Jacob Margolis
covers science, with a focus on environmental stories and disasters, as well as investigations and accountability.
Published March 25, 2024 5:00 AM
Third grade students participate in the Great Shakeout annual earthquake drill at Pacific Elementary School in Manhattan Beach on Thursday, October 21, 2021.
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Topline:
LAUSD has hundreds of buildings that need to be inspected, possibly retrofitted or that are already in the process of being modified. A reader found out that one of those buildings is at her kid's future school, so she wanted to know if it'll be safe in an earthquake.
What’s the list?: In 1999, the state legislature passed AB 300, which required certain older school buildings to be assessed for seismic safety and potential retrofit.
Is your kid safe?: Without a proper structural assessment and modeling, we’re not able to easily tell you whether a building will be safe in an earthquake. LAUSD would be the ones with this information.
Proactive steps to take: Ask your kid’s school what their earthquake plans are, including what sorts of supplies they have, where pickups will be and what’ll happen to your child if you can’t get there right away. You can also check out the classroom and make sure that there are no heavy items sitting up high, waiting to fly off and injure someone.
Talk to your kid: Go over what you want them to do if there is an earthquake and you’re not with them. Practice drop, cover, hold on at home.
Is my kid’s local LAUSD campus earthquake safe?
That’s what listener Connie Lichtenstein wanted to know after she found out that the school they were considering sending one of their children to had a building that may need to be retrofitted.
“I am worried about my child attending our local elementary school, Franklin Ave ES (part of LAUSD), in the fall because it is on the AB 300 list. Are AB 300 schools earthquake-safe RIGHT NOW?”
After looking into it I can say it’s a complicated question with an unsatisfying answer, but it’s worth exploring because it can give Connie and maybe even you, an insight into earthquake safety at schools, about which questions have been raised before.
What is Assembly Bill 300?
In 1999, the California legislature passed AB 300, which directed the Department of General Services to put together a list of public school structures that didn't meet a major 1976 code overhaul called the Uniform Building Code.
More than 9,600 buildings across the state were identified for review, according to a 2002 report prepared by the DGS.
After assessments, each of those structures fell into one of two categories:
Those that are likely to do well in an earthquake (2,122 structures)
Those that might be a danger and need to be evaluated (7,537 structures)
According to representatives from LAUSD, 667 district buildings were ultimately identified as needing seismic evaluations.
Since then:
34 buildings have been successfully retrofitted
139 buildings have had their seismic evaluations completed and are in some stage of the retrofit process
459 structures are still in the process of being assessed for seismic safety
All tilt-up, non-ductile concrete and brick buildings (one of the riskiest types of buildings) have been demolished or retrofitted.
LAUSD lists their building inventory online, but that only identifies 645 out of a potential 667 buildings. It's unclear why. Representatives say it's up to date.
A classroom.
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What does LAUSD say?
I requested an interview with an expert from LAUSD to discuss the safety issue and was denied.
After more than a week of waiting for answers to a list of questions, the school district followed up with a statement from a spokesperson.
"A school building on the Los Angeles Unified AB300 Criteria Building List means that the type of structure has been identified for seismic evaluation. Once evaluated, an appropriate action plan is developed, if necessary. If during the evaluation process, a building is determined to possibly pose a safety concern, the necessary actions will be immediately taken to ensure student and staff safety."
Looking for clarity, I asked: Are students and faculty safe inside of buildings on the AB 300 list in the event of an earthquake, even if a building has not yet been assessed or had its retrofit completed? Are they expected to meet life safety performance? The question that's at the crux of this entire piece?
LAUSD did not answer the question.
So ... is my kid's school safe?
If you do find out that one of the unimproved buildings is on your kid's campus, should you be worried?
"The fact that the building is on this list doesn't automatically make it a highly vulnerable building," said Henry Burton, an associate professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at UCLA.
"Because of the number of variables that are involved it's very hard to say if there's a building that's in imminent danger."
A whole lot of work goes into figuring out if a building is going to perform OK in an earthquake. Experts need to review building plans, do on the ground assessments, take into consideration everything from materials to the way that they're joined together. They also need to do ground motion modeling that considers different types of potential quakes.
If they do find out that a building needs to be retrofitted, the structures often need to be opened up for expensive improvements that can take years to complete.
Students at Bryant Elementary School take cover under their desks during an earthquake drill as part of the Great ShakeOut event on October 18, 2018 in San Francisco, California.
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Multiple structural engineers I spoke with also said that even if a building was built 100 years ago, that doesn't necessarily mean it won't do well in a quake.
"Usually when I'm talking with parents, I will often throw my poor daughter under the bus by reaching the conclusion that there aren't too many school buildings out there that I would not allow my daughter to go to class in," said Kenneth O'Dell, a structural engineer in Long Beach.
"I have confidence in the building inventory within the local market for schools. And that confidence comes largely from the knowledge that the Division of State Architect has been involved in certifying school buildings since shortly after the 1933 earthquake."
The structural integrity of schools has been a priority in California since 1933, after the Long Beach Earthquake destroyed 70 schools. Luckily, students weren't in school at the time and mass death was avoided. A month later the legislature passed the Field Act, which set more strict building requirements for schools than were previously in place. It's often pointed out that since then, no school buildings in California have collapsed in an earthquake.
Ultimately, it's up to you to decide if you're OK with the risk, as is always the case when we talk about anything disaster related. That was the entire conclusion of our podcast The Big One, which dives deep on the impacts of a major San Andreas earthquake.
“If they continue to be on this list and they're not retrofitted in any way, then yeah I think I would either continue homeschooling my kids or I would find a school for them that isn't on that list that we don't have to worry about," said Lichtenstein, when I told her what I learned.
What should I ask my child's school?
"The only thing I would suggest is to try to get more information from the relevant school district about what they're doing about the buildings, and if they have a sense of the timeline for evaluating and retrofitting these buildings," Burton said.
Feel free to ask either your kid's school or an LAUSD board member about a particular building, whether it's been assessed and what its shortcomings may be. If you get stonewalled or find anything out, shoot me a note.
Outside of structural safety, there are some important questions about earthquakes that the school should be able to answer:
What are the school's earthquake plans and can you see them?
What sorts of supplies do they have available and when were they updated?
What sorts of precautions are they taking in terms of strapping down heavy items in the classroom and how often are classrooms inspected?
Where will parents be able to pick up kids after an earthquake?
If you can't get to your kids after the earthquake, what happens?
Is there anything you can prepare for your child in anticipation of a disaster to make them more comfortable while they're waiting?
You should also consider printing out an emergency card and sticking it in your kid's backpack, so they always have critical information on them that they can refer to amidst the chaos.
Find Your LAUSD Board Member
LAUSD board members can amplify concerns from parents, students, and educators. Find your representative below.
The autonomous ride-hailing service Waymo plans to file a voluntarily software recall after several reports that its self-driving taxis illegally passed stopped school buses.
Why now: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an investigation in October in response to potential violations.
What's next: The company says it identified a software issue that contributed to the incidents and it believes subsequent updates will fix the problem.
The autonomous ride-hailing service Waymo plans to file a voluntarily software recall after several reports that its self-driving taxis illegally passed stopped school buses.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an investigation in October in response to "a media report involving a Waymo AV [autonomous vehicle] that failed to remain stopped when approaching a school bus that was stopped with its red lights flashing, stop arm deployed, and crossing control arm deployed."
WXIA-TV in Atlanta aired video in September that showed a Waymo vehicle driving around a school bus.
The NHTSA website also includes a letter from the Austin Independent School District, saying the district has documented 19 instances of Waymo vehicles "illegally and dangerously" passing the district's school buses. The letter, signed by the district's senior counsel, says in one instance the Waymo vehicle drove past the stopped bus "only moments after a student crossed in front of the vehicle, and while the student was still in the road."
In a statement emailed to NPR, Waymo Chief Safety Officer Mauricio Peña said that while the company is proud of its safety record, "holding the highest safety standards means recognizing when our behavior should be better." Peña wrote that Waymo plans "to file a voluntary software recall with NHTSA" and it "will continue analyzing our vehicles performance and making necessary fixes."
The company says it identified a software issue that contributed to the incidents and it believes subsequent updates will fix the problem. Waymo says it plans to file the voluntary recall early next week and it points out that no injuries have occurred because of this problem.
Waymo is a subsidiary of Alphabet, the parent company of Google. It has focused on safety in public statements, showing that driverless Waymo cars have a lot fewer crashes than those with human drivers. In the cities where the company operates, it says there have been 91% fewer crashes with serious injuries and 92% fewer crashes with pedestrian injuries.
Independent analyses from technology news website Ars Technica and the newsletter Understanding AI support Waymo's claim that its AVs are safer than human drivers. Still, federal regulators are asking the company to provide a lot more information about these incidents.
According to NHTSA, Waymo's AVs surpassed 100 million miles of driving last July and continue to accumulate 2 million miles a week. Given that and discussions with Waymo, the agency says "the likelihood of other prior similar incidents is high."
Earlier this week, NHTSA investigators sent a list of detailed questions about the incidents to Waymo as part of its inquiry. The agency asked Waymo to document similar incidents and provide more information about how it has responded. NHTSA set a deadline of Jan. 20, 2026, for Waymo to respond.
Editor's note: Google is a financial supporter of NPR.
Cedar trees in Christmas Tree Lane are lit up at Saturday's lighting ceremony.
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Topline:
The annual Christmas Tree Lane lighting ceremony was held on Saturday, the first time since the Eaton Fire.
Why it matters: The lighting is Altadena’s kickoff to the holidays, a 105-year-old tradition that attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year.
Why now: The event takes on extra significance for attendees after devastations from the Eaton Fire.
"3... 2... 1..."
Voices rang out in unison until the nearly mile-long row of cedar trees along Santa Rosa Avenue burst with color.
The Christmas Tree Lane lighting is Altadena’s kickoff to the holidays, a 105-year-old tradition that attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year.
And it was all that on Saturday night.
After the Eaton Fire, though, the celebration was more for many who attended. Many things about the lighting remained the same: speeches by dignitaries, a performance by the high school drumline.
But so much was different. A tree just off the lane was lit in white with 19 green lights honoring every person who died in the fire.
A tree off the Christmas Tree Lane was lit in white with 19 green lights honoring every person who died in the fire.
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And during the ceremony, a minute and 19 seconds of silence was observed, led by the night’s emcee, actor Edward James Olmos.
LAist was at Saturday night's lighting event.
Megan Murdock
Longtime Altadena resident Megan Murdock and her partner Steven Valle.
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Saturday marked longtime Altadena resident Megan Murdock's very first outing.
"I love Christmas Tree Lane, but I've never been to the lighting event," she said. " This felt like the year to show up and represent."
As the first anniversary of the Eaton Fire approaches, Murdock said it's been amazing to see the community rebuild, even though the scars are still raw.
"Through the rebuilding, there were really hard days, there's going be more really hard days," she said. "But today's a good day."
Seamus Bozeman
Seamus Bozeman and his family lost their home in Altadena.
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Seamus Bozeman will always call Altadena home.
He and his family lost their house in the Eaton Fire. But every chance he gets, Bozeman (a former LAist intern) can be found hanging out in his old haunts.
"I come back and shop at the shops as much as I can, eat from the restaurants here," he said. "I love this place so much."
Christmas Tree Lane lighting ceremony on Saturday.
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He said the tree-lighting ceremony he grew up knowing was a quaint, neighborhood affair.
" With this whole festival and everything because of the fire, I don't know, it's not the same for me," he said.
But change, he knows, is inevitable.
" I'm hoping it's for the better," Bozeman said. "But one thing I do know is that we'll be closer as a community because of this fire."
Patricia Valencia
Patricia Valencia (R) and her friend at the Christmas Tree Lane lighting ceremony.
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For Patricia Valencia, who lost her home in the fire, Saturday night's event was a reunion.
"I saw my neighbor for the first time since we evacuated," she said. "It was emotional! I gave him a hug, and I was like, I think I'm gonna cry because I haven't seen you since that night that we left."
Greg Demus
Christmas Tree Lane resident Greg Demus.
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Greg Demus lives right on Christmas Tree Lane. For him, the event is an annual ritual.
" I've been coming here all my life," he said.
But after the fire, few things are a given.
" I wasn't quite sure what to expect," Demus said of this year's ceremony. "But it's good to see so many people come back to try to celebrate Altadena and keep Altadena strong."
Howard and Linella Raff
Howard Raff and his wife Linella at Saturday's Christmas Tree Lane lighting ceremony.
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Howard Raff and his wife Linella are renting outside of Altadena while their home is being remediated.
"Coming back, you just want it to be what it was, and you don't know what it's going to be like. So having this was kind of an anchor of something that you knew was going to be there," Linella said.
Marguerite Lockwood de Jauregui
Marguerite Lockwood de Jauregui holds up a photocopy of the house in Altadena she lived in for three years, at the corner of Santa Rosa Avenue and East Mariposa Street where she is standing.
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Marguerite Lockwood de Jauregui and her husband arrived at Christmas Tree Lane on Saturday in the early afternoon.
As soon as they were able to enter the area, the two set up their chairs at the corner of Santa Rosa Avenue and Mariposa Street.
The intersection of Mariposa Street and Santa Rosa Avenue at Christmas Tree Lane
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The lot on that corner now sits razed and empty. But before the fire, it was the house where de Jauregui had lived for three years after college. A place where she built lifelong friendships with her roommates.
"It was such great memories and a great camaraderie," she said.
Altadena, she remembered, was vibrant and free-spirited.
"It was a really close-knit community," she said. "When you go further down Fair Oaks, you could go to the movies and dinner. You get together with friends in their historical homes, and we'd all sit around and play music."
Marguerite Lockwood de Jauregui brought with her a photocopy of the Altadena house she stayed at.
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She returned to Christmas Tree Lane on Saturday to honor those formative years — and brought along images and drawings of the house that burned down.
"It was almost like claiming a bit of my own personal history back," she said.
A pint of beer is served at the Great British Beer Festival on Aug. 1, 2006, in London.
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Topline:
The FIFA World Cup is coming to L.A. in 2026. Fans of clubs from different parts of the world will probably look for something familiar when they land in L.A.
And ... one British expat and writer has put together this guide for the best European pubs to watch games in the L.A. area.
The FIFA World Cup is just a few months away, and some national soccer teams, like Cape Verde, Curacao and Uzbekistan are competing for the first time. Their fans — and those of the other 45 countries — will probably look for something familiar when they land in L.A.
Whether it’s a fast food logo or a restaurant serving regional dishes from home, that sense of familiarity can be the first stepping stone before you start discovering the delights of where you are now.
When I arrived in Los Angeles from England, I was soon directed to Ye Olde King's Head in Santa Monica. Judging by the dozens of photographs on the wall, it has been a kind of entry checkpoint for newly arrived British Isles celebrities and regulars alike since the 1970s. They do afternoon tea, of course, plus their bar will open early to show UK soccer matches. Their store has snacks and candy for the homesick.
It was, of course, reassuring for me to hear familiar accents and recognize the beers on tap and even some of the crisps — sorry, chips — behind the bar. Asking whether any “football” matches were going to be shown didn’t raise any eyebrows either, even though that could mean having to arrive soon after sunrise because of the time difference in the UK.
British comfort food at Ye Olde King's Head in Santa Monica.
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Even if I had been living locally, I don’t think it would have become my “local” (as it were) because I thought it was important to try to get to know my new home, rather than hold on too tight to what I had just left behind.
That said, I did occasionally return to watch football matches and even for a couple of New Year’s Eves, which happen here at 4 p.m. to coincide with midnight in England. Then I could call home and hear the singing of “Auld Lang Syne” while we in the pub were singing it at the same time.
Here's a select list of pubs where you can sample the drinks, eats and even watch the sports from several European countries.
Ireland
The Auld Fella (Culver City & Brentwood) 9375 Culver Blvd., Culver City
Auld Fella in Culver City
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Owned by an actual Irishman, Kevin Kearns from Inishowen, they pour an excellent Guinness (don’t ask any Irish person about the importance of that, nor how hard it is to find that in L.A.) and have a good selection of savory pies. Kevin’s also an actor and appeared in blockbuster Battleship.
Tom Bergin’s (Mid-Town/Fairfax) 840 S. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles
Tom Bergin's in the Fairfax District.
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An L.A. staple since 1936, it’s the center of celebrations on St. Patrick’s Day. Stapled to the ceiling and walls around the horseshoe bar are shamrocks with the names of past patrons: try to find Cary Grant, Kiefer Sutherland, Ronald Reagan and Bing Crosby. A short menu, but you can get shepherd’s pie (steak, carrots, celery, caramelized onions, under mashed potatoes), and it’s said to have invented Irish coffee. Choose that or a good Guinness.
Molly Malone’s (Mid-Town/Fairfax) 575 S. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles
Molly Malone's in the Fairfax District.
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Owned by Irish family the Hanlons since 1969, Molly’s was damaged by a fire last year but bounced right back with its dark interior and original mission as a place where Irish troubadours and traditional musicians could get together. It’s long been a respected music venue and occasionally gets some bigger names on stage. You’ll get a good pour here, too, though the menu is just a few items long.
Named after a bonnet worn by Scotsmen, the “Tam” looks like a castle crossed with a witch’s house, in part because the original fairytale European look wasn’t a hit for owners Van de Kamp bakeries when they opened in 1922, so they pivoted to kilts, flags and bagpipes. Actors came in from the nearby studios, and famously, Walt Disney and his companions were regulars. A steakhouse, it also offers Scottish rarebit (cheddar, Scottish ale, cayenne pepper on sourdough) and, as you see when you enter, a large selection of scotch whiskeys. It even has resident ghosts!
Head to Wirsthaus to experience the best of Bavaria with steins of German beers, giant pretzels, schnitzel (boneless, thin slices of meat that are pounded, breaded and pan-fried until golden and crispy), bratwurst (sausages), plenty of oompah music and staff dressed in traditional dirndls and lederhosen — the Hollywood movie go-to for scenes of beer debauchery.
Red Lion Tavern (Silver Lake) 2366 Glendale Blvd., Los Angeles
Red Lion in Los Feliz.
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Originally an “Olde English” pub opened by the then-owners of Cole’s in downtown, it always had some German beers on draft, and in 1963, new owners fully embraced that. The German wife of one of them reportedly taught her home recipes to the chef, and it was German-owned until 2004, when Aidas Mattis and family, longtime patrons, took over. They kept up the style at this small, maze-like local favorite: flags, German signs, memorabilia and the back-patio beer garden. Schnitzel, spaetzle (doughy noodles), goulash and bratwurst are on the menu, as well as many beers and ciders. Oktoberfest runs Oct. 14, 15, 21 and 22. Try a four-liter boot of beer.
England
The Cat & Fiddle (West Hollywood) 742 Highland Ave., West Hollywood
The Cat & Fiddle in West Hollywood.
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Located on Sunset Boulevard for several decades, “The Cat” has long been an expat hangout, especially for musicians. Now on Highland Avenue, the Gardner children carry on offering a friendly face and a familiar meal to all visitors. Their Sunday roasts are a real taste of home, and they have other classic British dishes like shepherd’s pie, a ploughman’s lunch (Gloucester, brie, scotch egg, grapes, cornichons, Branston pickle and baguette), Scotch egg and sticky toffee pudding. Want to know what those last two are? Go visit!
The Canaby (in the works)
Soon, ex-pats will be able to try Gordon Ramsay at the Carnaby, a recently announced 175-seat British gastropub that will open at Downtown Disney and bring 1960s London to Anaheim. Live bands will play music from that fab era, and dishes will include beef Wellington, fish and chips and sticky toffee pudding. No word yet on an opening date.
The Trump administration has removed Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth from next year's calendar of entrance fee-free days for national parks and added President Trump's birthday to the list, according to the National Park Service.
Why now: The administration continues to push back against a reckoning of the country's racist history on federal lands.
Other free dates: In addition to Trump's birthday — which coincides with Flag Day (June 14) — the updated calendar of fee-free dates includes the 110th anniversary of the NPS (August 25), Constitution Day (September 17) and President Teddy Roosevelt's birthday (October 27). The changes will take effect starting January 1.
The Trump administration has removed Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth from next year's calendar of entrance fee-free days for national parks and added President Trump's birthday to the list, according to the National Park Service, as the administration continues to push back against a reckoning of the country's racist history on federal lands.
In addition to Trump's birthday — which coincides with Flag Day (June 14) — the updated calendar of fee-free dates includes the 110th anniversary of the NPS (August 25), Constitution Day (September 17) and President Teddy Roosevelt's birthday (October 27). The changes will take effect starting January 1.
Non-U.S. residents will still be required to pay entrance fees on those dates under the new "America-first pricing" policy. At 11 of some of the country's most popular national parks, international visitors will be charged an extra $100, on top of the standard entrance fee, and the annual pass for non-residents will go up to $250. The annual pass for residents will be $80.
The move follows a July executive order from the White House that called to increase fees applied to non-American visitors to national parks and grant citizens and residents "preferential treatment with respect to any remaining recreational access rules, including permitting or lottery rules."
The Department of the Interior, which oversees NPS, called the new fee-exempted dates "patriotic fee-free days," in an announcement that lauded the changes as "Trump's commitment to making national parks more accessible, more affordable and more efficient for the American people."
The Interior Department did not immediately respond to NPR's request for comment.
Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said in a statement: "These policies ensure that U.S. taxpayers, who already support the National Park System, continue to enjoy affordable access, while international visitors contribute their fair share to maintaining and improving our parks for future generations."
The new calendar follows the Trump administration's previous moves to reshape U.S. history by asking patrons of national parks to flag any signs at sites deemed to cast a negative light on past or living Americans.
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