R112461
City Council Meeting: April 28, 2020 Santa Monica, California
RESOLUTION NUMBER 11246 (CCS)
(City Council Series)
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA
MAKING FINDINGS REGARDING LOCAL CLIMATIC, GEOLOGICAL, AND
TOPOGRAPHICAL CONDITIONS PURSUANT TO HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE
SECTIONS 17958.5, 17958.7 and 18941.5
WHEREAS, the California State Building Standards Commission approved and
published the 2019 edition of the California Building Standards Code on July 1, 2019,
and such code became effective 180 days thereafter, which was January 1, 2020; and
WHEREAS, the 2019 California Building Standards Code includes the 2019
California Building Code and 2019 California Residential Code; and
WHEREAS, California Health and Safety Code Sections 17958.5, 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, on March 11, 2020, the Building and Fire Life Safety Commission
met to consider recommendations to the City Council regarding adopting a local
amendment to the 2019 California Building Standards Code for when a fence or wall
requires a building permit, and making findings regarding local climatic, geological, and
topographical conditions to support the local amendment; and
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WHEREAS, at the March 11, 2020 meeting, the Building and Safety Commission
unanimously recommended that the City Council adopt a resolution making necessary
local findings and adopt the local amendment to the 2019 California Building Standards
Code for when a fence or wall requires a building permit; and
WHEREAS, the City Council finds the local amendment for when a fence or wall
requires a building permit necessary and applicable to Santa Monica based on local
climatic, geological, and topographical conditions; and
WHEREAS, based upon the findings contained in this Resolution, the City
Council will be adopting an ordinance making a local amendment to the 2019 California
Building Standards Code for when a fence or wall requires a building permit, which is
reasonably necessary based upon local climatic, geological, and topographical
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 topographical conditions related to the local amendment to the
2019 California Building Standards Code described in Section 2 below:
General Findings
(a) The Safety Element of Santa Monica’s General Plan, adopted in January 1995,
shows that Santa Monica is in area at high risk of seismic activity due to, among other
fault systems, the Santa Monica, Newport-Inglewood, and the San Andreas fault systems,
the close proximity of which increases the likelihood of seismic disturbances of substantial
magnitude. The Safety Element further discusses the damaging effect local seismic
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activity would have on potentially hazardous buildings and the related potential demands
on emergency service needs. (Geological)
(b) 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
January 17, 1994 Northridge Earthquake. The random possible location of these blind
thrust faults increases the local seismic risk and poses an increasing threat to public
safety. (Geological)
(c) The Safety Element also identifies shallow ground water within 50 feet of the
ground surface along the beach, near the Industrial corridor and Marine Park areas of the
City. This ground water condition, coupled with unconsolidated youthful sedimentary
soils, makes these areas susceptible to possible liquefaction during strong or moderately
strong earthquakes. Liquefaction is a very destructive secondary effect of strong seismic
shaking where a loss of bearing strength occurs along with ground oscillations in the
supporting soils. (Geological)
Specific Findings
(d) The greater Los Angeles region is a densely populated area having buildings
and structures constructed over and near a vast array of fault systems capable of
producing major earthquakes, including but not limited to the 1994 Northridge
Earthquake. The amendment to differentiate a freestanding masonry or concrete fence
wall from other fences such as wood, wrought iron, and chain link, and impose a stricter
height limitation on masonry or concrete fence walls, will ensure consistent design and
construction and minimize failure of and structural damage to masonry or concrete fence
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walls during a significant earthquake and is in accordance with the scope and objectives
of the California Building Code. (Geological)
SECTION 2. The City Council expressly finds that the following modifications and
changes to the 2019 California Building Standards Code are reasonably necessary
because of local climatic, geological, and/or topographical conditions and that the local
conditions detailed in Section 1 above apply to the following modifications and changes
to the 2019 California Building Standards Code as follows:
No.
Municipal
Code
Section(s)
Amendment Summary Justification
from Section 1
of Resolution
Local Condition
1 8.08.050
Amend to differentiate masonry
and concrete fence walls from
other fences, and require building
permit for masonry and concrete
fence walls over four feet in height
Sections (a)
through (d) Geological
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
_______________________
GEORGE S. CARDONA
Interim City Attorney
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Adopted and approved this 28th day of March 2020.
__________________________
K e v i n M c K e o w n , M a y o r
I, Denise Anderson-Warren, City Clerk of the City of Santa Monica, do
hereby certify that Resolution No. 11246 (CCS) was duly adopted at a meeting of
the Santa Monica City Council held on the 28th day of March 2020, by the following
vote:
AYES: Councilmembers Davis, Himmelrich, Jara, Morena, Winterer,
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
A T T E S T :
_____________________________________
Denise Anderson-Warren, City Clerk
Mayor Pro Tem O’Day, Mayor McKeown
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