Ali Sahabi, GEC

About Ali Sahabi

Recently appointed to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ Transition Team, Ali Sahabi, previously received the California Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award for taking a sustainable approach toward community development and environmental restoration in the 543-acre Dos Lagos mixed-use development in Corona, CA. A licensed General Engineering Contractor (GEC), Sahabi is an expert in building resilience and sustainability. He is Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Optimum Seismic, Inc., which has completed more than 3,500 structural retrofit and adaptive reuse projects for multifamily residential, commercial, and industrial buildings throughout California. Contact Optimum Seismic at 323 978-7664 or visit optimumseismic.com to learn more about your adaptive reuse options for your building.
1 June, 2022

Will Earthquake denial make disaster worse?

By |2022-06-15T13:00:27+00:00June 1st, 2022|AAGLA, earthquake preparedness, Earthquake Protection, Earthquake Resilience, Earthquake Retrofit|

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 […]

5 May, 2022

Is dry rot eating away your fortune?

By |2022-06-15T13:36:43+00:00May 5th, 2022|AAOC, balcony Laws|

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 […]

3 May, 2022

Renovations and retrofits improve apartment buildings

By |2022-06-15T13:28:04+00:00May 3rd, 2022|AAOC, Adaptive Reuse|

Victorian and Queen Anne mansions were once all the rage. These stately and ornate structures, with brightly colored facades, turrets, spires and wrap-around porches, were built to impress — reflecting the optimism and opulence of a society experiencing unprecedented prosperity from industrialization and improvements in transit and communication. It was […]

2 May, 2022

Balcony laws require inspections, repairs

By |2022-06-15T13:25:08+00:00May 2nd, 2022|AACSC, balcony Laws|

Coastal communities provide an abundance of breathtaking views, often enjoyed from rows of balconies facing west to the ocean and setting sun. These perches are iconic in seaside communities — a big draw for tenants entertaining friends, relaxing with a book, or enjoying their own piece of the outdoors.

Considered a […]

20 April, 2022

Is renovation the key to sustainability of our cities?

By |2022-04-25T20:37:49+00:00April 20th, 2022|Adaptive Reuse|

Is it economically and environmentally more viable to extend the life of an existing building through renovation – or to demolish it, dispose of it, and rebuild?

Researcher Peter A. Bullen of the Curtin University of Technology in Perth, Australia, asked building owners that question and found 83% of respondents felt […]

14 April, 2022

Building safety upstaged by ice cream?

By |2022-06-14T17:58:49+00:00April 14th, 2022|AAGLA, Building Safety, Buildings Resilience|

Happy Building Safety Month! This low-profile, international observance for safe and sound structures, rarely gets noticed outside the industry. It’s the unsung understudy to fun causes nearer and dearer to people’s hearts – taking a back seat to ice cream, talking like pirates, even clowns.

But buildings play an ever-present and […]

12 April, 2022

Culver City Chamber Partners with Area Company to Conduct Earthquake Retrofit Workshop April 18

By |2022-04-13T20:56:53+00:00April 12th, 2022|Press Release|

The Culver City Chamber of Commerce has forged a new partnership with a private company to conduct seminars and webinars on the importance of earthquake retrofits for owners and managers of apartment and commercial buildings will be co-sponsored by the Culver City Chamber of Commerce and Optimum Seismic, Inc. on […]

5 April, 2022

Will the Big One increase homelessness?

By |2022-06-15T13:05:19+00:00April 5th, 2022|AACSC, earthquake damage, earthquake preparedness, Earthquake Threats|

How would a major earthquake impact California’s growing homeless population?

In 2019, the number of people in the state without homes grew by more than 21,300 people, or 16.4% — more than all other states in the nation combined — the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reported.  It rose […]

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