BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                            



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                                    THIRD READING


          Bill No:  ACR 32
          Author:   Lowenthal (D), et al.
          Amended:  5/2/13 in Assembly
          Vote:     21

           
           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  Read and adopted, 5/2/13


           SUBJECT :    Building and Safety Month

           SOURCE  :     City of Long Beach


           DIGEST  :    This resolution declares May 2013, Building and  
          Safety Month and encourages all local governments to recognize  
          the provisions in city and county government building and safety  
          codes relegating illegal garage conversions as "Aviles Law."

           ANALYSIS :    This resolution makes the following legislative  
          findings: 

          1. In neighborhoods and workplaces across the State of  
             California, professionals throughout government and private  
             industries work to implement building safety solutions that  
             strengthen resilience and meet community needs; and, by  
             designing and implementing state-of-the-art building safety,  
             energy efficiency, and fire prevention codes and standards,  
             governments and laws help save lives and prevent disruption  
             in the wake of disaster and accidents. 

          2. Despite established building codes, a tragedy occurred in the  
             City of Long Beach on December 14, 2007, in which three young  
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             sisters, Jasmine Aviles, Jocelyn Aviles, and Stephanie  
             Aviles, lost their lives in a fire that occurred inside a  
             garage that had been illegally converted into an apartment. 

          3. Immediately following the Aviles tragedy, the city commenced  
             an aggressive code enforcement operation led by fire  
             department officials and building and safety code  
             investigators to identify structures that were ignoring rigid  
             fire and building code standards in an effort to eliminate  
             the use of illegally converted garages as living spaces. 

          4. Proper building and safety code enforcement, including those  
             that regulate illegal garage conversions, may save lives;  
             and, by renaming them "Aviles Law," the City of Long Beach  
             hopes to educate the public and reinforce the dangers of  
             illegal garage conversions along with memorializing the  
             Aviles sisters.

          This resolution declares May 2013, Building and Safety Month and  
          encourages all local governments to recognize the provisions in  
          city and county government building and safety codes relegating  
          illegal garage conversions as "Aviles Law."

           FISCAL EFFECT  :    Fiscal Com.:  No

           SUPPORT  :   (Verified  5/14/13)

          City of Long Beach (source)
          California Metropolitan Fire Chiefs
          Long Beach Fire Department, Captain Patrick Wills


          AB:k  5/14/13   Senate Floor Analyses 

                           SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  SEE ABOVE

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