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R-10257 Attachment A f:\atty\muni\law\barry\GasShutoff Resolution 11-13-07 City Council Meeting 11-13-07 Santa Monica, California RESOLUTION NUMBER io257 (City Council Series) A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA MAKING FINDINGS REGARDING LOCAL CLIMATIC, GEOLOGICAL AND TOPOGRAPHIC CONDITIONS PURSUANT TO HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE SECTIONS 17958.5, 17958.7 and 18941.5 WHEREAS, the State Building Standards Commission has approved and published the 2007 edition of the California Building Standards Code on July 1, 2007; and such code will be effective 180 days thereafter, which is January 1, 2008; and WHEREAS, Health and Safety Code Sections 17958.7 and 18941.5 provide that the City may make changes or modifications to the building standards contained in the California Building Standards Code based upon express findings that such changes or modifications are reasonably necessary because of local climatic, geological or topographical conditions, and WHEREAS, the City Council has considered the 2007 editions of the California Building Standards Code, including but not limited to the California Fire Code, California Building Code, California Electrical Code, California Energy Code, California Mechanical Code, California Plumbing Code, the reference standards, all appendixes and the matrix adoption tables contained therein and any applicable errata issued subsequent to the publication of above codes and standards; and WHEREAS, based upon the findings contained in this Resolution, the City Council will be adopting an ordinance containing certain modifications and additions to the building standards contained in the California Building Standard Code, which are reasonably necessary based upon local climatic, topographical and geological conditions; NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA DOES RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS SECTION 1. The City Council makes the following findings regarding local climatic, geological and topographic conditions related to the local amendments to the California Building Standards Code found in Section 2 below: (a) The City's Safety Element details the City's geological condition and shows a high risk of seismic activity in the City and discusses the damaging effect local seismic activity would have on buildings and the related potential demands on emergency services needs. Structures built without supplemental seismic provisions without gas shutoff devices are a source of fire hazard. The close proximity of these faults increases the likelihood of seismic disturbances of substantial magnitude. (b) Several active and potentially active faults are located in the City including: Santa Monica Fault, Hollywood Fault, Raymond Fault, Malibu Coast Fault, Palos Verdes Fault, Newport-Inglewood Fault, and the Charnock Fault. Other faults in Southern California have the potential to seismically affect the City including the San Gabriel Fault, the San Andreas Fault, and the probable existence of large blind thrust faults currently undocumented. (g) The Los Angeles region has a vast and complex network of faults. Some of these faults, like the previously unknown Northridge Fault, are blind thrust faults that earth scientists believe are capable of intense ground shaking similar or greater in size than the Northridge Earthquake. The random possible location of these blind thrust faults increases the local seismic risk and poses an increasing threat to public safety. (o) Seismic experts predict a massive earthquake on one of these faults within the next 30 years and several earthquakes similar in intensity to the Northridge Earthquake during the same period. (c) The City's Master Environmental Assessment (MEA) also shows that structures in the City are situated in close proximity to each other, with only about 1 % of the 8.3 square miles that the City occupies vacant. In addition, these lots are often very narrow or on hilly terrain, which limits access to side yards for fire suppression and placement of ladders for rescue operations. These conditions also contribute to the ability of fires to spread quickly between buildings because of the proximity to each other and create difficulty in suppressing fires in the hilly terrains. (c) The Safety Element of the General Plan, adopted in January 1995, also identifies that many of the structures in the City are older structures that are prone to the quick spread of fire from adjacent structures due to the materials used in construction and less stringent fire resistant technology available at the time they were built. According to the City's 2000-2005 Housing Element, in 1990 about 35% of the housing stock was over 50 years old and 40% was 30 to 50 years old. (d) Santa Monica is situated In Southern California, which has extreme arid conditions and periods of severe drought. Southern California is currently in extreme drought condition. As outlined In the MEA, the City relies upon water from outside the region, which is bought from the Metropolitan Water District, and local groundwater for the City's water supply. Presently, due to MTBE contamination local groundwater provides about 10-15% of City's water. Severe drought conditions and potential uncertainty about the availability of future water supplies from outside the region contribute to the ability of fires to spread quickly due to the reliance of water from outside sources that may not be available following a major earthquake. Widespread fire would seriously impact the Fire Department's ability to respond to all fires. (f) The Safety Element also discusses the damaging effect local seismic activity would have on street, roadways and overpasses at the Santa Monica Freeway, which would hamper and delay emergency vehicle response. (m) Analysis of the emergency response to the January 17, 1994 earthquake showed that the need for emergency fire services in the City greatly exceeded available resources. A major seismic event would create a demand for fire suppression services that the City Fire Department would have difficulty meeting, thus making supplemental seismic safety provisions essential to fire suppression efforts. (q) Despite being located 21 kilometers from the epicenter of the 1994 Northridge earthquake (magnitude 6.7), the City experienced anomalously concentrated damage with Mercalli intensity IX, an intensity as large as that experienced in the vicinity of the epicenter. Most of the damage occurred in an east-west trending belt within the northern portion of the city, and extended westward into Pacific Palisades and eastward into west Los Angeles and Hollywood. Two hundred million dollars in damage occurred in Santa Monica. One hundred thirty four buildings were unsafe for occupancy and 396 others were damaged enough to limit access. (p) Requiring the installation of earthquake sensitive gas shutoff devices in buildings will provide essential mitigation against fires resulting from an earthquake. SECTION 2. The City Council makes the express finding that the following modifications and changes to the California Building Standards Code are reasonably necessary because of the local climatic, geological or topographical conditions and that each and every one of the local conditions detailed in Section 1 above, are identified as applying to the following modifications and changes to the California Building Standards Code: Require the installation of seismic gas shutoff devices on buildings, structures, and mobilehome parks, subject to specified conditions. SECTION 3. The City Clerk shall certify to the adoption of this Resolution and thenceforth and thereafter the same shall be in full force and effect. APPROVED AS TO FORM ~~.., MAR A JONE P! OUTRIE ~~- City Attorney Adopted and approved this 13th day of November, 2007. ~_ Richard Bloom, Mayor I, Maria Stewart, City Clerk of the City of Santa Monica, do hereby certify that the foregoing Resolution No. 10257 (CCS) was duly adopted at a meeting of the Santa Monica City Council held on the 13th day of November, 2007, by the following vote: Ayes: Council members: Genser, Holbrook, McKeown, O'Connor, Shriver Mayor Bloom, Mayor Pro Tem Katz Noes: Council members: None Abstain: Council members: None Absent: Council members: None ATTEST: <------- Maria Stewart, Ci Clerk