Jacob Margolis
covers science, with a focus on environmental stories and disasters, as well as investigations and accountability.
Published April 3, 2024 6:25 PM
Emergency personnel stand in front of a partially collapsed building leaning over a street in Hualien on April 3, 2024 after a major earthquake hit Taiwan's east.
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Sam Yeh
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AFP
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Topline:
Multiple buildings partially collapsed as a result of the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck Taiwan. While we’re still learning more about what exactly happened, both Taiwan and Los Angeles have similar types of buildings that are vulnerable to collapse in a major quake.
It’s happened before: Buildings have collapsed in Taiwan before, including in 2018, 2016 and 1999. L.A. hasn’t seen anything close to the size of the quake that hit Taiwan since 1857, so our building stock hasn’t been similarly tested.
Buildings of concern: More than 4,000 non-ductile concrete and soft story buildings need to be retrofitted across the city of L.A.
A slow process: Some of these retrofit processes could play out over decades, raising the likelihood that we’ll see a big quake and a building collapse before they’re all completed.
Some of the most shocking images that’ve come out of Taiwan over the past 24 hours have been of the partially collapsed Uranus building on Xuanyuan Road in Hualien.
It’s unclear how many structures across the country are in this state, as information is still trickling out.
A search and rescue team prepares outside a leaning building in the aftermath of an earthquake in Hualien, eastern Taiwan on Wednesday, April 3, 2024.
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National Fire Agency via AP
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That said, this is a known issue in Taiwan, as buildings have collapsed or partially collapsed during earthquakes in 2018, 2016 and 1999, the last time a magnitude 7.3 temblor struck the country.
While building inspections and retrofits have been ongoing, the collapses highlight the stock of older, dangerous structures that are prone to failure when a big quake blows through.
Japanese (L) and Taiwanese rescue workers (R) look at the Yun Tsui building in the Taiwanese city of Hualien on Feb. 9, 2018, after the city was hit by a 6.4-magnitude quake late on Feb. 6. Taiwan began demolishing three dangerously damaged buildings on Feb. 9 as rescue workers combed the rubble of a hotel in a last-ditch effort to find seven people still missing after a deadly earthquake.
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Anthony Wallace
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AFP
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Taiwan and L.A. have similar building codes, and lots of the same types of problem buildings, though it may not be as apparent here, as the last time we got hit by a major magnitude 7.9 earthquake was in 1857.
“It will take an earthquake to see ... how good a job we've done and what we need to make it better,” said Domniki Asimaki, professor of mechanical and civil engineering at Caltech.
A man looks at the cordoned off site of a leaning building in the aftermath of an earthquake on April 3, 2024.
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Chiang Ying-ying
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AP
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What are the problem buildings?
The two types of structurally deficient buildings that experts told me can be found in both locations are soft story and non-ductile, or brittle, concrete buildings.
Soft story structures are those that have insufficient support on the ground floor, which can give out and cause the building to collapse on itself and tip over — like what we saw with the Northridge Meadows apartments in the Northridge Earthquake in 1994.
You can sometimes notice soft stories on larger commercial buildings if a lower floor is wide open to accommodate shops or parking.
The Northridge Meadows apartments fared poorly in the 1994 earthquake.
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U.S. Geological Survey
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Brittle concrete buildings lack ductility, or the ability to flex and return to a safe state, after being jostled around by strong ground movements. They can fail abruptly and catastrophically.
What about retrofits?
Like Taiwan, we have retrofit programs in place, but more than 4,000 of these types of buildings still need to be fixed across L.A., according to the Department of Building and Safety. It could be decades before they are.
“We're racing against time for when this earthquake is going to happen,” said John Wallace, professor of civil and environmental engineering at the Samueli School of Engineering at UCLA. “We probably won't get them all done before the next earthquake, but we want to get to as many of them as we can.”
Both Wallace and Domniki said that it wouldn’t be a surprise if some of these buildings failed, which is why we have retrofit programs in place.
The National Guard in front of the Northridge Meadows apartments on January 24, 1994 where 16 people died during the earthquake in the night of Jan. 17, 1994.
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Hal Garb
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AFP
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Get ready for the next big quake
Earthquake prep resources
We don't want to scare you, but the Big One is coming. We don't know when, but we know it'll be at least 44 times stronger than Northridge and 11 times stronger than the Ridgecrest quakes in 2019. To help you get prepared, we've compiled a handy reading list
You’re at Union Station when the big one hits. The next two minutes are terrifying. By the time you make your way outside, the Los Angeles you know is gone. In Episode One, you experience what the first hours after a massive earthquake could be like.
You’re at Union Station when the big one hits. The next two minutes are terrifying. By the time you make your way outside, the Los Angeles you know is gone. In Episode One, you experience what the first hours after a massive earthquake could be like.
Gov. Gavin Newsom (right) speaks as Attorney General Rob Bonta looks on during a news conference April 16, 2025, in Ceres. A new lawsuit seeks to reinstate the 2009 conclusion that carbon dioxide and other planet-warming gases threaten public health and welfare.
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Justin Sullivan
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Getty Images
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Topline:
California, as well as Los Angeles County, along with a coalition of 23 other states and a dozen cities and counties, sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday for rolling back the scientific finding requiring it to regulate greenhouse gas pollution.
Why it matters: The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, seeks to reinstate a 2009 conclusion known as the endangerment finding — that carbon dioxide and other planet-warming gases threaten public health and welfare. The climate rule served as the scientific basis for the agency’s ability to limit emissions under the Clean Air Act.
California, along with a coalition of 23 other states and a dozen cities and counties, sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday for rolling back the scientific finding requiring it to regulate greenhouse gas pollution.
“This isn’t a small technical change,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said at a press conference in Sacramento. “It’s a sweeping decision that would increase pollution, worsen climate change and put the health of millions of Americans at risk. And it’s not based on any credible science.”
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, seeks to reinstate a 2009 conclusion known as the endangerment finding — that carbon dioxide and other planet-warming gases threaten public health and welfare.
The climate rule served as the scientific basis for the agency’s ability to limit emissions under the Clean Air Act.
The Trump administration finalized the repeal of the endangerment finding Feb. 12. A post on the EPA’s website stated the change would also dissolve restrictions on vehicle emissions and save Americans $1.3 trillion.
“As a result of these changes, engine and vehicle manufacturers no longer have any future obligations for the measurement, control and reporting of GHG emissions for any highway engine and vehicle, including model years manufactured prior to this final rule.”
Sanchez said California’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the landmark 2006 Global Warming Solutions Act, AB 32, signed into law by then-Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, “remains unchanged.”
Los Angeles, San Francisco and Santa Clara counties also were parties to the suit.
A man's shirt and sticker are displayed at the Billionaire Tax Now booth at the 2026 California Democratic Party State Convention in San Francisco on Feb. 21. A new poll finds just 52% of Democrats back a wealth tax, leaving room for an expensive, uphill campaign. State Republicans overwhelmingly support the voter ID measure.
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Jeff Chiu
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AP
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Topline:
California voters are split along party lines on two controversial proposed ballot measures — a billionaire tax and an initiative requiring voters to show government ID when they cast a ballot — according to a new poll.
Billionaire's tax: The survey from UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies found 52% of voters backing a proposed one-time, 5% tax on the net worth of billionaires. The money would be used to fund health care programs, which are being cut by the Trump administration; 33% of registered voters said they were opposed and 15% said they are still undecided.
Voter ID: The voter ID ballot measure is more evenly divided, with 44% of voters in support and 45% opposed. Republican voters said they would overwhelmingly vote “Yes.” Democrats are unified in opposition, with only 19% in support.
The survey from UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies found 52% of voters backing a proposed one-time, 5% tax on the net worth of billionaires. The money would be used to fund health care programs, which are being cut by the Trump administration; 33% of registered voters said they were opposed and 15% said they are still undecided.
Whether voters back the measure, which is being pushed by a health care labor union, is highly correlated to their partisan leanings: 72% of Democrats said they’d support the billionaire tax if it qualifies for the November ballot, while the same percentage of Republican voters are opposed. Voters with no party preference were more split, with 51% backing the wealth tax.
The voter ID ballot measure is more evenly divided, with 44% of voters in support and 45% opposed. Republican voters said they would overwhelmingly vote “Yes.” Democrats are unified in opposition, with only 19% in support.
IGS co-director Eric Schickler said that while neither measure has qualified yet for the ballot, most voters surveyed said they are aware of the proposals.
“The Billionaire Tax Initiative starts out in a relatively strong position, but with it polling just above 50%, that still leaves room for what will be an intense, expensive campaign,” he said. “The Voter ID Initiative looks like it faces an uphill climb: given the strong Democratic opposition, it needs very strong support among nonpartisan voters, and it currently seems to be falling short. But it is still very early.”
If they move forward, the campaigns around both measures are expected to be expensive and bruising. Democrats are split on the billionaires tax: Gov. Gavin Newsom is opposed, Silicon Valley Rep. Ro Khanna said he’s in support, and many other Democrats — including legislative leaders and candidates for governor — have offered support for the concept but expressed concerns with the details of this proposal.
Some billionaires have already left California, and others, like Google co-founder Sergey Brin, are lining up huge campaign war chests to fight the measure.
And Democrats are gearing up to fight the voter ID measure, which several Southern California Republican lawmakers are pushing. The proposed ballot measure comes as the U.S. Senate debates what’s known as the SAVE Act, a far more draconian voter ID measure.
Backed by President Donald Trump, that legislation would require a passport or birth certificate to register to vote, essentially eliminate mail-in ballots and require states to hand over their voter rolls to the federal government. It already passed the House but is facing a steep climb in the Republican-led Senate.
The poll was conducted between March 9 and 15 among more than 5,000 registered California voters. It has a sampling error of plus or minus 2 points.
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LAUSD's Cesar E. Chavez Academies include four independent high schools named after the labor leader, located on a single campus in San Fernando.
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Justin Sullivan
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Getty Images
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Topline:
Los Angeles Unified School Board members who represent district schools named after César Chávez are calling for their renaming in light of sexual abuse allegations.
What’s new: Board members Rocío Rivas and Kelly Gonez issued a joint statement Thursday, calling for the renaming of César Chávez Learning Academies in San Fernando along with César Chávez Elementary School in El Sereno. They said they “believe it is necessary to move away from traditional César Chávez-centered celebrations and lessons tied to the state holiday and instead prioritize student safety, dignity and truth.”
What’s next: Renaming of schools requires a full vote from the school board. Rivas and Gonez said they will work with their communities to find new names.
The Los Angeles Unified board members who represent schools named for César Chávez are calling for their renaming.
A New York Times investigation published Wednesday found the famed labor leader Chávez sexually abused girls and women including United Farmer Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta.
“In light of this information, we believe it is necessary to move away from traditional César Chávez-centered celebrations and lessons tied to the state holiday and instead prioritize student safety, dignity and truth,” read a statement from board member Kelly Gonez and Vice President Rocío Rivas.
The renaming process would likely take months and include meetings with school staff, students and parents. In the meantime, district leaders and educators are grappling with how the allegations of abuse change lessons about a figure who helped galvanize generations of activists.
“ I think we are all deeply, deeply troubled by the allegations that have come forward over the last couple of days,” said Andres Chait, the acting Los Angeles Unified superintendent.
Chait said that March 27 will continue to be a school holiday (the currently named César Chávez Day, on March 31, falls during LAUSD’s spring break).
A district spokesperson provided a statement Wednesday that said a review of curriculum and resources related to Chávez is underway “to ensure the emphasis remains on the important work of the farmworker movement, not on any one individual.”
How are community members and educators reacting?
Last semester, students at STEM Academy of Hollywood learned about Chávez and the movement to unionize farmworkers in Irene Atilano’s ethnic studies class.
Atilano said students walked into her classroom Wednesday with questions after seeing the allegations of Chávez’s abuse on social media.
“ They were just like, ‘What do you think?’” Atilano said. “And I'm like, 'It doesn't matter what I think. What do you guys think? Let's learn together.'”
Their reactions ranged from “this really sucks,” to a sense of loss.
“This is why we don't try to idolize people,” Atilano said. “We want to make sure that we focus on the community, we focus on the movement.”
Atilano said she plans to teach ethnic studies again and is thinking about how misogyny and patriarchy intersect with political and social justice movements.
“It can be found everywhere,” Atilano said. “I’m trying to see how I can make those connections in the future, but it's a work in progress.”
On March 10, the LAUSD board unanimously approved a resolution recognizing Chávez — one of many such resolutions over the years — and pledging to provide curriculum and resources aligned with the foundation that promotes his legacy, education and economic development. The board last year also passed a resolution honoring Huerta.
In response to LAist’s questions about curriculum related to Chávez, an LAUSD spokesperson provided a statement that said the district is providing additional instructional materials “to support classroom learning, ensuring students continue to engage with themes of leadership, service and social justice in age-appropriate and meaningful ways.”
“Just my own team, we’re seven women … and our own triggers, our own stories are coming out,” Ortiz Franklin said. “You can imagine that happening everywhere in homes, in classrooms, the adults having to manage this, and then also, helping students process.”
César Chávez Elementary in El Sereno is one of several schools in Southern California named after the labor leader.
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Fiona Ng
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LAist
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How would renaming work?
Blanca Juarez was at César Chávez Elementary in El Sereno on Wednesday to pick up her daughter. With a father and grandmother who were both farmworkers, she said she was troubled by the news.
“He was like the only hope in those days — the only one speaking for all of the — and now, well, I don’t know. I don’t know what to say,” Juarez said.
She said it was too soon to be talking about renaming the school.
Gonez and Rivas said they would work with the communities surrounding the elementary school and the César Chávez Learning Academies in San Fernando to identify new names.
In recent years, the school renaming process has included meetings with staff, students, parents and community members and a public vote. The LAUSD board must vote to finalize any name changes.
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Mediators have given Hamas a formal proposal to lay down its weapons, a senior U.S. official told NPR. The proposal calls for Hamas and all other militant groups in Gaza to hand over all weapons, making an emerging governing authority responsible for all arms.
The backstory: The Gaza war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants launched a surprise attack on southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people, according to Israel. Israel's massive military response killed more than 70,000 people in Gaza and left the coastal enclave in ruins, according to Palestinian health officials. Despite the fragile ceasefire agreement, over the last six months Israeli forces have killed hundreds of Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to Gaza health authorities, in what Israel says were attacks targeting Hamas militants. Several Israeli soldiers have also been killed in attacks by militants.
Reconstruction of Gaza: The demilitarization proposal was handed over to Hamas last week in Cairo, an additional official in the region said. A third person briefed on the proposal called it a comprehensive framework to ensure the "complete handover" and "full decommissioning" of arms belonging to Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza, and that if Hamas accepts the proposal, it would ensure large-scale reconstruction of Gaza.
What's next: Hamas has been asked to respond to the proposal in about a weeks time, after the Muslim Eid holiday. Senior Hamas officials did not immediately comment, and one Hamas official denied having received a proposal.
SHEFFIELD, U.K., and JERUSALEM — Mediators have given Hamas a formal proposal to lay down its weapons, a senior U.S. official told NPR. The proposal calls for Hamas and all other militant groups in Gaza to hand over all weapons, making an emerging governing authority responsible for all arms.
The demilitarization proposal was handed over to Hamas last week in Cairo, an additional official in the region said.
A third person briefed on the proposal called it a comprehensive framework to ensure the "complete handover" and "full decommissioning" of arms belonging to Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza, and that if Hamas accepts the proposal, it would ensure large-scale reconstruction of Gaza.
The person said Hamas has been asked to respond to the proposal in about a weeks time, after the Muslim Eid holiday. Senior Hamas officials did not immediately comment, and one Hamas official denied having received a proposal.
Hamas and Israel signed on to President Trump's ceasefire deal last October, in an effort to end two years of war that have devastated Gaza and triggered conflicts across the Middle East.
Trump's Board of Peace was established to oversee efforts to demilitarize Hamas, establish a multinational stabilization force for Gaza and ensure an Israeli military withdrawal from the territory. Hamas officials said they were willing to discuss their weapons but had been waiting for a formal proposal from mediators.
The work of the Board of Peace has been largely put on hold, however, since the U.S. and Israel launched the war against Iran on Feb. 28, triggering a new regional conflict that has engulfed more than a dozen countries.
The members of the new Palestinian transitional committee tasked to run postwar Gaza have still not entered the territory, and no new Palestinian police force or multinational force has been formed.
Despite the fragile truce agreement, Israeli forces have killed hundreds of Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to Gaza health authorities. Israel says the attacks targeted Hamas militants. Several Israeli soldiers have also been killed in attacks by militants.
Robert Danin, a former senior U.S. State Department and White House official specializing in the Middle East, said it was unlikely Hamas would be in any hurry to deliver its response to the demilitarization proposal or agree to it.
"Hamas sees time as being on its side right now," Danin said. "With each passing day, its influence and control on the ground in Gaza strengthens and expands, particularly as long as the Board of Peace's proposed alternative governance structures and forces for Gaza remain stuck outside of the strip. So the longer Hamas can prolong this status quo, the stronger it sees its hand growing for any day after."
Danin said the distraction caused by the war with Iran would also likely draw attention away from pressuring Hamas.
"This means that for the Board of Peace and those seeking to disarm Hamas, the key question is what tools does it have to see Hamas adopt this plan?" he said.
The Gaza war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants launched a surprise attack on southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people, according to Israel. Israel's massive military response killed more than 70,000 people in Gaza and left the coastal enclave in ruins, according to Palestinian health officials.
Despite the fragile ceasefire agreement, over the last six months Israeli forces have killed hundreds of Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to Gaza health authorities, in what Israel says were attacks targeting Hamas militants. Several Israeli soldiers have also been killed in attacks by militants.
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