SECTIONS 8878.50-8878.52

8878.50.  This chapter shall be known and may be cited as theEarthquake Safety and Public Buildings Rehabilitation Bond Act of1990.8878.51.  The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (a) California is likely to experience moderate to severeearthquakes in the foreseeable future, and increased efforts toreduce earthquake hazards should be encouraged and supported. (b) Hundreds of state and local government buildings which arevulnerable to severe earthquake damage continue to be a seriousdanger to the lives of thousands of state and local governmentemployees and the people who must visit and depend on these buildingsin which vital services are often provided. (c) The Loma Prieta Earthquake of October 17, 1989, caused damageto state-owned buildings resulting in relocations of state governmentoperations into more expensive leased facilities and some statebuildings are now vacant. These facilities should be rehabilitated orreplaced in order to reduce the long-term costs of providing stategovernment services. (d) It is the responsibility of state and local governments toprovide, to the greatest extent feasible, their employees and thepublic throughout the state with buildings that are safe, accessible,and able to withstand earthquake forces without endangeringoccupants or significantly disrupting the performance of essentialservices. (e) Therefore, the purposes of this bond act are to: (1) Fund retrofitting, reconstruction, repair, replacement, orrelocation of state-owned buildings or facilities which haveearthquake or other safety deficiencies. (2) Provide financial assistance to local governments forearthquake safety improvements in structures housing those agenciescritical to the delivery of essential government functions in theevent of emergencies and disasters.8878.52.  As used in this chapter, the following terms have thefollowing meanings: (a) "Agency" means the California Emergency Management Agency. (b) "Committee" means the Earthquake Safety and Public BuildingsRehabilitation Finance Committee created pursuant to subdivision (a)of Section 8878.111. (c) "Commission" means the Seismic Safety Commission. (d) "Fund" means the Earthquake Safety and Public BuildingsRehabilitation Fund of 1990 created pursuant to Section 8878.55. (e) "Local government" means any city, county, city and county, orspecial district. (f) "Project" means a program of work to retrofit, reconstruct,repair, replace, or relocate, for local government-owned facilitiesonly, a building, facility, or both, which is owned by any city,county, city and county, or special district and which is included inan application for a grant of funds. (g) "State Architect" means the Office of the State Architect. (h) "State building or facility" means any building or structureowned by a state agency, which is identified pursuant to Section8878.60, except for vehicular bridges, roadways, highways, or anyfacilities or buildings owned by the University of California or theCalifornia State University. (i) "Local government building or facility" means an existingessential services building, as defined in Section 16007 of theHealth and Safety Code, or an emergency or public safety localbuilding as identified in Section 8878.99, which is owned by a city,county, city and county, or special district. (j) State or local government buildings shall not include thoseowned by private for-profit or private nonprofit corporations, orthose owned by any combination, consortium, or joint powers agreementthat includes a private nonprofit corporation. (k) "Retrofit" means to either strengthen the structure of abuilding or facility, or to provide the means necessary to reduce theseismic force level experienced by a building or facility during anearthquake, so as to significantly reduce hazards to life and safetywhile concomitantly providing for the substantially safe egress ofoccupants during and immediately after such an earthquake.