“The Importance of Being Earnest” hits the stage. See page 5
Volume 70, Issue 11
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Wednesday, December 5, 2012
www.elaccampusnews.com
E7 BUILDING HISTORY
2004
E7 first opened its doors to students and faculty on August 30, 2004 although certain floors remained closed for further construction. At the time, the building was not certified.
2006
Community colleges were given the option of choosing to design and construct under local building codes or under the Field Act through a clause in Assembly Bill 127.
2007
Documents showing inadequate pressure for a permanent water supply.
2008
E7’s file with the Division of State Architect is closed without certificaton due to deficiencies dealing with unresolved safety issues.
2010
E7’s file is once again closed by the DSA without certification. The cause is a temporary diesel-powered device in place in the basement of the building.
E7 safety concerns remain 1933
By LOURDES ESPINOZA & BRIAN VILLALBA Staff Writer
The E7 Technology Center at East Los Angeles College remains occupied in spite of safety issues because of exceptions to Division of State Architect certification. The DSA certified buildings have historically proven safe and have lowered maintenance costs more than buildings that go without certification. The Tech Center hosts a total of nine departments and plays a vital role for thousands of students and faculty. E7 is equipped with a basement photo lab/studio, radio station, newsroom and Learning Assistance Center along with a faculty meeting room. Safety challenges have plagued the five-story building, as it has gone without certification by the DSA three times. E7 remains without certification. In 2006, community colleges were given the option of choosing
Online Scoop
to design and construct under local although certain floors remained building codes or under the Field closed for further construction. At the time, the building was not Act through a clause in Assembly certified. This was 11 years after the Bill 127. This “quake clause” in AB 127 planning of E7 began. It was closed without certification contradicts recommendations the California Seismic Safety in May of 2008 due to deficiencies Commission offered the state dealing with unresolved safety r e g a r d i n g p u b l i c e d u c a t i o n issues. In January of 2010, the file of E7 buildings. at the DSA was once Composed of again closed without members from state and local government, “Safety challenges certification. A temporary device this group opposes any legislative actions h a v e p l a g u e d powered by a diesel that remove public t h e f i v e - s t o r y engine is what is in in the basement school buildings from building, as it place of the Technology DSA certification. They recommend has gone without Center, preventing the n o p u b l i c s c h o o l certification by the project from complete certification. building in California DSA three times. D o c u m e n t s should be exempt. The commission E7 remains without required for project certification, as has also stated that certification.” l i s t e d u n d e r t h e school buildings constructed under DSA website deal the Field Act have with the provision performed extremely of permanent water well in earthquakes supply with adequate since 1940, and no DSA certified pressure. buildings have collapsed. This has yet to be resolved since E7 first opened its doors to students 2007 and is still in construction and faculty on August 30, 2004 per Diran Depanian, Architect of
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Surrounded by Mounties, Aaron Cheatum, right, prepares to pass the ball to Dushon Carter, who slammed a basket with 15:03 left. No. 13 ELAC lost a 71-63 nonconference game to rival and No. 4-ranked Mt. SAC.
News Briefs
Schools would have been full only a few hours earlier. As a result of the Field Act, the DSA was founded. Seismic safety in California’s early public education building sites increased for all public education construction projects grades K-12 including community colleges. Approval is required through the Architect of Record upon completion of any project. There are two exceptions to a closed project without certification. One involves missing documents and/ or reported deviations in construction. In this case, deficiencies have caused such delay. Regardless of the fact that certain safety issues are in question, TDM Architects Inc. received the American School and UniversityOutstanding Design Award in 2004 and the Community College Facilities Coalition Award of Excellence in 2005.
1933
2012
An internal document from the LACCD detailed consequences of closing projects without certification, including transfer of personal liability from the AOR to ELAC and members of the Board of Trustees.
Almaraz exhibit comes to a close By JESUS FIGUEROA Staff Writer
CN/TADZIO GARCIA
Record and TDM Architects Inc. senior partner, who declined to comment on the specifics. LACCD required, without exception, that all projects close with certification. Any deviation from this contractual obligation would suspend any AOR future eligibility to work for the District. In March of this year, an internal document from the LACCD detailed consequences of closing projects without certification. One of the consequences is the transfer of personal liability from the AOR to ELAC and members of the Board of Trustees. The LACCD contracted TDM Architects Inc. for the 105,000 square-foot E7 building costing $22.4 million of which $5 million was funded through bond funds such as Measure K. Enacted in 1933, the Field Act came into effect after the 6.3 magnitude Long Beach earthquake that affected more than 230 school buildings that were either destroyed, suffered major damage or were deemed unsafe to occupy. The 1933 Long Beach earthquake happened at 5:55 p.m. on a Friday.
After three months and six successful events, the “Carlos Almaraz: A Life Recalled” exhibit will be on display for the last time this Saturday. On display are not only well known paintings of Carlos Almaraz, the late Los Angeles artist, whose work was popular during the Chicano art scene that developed during the 1970s, but some that had never before been seen. The exhibit has brought Elans, friends of the artist and members of the community to the museum. Vincent Price’s daughter Victoria went to the opening reception in September. Price voiced her delight to be able to exhibit such beautiful artwork at the Vincent Price Art Museum. She stated that events like this would help to make the VPAM the center of this community like her father always envisioned it to be. Along with the artwork, photographs, postcards and journals, the exhibit had two hit performances
District suspends vote on future construction projects The Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees suspended the vote to approve the DLR Group for architectural design at Los Angeles City College. No date has been set for the vote to take place.
of the national one-man comedy “¡Gaytino!” A panel “The Artist as a Friend,” brought ELAC alumnus Dan “Eddie” Guerrero back to moderate a panel of artists who were friends and colleagues of Almaraz. The panel consisted of Frank Romero, who knew Almaraz from college, Barbara Carrasco who met Almaraz after college, John Valadez who met Almaraz during the United Farm Workers Chicano movement and Richard Duardo who met Almaraz in the ’70s. All shared their personal stories about Almaraz with the audience. The stories ranged from the first time they met Almaraz to how they felt when he died. Almaraz’s widow Elsa Almaraz and daughter Maya Almaraz guided a special tour last Saturday through the exhibit. Elsa told stories, gave a brief history and explained some of the symbolism in the artwork of her late-husband. Another panel “The Artist in Context” followed the tour. Howard Fox moderated a see ALMARAZ, page 3
Associated Student Union to host scavenger hunt
ASU will host “In the Eyes on an Artist” at the Vincent Price Art Museum tomorrow beginning at 1 p.m. The event is for students only. Food and refreshments will be provided.
CN/JESUS FIGUEROA
FAME AND FORUTNE—Dan Guerrero, left, and Cheech Marin discuss one of the iconic artworks in the Carlos Almaraz exhibit at the Vincent Price Art Museum on Saturday.
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Correction:
In the pup edition, Proposition 30 was wrongly stated to project $7,592,097 to East Los Angeles College each semester in the infographic. This number is a projection for each year, not each semester. Ehecatl Negrete was not credited in “ELAC seeks leader.”