ACR 32, as introduced, Lowenthal. Building and Safety Month.
This measure would declare May 2013, Building and Safety Month and encourage all local governments to recognize the provisions in city and county government building and safety codes regulating illegal garage conversions as “Aviles Law.”
Fiscal committee: no.
P1 1WHEREAS, In neighborhoods and workplaces across the State
2of California, professionals throughout government and private
3industries work to implement building safety solutions that
4strengthen resilience and meet community needs; and
5WHEREAS, By designing and implementing state-of-the-art
6building safety, energy efficiency, and fire prevention codes and
7standards, governments and laws help save lives and prevent
8disruption in the wake of disasters and accidents; and
9WHEREAS, Protecting our communities from fires, floods,
10earthquakes, severe storms, or other disasters, building safety
11professionals play a critical role in making California safe, strong,
12and sustainable; and
P2 1WHEREAS, Despite established building codes, a tragedy
2occurred in the City of Long Beach on December 14, 2007, in
3which three young sisters, Jasmine Aviles, Jocelyn Aviles, and
4Stephanie Aviles, lost their lives in a fire that occurred inside a
5garage that had been illegally converted into an apartment; and
6WHEREAS, Immediately following the tragedy, the city
7commenced an aggressive code enforcement operation led by fire
8department officials and building and safety code enforcement
9investigators to identify structures that ignore rigid fire and building
10code standards to eliminate the use of illegally converted garages
11as living spaces; and
12WHEREAS, To educate the public, reinforce the dangers of
13illegal garage conversions, and memorialize Jasmine Aviles,
14Jocelyn Aviles, and Stephanie Aviles, the City of Long Beach,
15with the support of the Aviles family, renamed municipal codes,
16recognizing those sections of the Long Beach Municipal Code
17relating to the abatement of illegal garage conversions as the
18“Aviles Law”; and
19WHEREAS, Proper building and safety code enforcement,
20including those that regulate illegal garage conversion, may save
21lives; now, therefore, be it
22Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
23thereof concurring, That the Legislature declares May 2013,
24Building and Safety Month in the State of California and
25encourages all local governments to recognize the provisions in
26city and county government building and safety codes regulating
27illegal garage conversions as “Aviles Law.”
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