Which Way, L.A.?
Who Should Pay to Make Apartments "Earthquake Safe?"
When the Sylmar Earthquake brought down concrete apartment houses, 52 people were killed. Sixteen lost their lives when wooden, “soft story” buildings collapsed during the Northridge quake. Today, LA City Council members are looking at earthquake retrofitting proposals tough enough to make history. We hear what’s at stake for landlords and tenants.
By Warren Olney • • 23m ListenWhen the Sylmar Earthquake brought down concrete apartment houses, 52 people were killed. Sixteen lost their lives when wooden, “soft story” buildings collapsed during the Northridge quake. Today, LA City Council members are looking at earthquake retrofitting proposals tough enough to make history. We hear what’s at stake for landlords and tenants.
Also on the program, UCLA researchers find that a name is all it takes for white people to reveal their unconscious bias against blacks and Latinos.
Photo: Soft story partial collapse due to inadequate shear strength at ground level, Loma Prieta earthquake (JK Nakata/US Geological Survey)
In this episode
2 storiesLandlords, Tenants and Earthquake Safety
When San Francisco apartment house owners retrofit their buildings, the entire cost will be passed on to their tenants. City Councilman Gil Cedillo has promised that won't happen in Los Angeles. Today, his committee is taking up what could be the most extensive retrofitting requirements in California history.
Read the story16 minCan a Person's Name Influence Racial Bias?
The subjects of a recent study at UCLA "might be dismayed to know [what it reveals] about themselves." That's according to Colin Holbrook at the department of anthropology. He’s talking about findings that some, mostly white, people show signs of racial bias, even when they self-identify as "slightly left of center."
Read the story7 min