Los Angeles approves sweeping earthquake building-safety rules

Source: Yahoo! News / Reuters

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Los Angeles on Friday approved safety standards that will require earthquake retrofits at thousands of apartment buildings and establish the nation's toughest rules for structurally weak concrete buildings.

The rules will apply to 13,500 wood-frame buildings with so-called soft first-stories, which often consist of thin pillars supporting upper floors in an area where tenants park, and 1,500 so-called brittle concrete buildings, which lack the ability to waver or bend in a temblor, the mayor's office said.

Many soft first-story buildings are rent-stabilized, which prompted concerns that any damage to the residences would wipe out Los Angeles' already limited affordable-housing stock.

San Francisco and a few other California cities have instituted rules for soft first-story buildings.

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