MUSD Projects Among Those Lacking State Seismic Safety Certification

School building projects in the Moorpark Unified School District—22 of them—are among 20,000 in the state that have not been certified as having met seismic building codes. However, district officials say the lack of certification does not  mean the structures are unsafe.

The lack of certification has been brought to light in a report released Thursday by California Watch, a nonprofit investigative reporting team whose 19-month investigation uncovered holes in the state's enforcement of seismic safety regulations for public schools.

California began regulating school architecture for seismic safety in 1933 with the Field Act, but data taken from the Division of the State Architect’s Office shows 20,000 school projects statewide never got final safety certifications. In the crunch to get schools built within the last few decades, state architects have been lax on enforcement, California Watch reported. 

A separate inventory completed nine years ago found 7,500 seismically risky school buildings in the state. Yet, California Watch reports that only two schools have been able to access a $200 million fund for upgrades. 

Of the school projects that never received certification, 22 are part of the MUSD. One of those projects has been listed at the state’s highest warning level, and the 21 remaining projects sit in the books under the second-highest warning level, according to the state architect’s project tracker.

Jim Dzwilewski, the director of purchasing, who oversees building certifications, said the lack of proper certification is more a matter of poor bookkeeping on the state’s part than buildings not meeting requirements.

“I’m often disappointed with the state’s record keeping,” he said. “I’ve given up on people’s ability.”

But Dzwilewski said he has strong faith in Moorpark’s school buildings. And, while he called the standards required by the state “overbearing,” he said it was good to have them “because the main goal is to keep our children safe.”

Mandy Porter, project manager and associate partner, of PSWC Group Architects, which handles construction projects and project certification for the MUSDC, agreed with Dzwilewski’s view.

“Nobody on earth can tell you it’s foolproof,” she said, “but as far as the state goes, we have extra, extra safety practices.”

She said the firm—which, according to its website, specializes in K-12 school facilities—has a staff member devoted to state certification paperwork.

“I can guarantee you most of that stuff is a matter of paperwork,” Porter said, explaining that the state is very particular and expressing her belief that it is more a matter of a form having been filled out incorrectly than a building not meeting code.

Such codes and regulations are outlined in the Field Act, which was enacted following the devastating 1933 Long Beach earthquake. In addition to requiring certain building standards for public schools, the act also requires the Office of the State Architect to certify that the building projects meet those standards. When the State Architect's Office has examined the projects, it assigns them a rating from 0 to 4. A zero indicates the project is in compliance and a four is the highest warning the state architect gives.

In Moorpark, there is one uncertified project that is rated a "Letter 4"—a 2009 campuswide fire alarm system upgrade. In addition, there are a number of  "Letter 3" projects, some of which were downgraded from Letter 4 after California Watch started its investigation. Patch is in the process of checking with the state to find out what paperwork or inspections prompted the recent changes.

The California Watch report also delves into concerns in regard to schools that have been built in liquefaction zones and the lack of regulation that has accompanied the construction of some of them. A look at a seismic map shows four campuses—Chaparral Middle School, Community High School, Flory Academy and Ivy Tech Charter School—are within liquefaction zones and seven are within a quarter-mile of them.

If soil in a liquefaction zone is shaken with enough force, it loses its solid characteristic and becomes more like quicksand. The loss of strength can be devastating to structures, and construction within liquefaction zones is highly regulated.

But Dzwilewski said his faith in the district’s structures remains unshaken.

“If a big earthquake were to hit, all the homes would be flattened, but of the buildings left, the ones that would still be standing are the district’s buildings,” he said.

Again, Porter echoed his confidence.

“In an emergency, where do people flock to? The schools and the gymnasiums,” she said, citing the standards for planning and construction as reasons these buildings remain standing during disasters.

If you’d like to check on information about your child’s school, the California Watch project has made available an interactive map. As well, you can visit the state architect's website and look up specific projects on its project tracker.

This story was produced using data provided to Patch by California Watch, the state's largest investigative reporting team and part of the Center for Investigative Reporting. Read more about Patch's partnership with California Watch.