What’s the riskiest place in the U.S. for a natural disaster? It’s right here in Los Angeles County, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
FEMA’s National Risk Index puts L.A. County atop the list for earthquake hazard, and in the top 90th percentile for wildfire risk.[i] The index, […]
August 2022, Newsletter
Ali Sahabi, GEC
Principal,
Optimum Seismic, Inc.
Pasadena’s Rose Bowl and Central Library score big in Sacramento
Pasadena’s beloved Rose Bowl and the city’s Central Library both scored big […]
July 2022, Newsletter
Ali Sahabi, GEC
Principal,
Optimum Seismic, Inc.
Quake destruction in Afghanistan highlight inequities in safe housing
Dreadful images of earthquake rubble in Afghanistan stir many emotions. I feel grateful to live […]
June 2022, Newsletter
Ali Sahabi, GEC
Principal,
Optimum Seismic, Inc.
Your building survived past quakes, but will it withstand a Big One?
I’ve had people tell me their buildings are safe from earthquakes because […]
Plans to convert Long Beach Community Hospital into a multi-service health care campus were recently stalled as officials reviewed a state law requiring governments to give priority to affordable housing developers when selling or leasing surplus land.
When the 98-year-old hospital failed to meet California’s more stringent seismic requirements for a […]
As fire season heats up in California – and open spaces dry into withered reminders of the constant threat wildfire poses to our communities – Orange County residents are rallying together to fight back through prevention.
People who live in our canyons and open space communities depend on one another for […]
Balconies are a significant draw for apartment renters, particularly in places with great weather like San Diego – considered one of the best climates on Earth. Balconies, decks and elevated walkways are a valuable amenity in Southern California’s multifamily real estate market — popular with renters for providing easy access […]
Many Californians live in a form of earthquake denial. We laugh them off, ignore their ever-present threat to our lives and livelihoods. After all, some reason, we’ve lived through earthquakes before. Why should the next one be different?
The stark reality is that protecting ourselves from earthquakes should be on all […]
Optimum Seismic, Inc.
May 2022 Newsletter
Ali Sahabi, GEC
Principal,
Optimum Seismic, Inc.
Is renovation the key to building sustainability of our cities?
Is it economically and environmentally more […]
Does your building show the telltale signs of dry rot?
Bubbling paint. Spots of orange-brown spore dust. Brittle or spongy wood that crumbles at the touch.
Tenant complaints of a fungus growing out of the wood on a fifth-floor balcony in Berkeley were repeatedly ignored until 2015, when that balcony collapsed, killing […]
