed 9,800 square feet |
Generally would perform well in an earthquake, but should have a detailed structural evaluation. | Seismic review and retrofit completed according to Division of the State Architect. | |
| 21117 | Use not listed 10,700 square feet |
Generally would perform well in an earthquake, but should have a detailed structural evaluation. | Seismic review and retrofit completed according to Division of the State Architect. | |
| 21117 | Use not listed 13,700 square feet |
Generally would perform well in an earthquake, but should have a detailed structural evaluation. | Seismic review and retrofit completed according to Division of the State Architect. | |
| 21117 | Use not listed 30,000 square feet |
Generally would perform well in an earthquake, but should have a detailed structural evaluation. | Seismic review and retrofit completed according to Division of the State Architect. | |
| 21117 | Use not listed 16,200 square feet |
Generally would perform well in an earthquake, but should have a detailed structural evaluation. | Seismic review and retrofit completed according to Division of the State Architect. | |
| 24038 | Use not listed 15,400 square feet |
Generally would perform well in an earthquake, but should have a detailed structural evaluation. | Seismic review and retrofit completed according to Division of the State Architect. |
"Letter 3" uncertified projects More about uncertified projects
Update this listing
This page includes information from the most recent statewide databases available that we were able to match to a school site. But the state's data is messy. California Watch matched as many projects as we could to existing school sites but was unable to match about 595 uncertified projects and about 1,671 AB 300 projects. In addition, school districts may have repaired or torn down questionable buildings without telling state regulators as required by law. Do you know something about repairs at this school? Contact us to update this information.
Sources: California Department of Education, Division of the State Architect, California Geological Survey, Los Angeles Unified School District, California Watch research.
Credits: Interactive by Agustin Armendariz, Michael Corey, Chase Davis and Andrew Long. Research by Marie C. Baca, Jason Fisher, Corey G. Johnson, Stephanie Rice, Kendall Taggart.
