Hermosa Schools Graded for the 'Big One'

If an earthquake similar in size to  in March shakes Hermosa Beach, all structures would be at risk of serious damage—but its two elementary schools may be among the safest.

The Red Cross has identified Hermosa Valley School to be a potential “disaster relief center” for community members to gather in case of an emergency, said  Business Manager Angela Jones.

“This is where everyone’s going to come," Jones said. "So not only do we have to be prepared for the children, but we have to be prepared for the community.”

In 2002, both , which holds grades K-2, and , which holds grades 3-8, received a Letter 4 status under the Field Act, which requires and rates earthquake-resistant design and construction for public K-12 schools in California, according to data compiled by California Watch—a group of journalists focused on investigative reporting in the state (Click here to see an interactive map.)

When a Letter 4 is issued, "oftentimes there might be a notation made that there’s a structural deficiency in the way the project is being constructed or a health and safety issue," said Eric Lamoureux, a spokesman for the Division of the State Architect.

Schools are reviewed and given letter grades from the Division of the State Architect. A 19-month California Watch investigation, which was 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, . 

But in Hermosa Beach, immediately following Hermosa View and Valley's Letter 4 grade, changes were made to both schools to improve the building’s seismic infrastructure, Jones said.

Lamoureux released to Patch on Wednesday the current list of California schools with a Letter 4 status and Hermosa Beach public schools were not included.

“All of our schools have been modernized between 2000 and 2004,” Jones said. “Because we use state money, the state sends inspectors down to the school site and they look at ‘if we give you this money to modernize the school, what structural modernizations need to be made?’ Whether it’s fire code or any code."

A separate inventory completed nine years ago, as part of Assembly Bill 300, 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.

The was included in the October 2010 inventory, but there was a note in the report that the district previously responded to infrastructure concerns on Feb. 27, 2009.

It was during the state's 2002 Field Act inspection when Hermosa Valley was labeled “at risk” with a Letter 4, because the C Building on its campus housed “movable walls” at the time, Jones said. The C Building houses third and fourth-grade classes and a computer lab.

“Sometime in the late ‘80s the idea was to have open classes so the walls were movable,” Jones said about the risky infrastructure. “Now the standards have changed and there’s a fire code… we made all the walls stationary.”

As for Hermosa View School, portions of the building have been retrofitted with panels to stabilize the building foundation.

“View school had to have the most retrofit,” Jones said.

The two schools that currently operate within the Hermosa Beach City School District—Valley and View—were all built subsequent to the Field Act, said Superintendent Bruce Newlin.

The Field Act was enacted in California in 1933, following a magnitude 6.4 earthquake in Long Beach that destroyed three Hermosa Beach public schools: North, South and Pier Avenue schools, according to the Hermosa Beach Historical Society archives.

All schools were reconstructed to fit the new earthquake codes in the following year. Then, in 1952, the new Valley School was added to the district and View was added in 1953.

Since then, Hermosa’s public schools haven’t seen any injuries or structural damage, other than shifting ceiling tiles, due to earthquakes, Jones said.

“We just had an earthquake in the end of January or beginning of February and we felt some movement, but we haven’t had any issues or damage from earthquakes, except maybe some shaken nerves,” she said.

The is the closest fault to Hermosa View and Valley schools.

“We’ve been very fortunate that most of the quakes here have been after hours... when the students aren't here,” Hermosa View School Principal Sylvia Gluck told Patch last week on Friday.

Since the district ensured seismic safety within its school buildings, the Red Cross agreement to use Hermosa Valley as an emergency center has been ongoing.

“We have disaster materials, water stored away, food, blankets, First Aid materials, Porta-Potties,” Newlin said. “We’re well prepared for the ‘in case of’ situation.”

Students are prepared as well, Gluck said. 

"Since Japan, a lot of parents have called with concerns," she said. "But students do a drill once a month... we do have a district risk manager."

The risk manager conducts an annual audit for local school emergency supplies in case of an earthquake. "PTO helps provide funding for extra supplies," Gluck said.

At Hermosa View, students have their own personal emergency kits that could include medication needs, or comforting items such as family photos. The individual kits are stored in each student's classroom in case of an emergency.

Hermosa View and Valley schools also have an Emergency Response Plan that is consistent with the state Standardized Emergency Management System and National Incident Management System.

"We meet with the local police department annually to go over our plan," Gluck said while looking over View's plan.

She added that View and Valley staffers completed a day of earthquake training last year in September.

"It was something we thought was important to do," Gluck said. "It's always better to be prepared than not prepared."

This article 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. Read more about .