Soquel High Needs to Prep Before the Next Big Quake

Soquel High survived the last big earthquake. But it's on a list that questions if it can survive the next big one.

A 19-month California Watch investigation released Thursday 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. 

A California Watch map of flagged schools shows that  has been designated as an AB-300 structure. In 1999, Assembly Bill 300 (AB 300), was approved by the state Legislature, giving the go-ahead on a statewide survey of school buildings to determine their earthquake readiness. Buildings that did not pass the test were given the AB-300 label.

This designation means that Soquel High School and others like it might not be adequately prepared to withstand future earthquakes, and thus would require further evaluation and repair. 

The specific structural red flag for Soquel High School is not currently known, according to John Bramlett, director of facilities services for Santa Cruz City Schools.

"The schools that show up on the AB-300 list need to have a deeper look," he said. "It really boils down to that. No one can tell you the exact problem until then."

However, resources to make that happen are scarce.

"In our particular plans, there is not funding at the moment to go into more detail to determine what the buildings would need," Bramlett said.

Money aside, Bramlett does not believe that Soquel High School is in any imminent danger in regards to potential earthquake damage.

"Our feelings are is that the building is safe," he said. "All I can say is that the building did well in the 1989 earthquake, extremely well. There was very little damage overall."

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.