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.
Sierra Vista High (Alternative)
- 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.
- 7 projects were listed with "Letter 4" Field Act problems by the state architect's office and were able to be matched to this school. See below for current project statuses.
- 5 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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Sierra Vista High (Alternative) is ...
- Inside a liquefaction zone
AB 300 list projects More about the AB 300 list
| Project ID | Building use | Vulnerability type | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14847 | K - Auto Body 13,157 square feet |
Potentially hazardous in an earthquake and in need of a detailed structural evaluation. | Seismic review completed, but no retrofit completed according to Division of the State Architect. | |
| 14847 | E - Frontier 11,440 square feet |
Potentially hazardous in an earthquake and in need of a detailed structural evaluation. | No seismic review or retrofit according to Division of the State Architect. | |
| 14847 | F - Frontier 11,444 square feet |
Potentially hazardous in an earthquake and in need of a detailed structural evaluation. | Seismic review completed, but no retrofit completed according to Division of the State Architect. | |
| 14847 | B - Monte Vista 9,007 square feet |
Potentially hazardous in an earthquake and in need of a detailed structural evaluation. | Seismic review completed, but no retrofit completed according to Division of the State Architect. | |
| 14847 | N - Operations Office 18,320 square feet |
Potentially hazardous in an earthquake and in need of a detailed structural evaluation. | Seismic review completed, but no retrofit completed according to Division of the State Architect. | |
| 14847 | O - Gym 16,932 square feet |
Generally would perform well in an earthquake, but should have a detailed structural evaluation. | Seismic review completed, but no retrofit completed according to Division of the State Architect. | |
| 14847 | D-Lab Frontier High 16,932 square feet |
Potentially hazardous in an earthquake and in need of a detailed structural evaluation. | Seismic review completed, but no retrofit completed according to Division of the State Architect. | |
| 14847 | C-Preschool Lab - Frontier High 16,932 square feet |
Potentially hazardous in an earthquake and in need of a detailed structural evaluation. | Seismic review completed, but no retrofit completed according to Division of the State Architect. | |
| 14847 | G - Santa Fe 10,475 square feet |
Potentially hazardous in an earthquake and in need of a detailed structural evaluation. | Seismic review completed, but no retrofit completed according to Division of the State Architect. | |
| 14847 | C - Snack 3,563 square feet |
Potentially hazardous in an earthquake and in need of a detailed structural evaluation. | Seismic review completed, but no retrofit completed according to Division of the State Architect. | |
| 14847 | J - Auto Repair 10,534 square feet |
Potentially hazardous in an earthquake and in need of a detailed structural evaluation. | No seismic review or retrofit according to Division of the State Architect. | |
| 14847 | A - Pioneer 8,935 square feet |
Potentially hazardous in an earthquake and in need of a detailed structural evaluation. | Seismic review completed, but no retrofit completed according to Division of the State Architect. | |
| 16200 | A - Classroom, Lab - Frontier High 13,787 square feet |
Potentially hazardous in an earthquake and in need of a detailed structural evaluation. | Seismic review completed, but no retrofit completed according to Division of the State Architect. | |
| 16200 | B - Classroom, Lab - Frontier High 16,932 square feet |
Potentially hazardous in an earthquake and in need of a detailed structural evaluation. | Seismic review completed, but no retrofit completed according to Division of the State Architect. |
"Letter 4" uncertified projects More about uncertified projects
| Project ID | Status |
|---|---|
| Project: 103123 Region: 03 |
As of December 2010, the Division of the State Architect considered this a "Letter 4" project. For the current status of this project, please visit the Division of the State Architect's Tracker site or contact the State Architect. You can read more about the state's downgrading of school projects here.
Download original closeout letter (PDF) |
| Project: 103124 Region: 03 |
As of December 2010, the Division of the State Architect considered this a "Letter 4" project. For the current status of this project, please visit the Division of the State Architect's Tracker site or contact the State Architect. You can read more about the state's downgrading of school projects here.
Download original closeout letter (PDF) |
| Project: 102990 Region: 03 |
As of December 2010, the Division of the State Architect considered this a "Letter 4" project. For the current status of this project, please visit the Division of the State Architect's Tracker site or contact the State Architect. You can read more about the state's downgrading of school projects here.
Download original closeout letter (PDF) |
| Project: 103266 Region: 03 |
As of December 2010, the Division of the State Architect considered this a "Letter 4" project. For the current status of this project, please visit the Division of the State Architect's Tracker site or contact the State Architect. You can read more about the state's downgrading of school projects here.
Download original closeout letter (PDF) |
| Project: 103959 Region: 03 |
As of December 2010, the Division of the State Architect considered this a "Letter 4" project. For the current status of this project, please visit the Division of the State Architect's Tracker site or contact the State Architect. You can read more about the state's downgrading of school projects here.
Download original closeout letter (PDF) |
| Project: 105906 Region: 03 |
The Division of the State Architect downgraded this project from a "Letter 4" to a "Letter 3" on 3/26/2010. For the current status of this project, please visit the Division of the State Architect's Tracker site or contact the State Architect. You can read more about the state's downgrading of school projects here.
Download original closeout letter (PDF) |
| Project: 105566 Region: 03 |
As of December 2010, the Division of the State Architect considered this a "Letter 4" project. For the current status of this project, please visit the Division of the State Architect's Tracker site or contact the State Architect. You can read more about the state's downgrading of school projects here.
Download original closeout letter (PDF) |
"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.
