7/10/2026
Dear Palo Alto Fire Marshall Tamara Jasso:
Thanks for you early July response to my California Public Records Act
(CPRA) request asking for information on the City of Palo Alto’s
seismic/earthquake inspection protocol.
*See: my CPRA request below.
* * See also: My request to the property management team at the Southwood
Apartments Complex at 2850 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto, 94306.
* **The Southwood Apartment Complex consists of approximately 100
units with approximately 250 residents.
**** The Southwood Apartment Complex was completed in approximately 1986
and is 40 years old.
As per your suggestion, on July 6, 2026, I sent an email to the management
team at the Southwood Complex to pass on to the owners of the property my
request that they conduct a private seismic inspection/report in a timely
manner. And that once the report is complete release the report to the
tenants and to the City of Palo Alto. I will update you on the owners
response on a regular basis.
Best regards,
Aram James
415-370-5056
On Mon, Jul 6, 2026 at 12:02 PM Aram James
wrote:
>
>
> On Mon, Jul 6, 2026 at 12:00 PM Aram James wrote:
>
>> 7/6/2026
>>
>> Hi Meg & Julian,
>>
>> I hope both of you had a great 4th weekend. Below is the response from
>> the Palo Alto Fire Marshal, Tamara Jasso, to my request regarding the
>> possibility of the City of Palo Alto conducting seismic/earthquake
>> inspections of apartment complexes like the Southwood Complex.
>>
>> As you will read, privately owned apartment complexes like the Southwood
>> Complex are responsible for performing their own seismic inspections.
>>
>> “ Routine structural inspections and maintaining seismic integrity are
>> the legal responsibility of the private property owner.”
>>
>> I would appreciate it if you would pass on my request to the owners of
>> the Southwood Complex that they conduct a full seismic inspection of the
>> property promptly and, once the inspection is complete, release the
>> reports findings to the tenants at Southwood and provide the City of Palo
>> Alto with a copy of the report.
>>
>> Of course, if repairs or maintenance, etc., are necessary to bring the
>> complex into compliance with earthquake safety standards, I would request
>> that said repairs/maintenance be conducted in a timely fashion.
>>
>> Sincerely,
>>
>> Aram James
>>
>> 415-370-5056
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------
>>
>> Dear Mr. James,
>>
>> Thank you for reaching out. The seismic safety of our community is a
>> critical issue, and I am glad to provide clarification on how seismic
>> evaluations and inspections are managed in the City of Palo Alto.
>>
>> To address your primary question: The City of Palo Alto (including both
>> the Fire Department and the Building Department) does not perform active or
>> routine seismic structural inspections on private residential apartment
>> complexes. Routine structural inspections and maintaining seismic integrity
>> are the legal responsibility of the private property owner. Instead, the
>> City’s role is regulatory, governed by specific state and local building
>> standards. Under the Palo Alto Municipal Code (PAMC), seismic evaluations
>> are handled through targeted safety programs.
>>
>> Palo Alto has a local program designed to identify and evaluate specific
>> high-risk structural types. Under this program, the City requires private
>> owners of specific building categories to hire a licensed civil or
>> structural engineer to prepare and submit an engineering report to the
>> Building Department. This engineering report is meant to investigate
>> structural systems resisting earthquake forces and determine if they are
>> inadequate to prevent structural failure or collapse.
>>
>> However, this program only applies to specific types of older or
>> high-occupancy structures, categorized as follows:
>>
>> - Category I: Buildings constructed of unreinforced masonry (URM)
>> (excluding very small buildings under 1,900 sq. ft. with 6 or fewer
>> occupants).
>> - Category II: Buildings constructed prior to January 1, 1935,
>> containing 100 or more occupants.
>> - Category III: Buildings constructed between January 1, 1935, and
>> August 1, 1976, containing 300 or more occupants.
>>
>> Most standard, modern, or smaller-scale multi-family apartment complexes
>> do not meet these specific criteria and therefore do not fall under the
>> Citys seismic reporting program.
>>
>> Outside of the reporting program described above, seismic evaluations of
>> existing buildings are only legally triggered under the California Existing
>> Building Code (CEBC) and local amendments when an owner applies for permits
>> to perform substantial additions, alterations, or structural repairs.
>>
>> For standard apartment complexes—such as the Southwood Apartments—the
>> City does not have a mechanism to proactively inspect or structurally
>> evaluate the buildings for earthquake safety. If residents have concerns
>> about the seismic safety or structural integrity of their building, we
>> strongly recommend raising those concerns directly with the property
>> management or owner. The owner can choose to hire a private licensed
>> structural engineer to evaluate the property and recommend seismic safety
>> upgrades.
>>
>> Please let me know if you have any further questions regarding fire
>> safety regulations or emergency preparedness in Palo Alto.
>>
>>
>> *Tamara Jasso | Fire Marshal *
>>
>> City of Palo Alto Fire Department
>>
>> 250 Hamilton Ave | Palo Alto, CA 94301
>>
>>
>> D: 650.329.2329 | E: tamara.jasso@paloalto.gov
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------
>> To monitor the progress or update this request please log into the
>> [NAMEOFSYSTEM]
>>
>>
>> [image: GovQA logo]
>> Dear Aram:
>>
>> The City of Palo Alto is dedicated and responsive to our community. Your
>> request has been received and is being processed. Your request was given
>> the reference number W008240-062626 for tracking purposes.
>>
>> Records Requested: Hi Chief Tamara Jasso:
>>
>> I hope you and your family are doing well. I am very interested to get
>> information on the earthquake/seismic inspections of apartment complexes
>> like the Southwood Apartment Complex at 2850 Middlefield Rd
>> ,
>> in Palo Alto.
>> Any information you can provide me regarding this critical issue would be
>> appreciated.
>>
>> Sincerely,
>>
>> Aram James
>>
>> 415-370-5056
>>
>