BILL NUMBER: AJR 1	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MAY 12, 2009
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  APRIL 23, 2009

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Blakeslee

                        JANUARY 22, 2009

   Relative to natural catastrophes.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AJR 1, as amended, Blakeslee. Earthquake damage: mitigation
planning.
   This measure would state the Legislature's support of the
expedient development of mitigation efforts across the state by
federal  , state,  and local governmental entities, in
cooperation with private enterprises and individuals, to protect
against earthquake damage.
   Fiscal committee: no.



   WHEREAS, The United States Geological Survey has predicted an
earthquake with a magnitude 6.7 or greater in California within the
next 30 years; and
   WHEREAS, The Hayward Fault near San Francisco is predicted to
certainly rupture again with greater force than the 1989 Loma Prieta
earthquake; and
   WHEREAS, On  October 15, 2009,   November 13,
2008,  the Great California ShakeOut organized a drill where
millions of people in homes, schools, businesses, government offices,
and public places all over southern California practiced what to do
during an earthquake, and called the event the Great California
ShakeOut Drill; and
   WHEREAS, Results of the Great California ShakeOut Drill showed
that a large earthquake in southern California would cost
approximately $213 billion, including business interruption, and
could result in the death of approximately 1,800 people; and
   WHEREAS, The last major earthquake on the Hayward Fault was 140
years ago, and the last five earthquakes on this fault have come, on
average, 140 years apart; and
   WHEREAS, Recent reports have confirmed that mitigation techniques
can greatly improve the structural stability of a building and
dramatically improve the safety of its occupants; and
   WHEREAS, Mitigation against earthquake damage is dramatically more
cost-effective than repairing buildings after a great earthquake,
and economic loss from halted business and interrupted services can
also be avoided by retrofitting buildings before an earthquake
strikes; and
   WHEREAS, The astronomical costs of repair that occur after a
devastating national disaster often fall on the government; now,
therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Assembly and the Senate of the State of
California, jointly, That the Legislature of California strongly
supports the expedient development of mitigation efforts across
California by federal  , state,  and local governmental
entities, in cooperation with private enterprises and individuals, to
protect against earthquake damage that could result in a loss of
life and a dramatic lowering of California's economic status and
vibrancy; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of
this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.