Are Palo Alto Schools Braced for the Big One?

Palo Alto schools came out far ahead of others throughout the state in terms of earthquake readiness, according to an investigation released Thursday by California Watch, but nearly all of them fall along dangerous fault lines or liquefaction zones.

The 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.

No schools within the were flagged as being in violation of the Field Act or lacking in final safety certifications, a statistical anomaly compared with other districts throughout the state.

PAUSD Chief Business Official Bob Golton said there’s a simple reason for that.

“I think, in essence, it’s due to bond issues,” said Golton. “We had our Building Excellence bond that was passed in 1995, and the work lasted essentially 10 years, and now we have another bond that was passed in 2008. So we’ve had funds at our disposal and energy at our disposal to address seismic safety issues.”

Despite the readiness of PAUSD school buildings, nearly all of them fall either within or adjacent to liquefaction zones, according to an interactive map provided by CalWatch.

Liquefaction occurs when water-saturated soil is shaken with enough force that the soil loses its strength and begins to act more like a liquid than a solid— essentially becoming like quicksand, according to the CalWatch report. The process can affect critical infrastructure, such as underground pipelines, airport runways, harbor facilities and road or highway surfaces.

During the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, for instance, liquefaction caused severe damage to underground water pipes—hampering the ability of fire departments to control fires.

Liquefaction zones are areas the state has mapped out where liquefaction has occurred during earthquakes, as well as areas of poorly compacted landfills, according to the CalWatch report. Any development within a liquefaction zone is supposed to be highly regulated under state law.

Before a project can be permitted, builders must make sure the soil is safe enough for construction. Since 1998, the Natural Hazards Disclosure Act has required real estate sellers or their agents to inform buyers if a property is within one of these zones.

, , , and are within a quarter mile of a fault line or a liquefaction zone.

, Greendell School, , , , , , and all fall within liquefaction zones.

was the only school in the school district that is not within a quarter mile of either a liquefaction zone or a fault line, according to the CalWatch report.

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 collaboration with California Watch.