PROPOSITION 127 : Quake Breaks

Earthquakes can’t be prevented, but their destructive consequences can be reduced. One sure way is to bring existing buildings up to seismic safety standards.

The least-safe buildings in California are the 175,000 living units built of unreinforced masonry walls, like brick. Current law permits required seismic safety improvements made in these buildings to be excluded from reassessment for property tax purposes for 15 years. That makes sense.

It also makes sense to have buildings made of other materials brought up to seismic safety standards. Proposition 127 is a constitutional amendment on the Nov. 6 ballot that would allow seismic safety improvements that are made in such buildings to be excluded from property tax reassessment. It’s a fair measure that deserves voter approval.

Taxing seismic safety improvements on the grounds that they add to a property’s value is a clear disincentive to making necessary, even life-saving changes. Strengthening a building so that it has a better chance of standing up in an earthquake is obviously in a different category than, say, adding a swimming pool or an extra room to a home. There is no reason for such seismic safety improvements to be taxed the same way.

Local governments would lose some revenues by excluding seismic safety-related improvements from tax reassessments. But local governments also face tax losses when buildings collapse or are badly damaged in an earthquake. Proposition 127, unanimously endorsed by the Legislature, is an important public safety measure. We urge a yes vote.