County's Bargain New Headquarters Has Gone Over Budget with Renovations
Los Angeles County Pauses Seismic Upgrades for Gas Company Tower
The County Board of Supervisors has decided to suspend the $230-million contract for seismic upgrades to the Gas Company Tower in Los Angeles County. The decision comes amid concerns about the cost and necessity of the upgrades, which are estimated to cost between $290 million and $297 million, exceeding the building's purchase price of $200 million [1].
The 52-story tower, set to become the county's new headquarters, currently meets the earthquake code in effect when it was built in the late 1980s. Upgrading it to current standards would be voluntary rather than mandatory [1][3][5].
Some supervisors question spending such a large sum for optional improvements amid other county financial pressures. The county's financial future is grim due to federal cuts, a large sex abuse settlement, and newly negotiated raises for county employees [2].
Supervisors Hilda Solis and Lindsey Horvath have announced they will introduce a motion to suspend seismic work on the tower. They are seeking a detailed report within 60 days on the financial sources for any retrofit and a plan for the building’s occupancy [6].
The county CEO has emphasized the building’s current safety and frames upgrades as future-proofing measures to ensure optimal performance in future decades. This contrasts with the estimated $1 billion cost to retrofit the county’s current headquarters, the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, which is considered vulnerable in an earthquake [3][5].
The Gas Company Tower incorporates a "steel moment frame" as part of its structure, a design intended to increase its resistance to earthquakes [4]. However, the county's financial future and the cost-effectiveness of the proposed seismic upgrades remain subject to debate and further review.
References:
- Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
- Los Angeles Times
- Curbed LA
- Structural Engineer Magazine
- LAist
- Los Angeles Daily News
- The pause in seismic upgrades for the Gas Company Tower in Los Angeles County, originally a $230-million contract, raises questions about the county's spending priorities in light of federal cuts, a large sex abuse settlement, and newly negotiated raises for county employees.
- As the new headquarters for Los Angeles County, the Gas Company Tower currently meets the earthquake code from the late 1980s, with upgrades to current standards being optional rather than mandatory.
- Supervisors Hilda Solis and Lindsey Horvath are pushing for a detailed report on the financial sources for any retrofit of the Gas Company Tower and a plan for its occupation, promising to introduce a motion to suspend the seismic work.
- Amid concerns about cost and necessity, the county CEO emphasizes the Gas Company Tower's current safety and presents the proposed seismic upgrades as future-proofing measures to ensure optimal performance in future decades.
- The Gas Company Tower's steel moment frame structure is designed to increase its resistance to earthquakes, but the cost-effectiveness of the proposed seismic upgrades remains a subject of debate.
- The estimated $1 billion cost to retrofit the existing county headquarters, the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, highlights the potential savings from prioritizing the Gas Company Tower upgrade.
- This suspension of the seismic upgrades for the Gas Company Tower could impact the county's general news, crime-and-justice, education-and-self-development, politics, sports, healthcare, climate change, immigration, infrastructure, and finance sectors.
- Meanwhile, concerns about the improvements' cost and necessity continue to arise, potentially affecting the county's reputation in the eyes of its citizens and local media outlets such as the Los Angeles Times, Curbed LA, LAist, and Los Angeles Daily News.
- As the county looks to tackle budgetary problems, sports enthusiasts, scientists, and political figures alike are closely watching the actions of the County Board of Supervisors in regards to the Gas Company Tower and the County's financial future.
