Cal State LA Has An Asbestos Problem. Students And Faculty Want It Fixed

On Thursday, over a hundred California State University, Los Angeles students and employees protested in front of the Martin Luther King Jr. building with signs that said “King Kills.” People shouted “Shut it down!”

“I think it has to be something that wakes people up, that gets them talking,” said Anthony Ratcliff, a professor in the university’s Pan African Studies Department and the chair of the faculty union.

What riled people up, he said, is an email last week from university President Berenecea Johnson Eanes saying a recent test found potential asbestos exposure in one part of King Hall.

That part has been closed, the email stated, and work is being done to abate the asbestos; two offices next to the affected office will also be worked on.

An email sent out on Thursday afternoon said testing also found mold, and that staff are working to track down the source. It also said air quality in King Hall meets federal standards for asbestos and lead.

How long has asbestos been a problem?

Asbestos has long been used to insulate buildings. Research has shown that long-term exposure to asbestos can cause cancer. The effects of that exposure may not show up for years.

The Environmental Protection Agency made several moves to ban or regulate asbestos starting in the 1970s. King Hall opened in 1962.

A student walks past an asbestos warning sign inside of King Hall at Cal State LA on February 29, 2024.

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Brian Feinzimer

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LAist

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Noah Galbraith with Students Against Tuition Hikes shows fallen and bulging ceiling tiles inside of King Hall across from the a Pan-African studies office at Cal State LA.

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Brian Feinzimer

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LAist

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For over a decade, employees at Cal State L.A. have received notifications that asbestos is present in “various” buildings on campus. The notifications say the toxic substance isn’t dangerous if it isn’t disturbed from the building material and it doesn’t become airborne.

Previous notifications said that asbestos is typically found in walls, floors, roofs, pipes, insulation, fire resistant materials, boilers, and ceiling insulation. Cal State L.A. previously published an asbestos slidedeck as part of an awareness training.

But faculty and staff say talked at the protest about colleagues who’ve worked in these offices and died of cancer.

“[In] March 2022, I was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer,” said Jill Grayson. She received the news less than a year after beginning an administrative job in King Hall for the Pan African Studies Department.

She can’t say that working in the building caused the cancer, but she’s very worried for employees who’ve worked there longer.

“Shut it down, figure it out, and make a plan for the future,” she said.

How has the university tried to fix it?

The university has had plans for years to spend millions of dollars to renovate part of the building and tear down the rest. It’s unclear where those plans stand.

“The university’s new administration is focused on addressing facilities needs and is taking action. The health, safety and wellbeing of our community is the top priority of the president and the administration,” said CSULA spokeswoman Margie Low in an email.

What are the building conditions?

An LAist walk through King Hall revealed wet ceiling tiles that bulged while several next to them were missing. That situation revealed two layers of building material.

Next to the missing tiles, a wall sign warns “CAUTION, WORK IN PROGRESS” and listed a facilities telephone number. A sign next to that one, which appeared to be placed by protest organizers, said, “CAUTION, ASBESTOS HAZARD, SAY NO TO KILLER KING HALL!”

Student and organizer with Students for Quality Education Anita Rangel.

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Brian Feinzimer

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LAist

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Organizers say the heightened rhetoric is intentional.

“We’re frustrated and we want attention [to the issue], it’s a cry for help,” said Anita Rangel, a sixth year student in Chicanx/Latinx studies.

Rangel was wearing a white hazardous materials suit at the protest.

“These buildings are deteriorating, and it's a lack of respect towards us being here,” she said.