Los Angeles Weighs How to Pay for Quake-Proofing Buildings

The Los Angeles City Council is mulling ways to pay for expensive retrofits of buildings in danger of collapsing during a major earthquake.

Councilman Tom LaBonge said Wednesday he favors a state bond because strengthening at-risk apartments and other buildings isn’t just a problem for the city.

Last month, Mayor Eric Garcetti proposed spending billions of dollars to fix vulnerable older buildings and fortify the city’s water and communications networks.

Lucy Jones of the U.S. Geological Survey told council members that voluntary retrofits in the past have not worked. Jones was hand-picked by Garcetti to advise the city.

Wood-frame buildings with ground-level parking and concrete buildings have been identified as most prone to collapse during strong shaking.

Several landlords urged council members to find funding for the seismic upgrades.