Oceanside City Council held a workshop on Wednesday to reevaluate its approaching deadline for building owners to meet state retrofitting requirements.
In the 1990s, California required all buildings to be able to withstand a 6.7-magnitude earthquake
Mayor Jim Wood said the city will extend the deadline from 2015 until 2025, but he warned that businesses are at risk until the work is done.
“We are certainly saying, 'You need to start thinking about it,' because it is mandated, and we keep extending the time for them,” Wood said. “But we also wanted them to know the liability really falls on their shoulders.”
Owners of older brick masonry buildings that are deemed in need of retrofitting told the council the cost of the work is prohibitive for small businesses that are just bouncing back from the recession. They added they are pleased the deadline will be extended 10 more years.
Some building owners have had engineering studies done, and found their building could be taken off the list. Wood said he hopes more owners get the good news. Until then, buildings that are not in compliance must post a warning sign.
Many Southern California cities are in the process of updating their plans to meet state retrofitting requirements.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti took a proactive stand on Monday, and proposed thousands of wood structures built before 1980 be retrofitted in five years, and cement buildings from that era be strengthened within 30 years.
