Sixteen years ago, the Los Angeles City Council decided against requiring retrofits of existing buildings because of the projected cost and the threat of losing 20,000 apartment buildings.
Today, city officials believe a sweeping seismic retrofit program is needed to ensure public safety, but the cost issue is still formidable.
“A lot of these are pre-1976 structures and more than 20 years old, are under rent control, and the landlords can’t afford to do it themselves,” says City Councilman Mitch Englander.
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