LOS ANGELES : School Officials Lament Red Tape in Quake Repairs

Progress in making earthquake repairs and preparing the Los Angeles school district for another major emergency is being hampered by a lack of money and by communications problems between agencies, officials said Monday.

At a special Board of Education meeting, district officials said they want better emergency training for all staff members, more communications equipment and quicker approvals for money to pay for repairs. But they said federal and state red tape is slowing the flow of funding to the district.

“It’s all about money,” said board member Leticia Quezada. “We’re not going to have a perfect system unless there are public dollars allocated to this.”

Officials said that federal approval to pay for the repairs has been slow. About $73 million has been allocated to pay for damage to campuses; the district’s earthquake damage estimates range from $200 million to $600 million.

Doug Brown, the district’s facilities director, said that the process is inefficient, with too many different inspectors on some projects and not enough on others, and that decisions have been inconsistent. Also, Brown said, the schools must be responsible for securing equipment in the event of another quake.