Governor Signs Bill Regulating BuildingConstruction to Resist Earthquakes

Assembly Bill No. 2391, rvhich specifies archite,ctural requirements in building construction to resist horizontal stresses which forces rvere largely responsible for the damage and destruction of many buildings during the recent earthquake in Southern California, was signed by Governor Rolph on May 27. The bill was introduced by Assemblyman If. B. \iley of Long Beach. It has been estimated that the added cost to conform to the new law will vary from 5 to 10 per ,cent in the ordinary well constructed building. The text of the larv follorvs:

An act to regulate the construction of buildings in the State of California, in respect to resistan,ce to horizontal forces, providing penalties for the violation thereof and providing that this act become effective immediately.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

Section 1. Every building of any .character and every part thereof rvhich is hereafter constructed in any part of the State of California, including every inc,orporated city, incorporated citl' and county, and county, except such buildings as are hereinafter expressly excepted from the operation of this a,ct, shall be designed and constructed to resist and withstand horizontal forces from any direction of not less than either trvo (2) per cent of the total vertical design load or twenty (20) pounds per square foot wind pressure on the vertical projection of the exposed surface, the horizontal force used to be the one that produces the greater stresses in the building.

Section 2. For the purpose of computing the resistance of any building of such horizontal forces as required by section t hereof, the computed stresses resulting from the combined vertical forces and horizontal forces shall not exceed one and one-third (1 l/3) times the allowable working stresses as hereinafter provided.

Section 3. For the purposes of this a,ct, allowable working stresses shall be those specified in the ordinances governing the erection and construction of buildings in the city or city and 'county in which the building is to be constructed or if in unin.corporated territory then of the county wherein the work is done.

If no such ordinance is in effect at the place at tuhich the work is done then the allowable working stresses shall be those specified by the Division of Architecture of the State Department of Public Works, rvhich is hereby fully authorized and empowered to specify such allowable rvorking stresses for the purposes of this act as to any city, city and county, or ,county in which no such ordinance is in effect.

Section 4. This act shall not apply to the following buildings:

(") Any building not intended primarily for occupancy by human beings and no part of whi,ch is located within the limits of an incorporated city or incorporated city and countv.

(b) ,\ny building designed and constructed for use ex. clusively as a dwelling for not more than two families and no part of which is located within the limits of an incorporated city or incorporated city and county.

(.) Any building on which work has actually been commenced prior to the effe,ctive date of this act.

Section 5. Any person who constru,cts a building not meeting the requirements of section I of this act and not excepted under section 4 of this act shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.

Section 6. It shall be the duty of the building department of every in,corporated city, and incorporated city and county, to enforce all of the provisions of this act. In every county it shall be the duty of the department, officer or officers who are charged with the enforcement of ordinan'ces or laws regulating the erection, construction or alteration of buildings in said county to enforce all of the provisions of this act outside of the limits of any incorporated city.

For the purposes of this act the term ,,building department" shall mean the department, bureau, or officer charged with the enforcement of laws or ordinances regulating the erection, construction or alteration of buildings.

Every incorporated city, or ,city and county, and county in the State of California shall have and is hereby empowered and given authority to designate and charge by ordinance any other department or offi,cer than the department or officer mentioned herein with the enforcement of this act or any portion thereof.

Section 7. Nothing in this act contained shall be construed as a limitation on the powers of incorporated cities, cities and counties and counties to establish by ordinance further standards for the construction of buildings beyond the requirement of this act.

Se'ction 8. This act is hereby declared to be an urgency measure necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace hereof and safety within the meaning of section I of Article IV of the Constitution and shall therefore go into immediate effect.

Joins McCormick's Sales Staff

William Schorse has joined the Los Angeles, sales staff of the Chas. R. M,cCormick Lumber Co. and is calling on the retail lumber trade in Orange County, the .,Kite,' territory, and Long Beach, Pasadena and Glendale districts.

Mr. Schorse has been connected with the McCormick organization for the past several years, and before taking over his new duties, was assistant superintendent at the company's operations at Wilmington, Calif. prior to that he was at the ,company's mills in the Northwest. He is a graduate of the University of Syracuse School of Forestry.