BILL NUMBER: AJR 1ENROLLED BILL TEXT ADOPTED IN SENATE JUNE 26, 2009 ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 14, 2009 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, 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. 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 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.