Re:How to Engineer Buildings That Withstand Earthquakes
by wahern on Friday February 24, 2023 @06:37AM
(#34923485)
Good point. I forgot about the corruption angle. Relatedly, in 2020 and 2021 two SF building inspectors were ousted for taking bribes, including bribes for signing off on soft-story reinforcements. And interestingly (which I just learned whilst double-checking my facts), a building inspector was even ousted for being toostrict:
> In 2012, the former DBI director Vivian Day resigned, with former Building Inspection Commission member Debra Walker alleging that the resignation was to avoid being ousted at the direction of late Mayor Ed Lee, who felt that Day was too scrupulous about code enforcement.
I wouldn't dare equivocate the corruption issues in SF with those in Turkey--I've traveled enough to understand that the worst corruption in the U.S. doesn't even rise to the level of the day-to-day corruption in countries like Turkey. But poor economics breeds corruption--no political system can enforce economically unviable mandates; it'll break down one way or another.
> In 2012, the former DBI director Vivian Day resigned, with former Building Inspection Commission member Debra Walker alleging that the resignation was to avoid being ousted at the direction of late Mayor Ed Lee, who felt that Day was too scrupulous about code enforcement.
https://sf.curbed.com/2020/3/11/21174475/tom-hui-fraud-scand...
I wouldn't dare equivocate the corruption issues in SF with those in Turkey--I've traveled enough to understand that the worst corruption in the U.S. doesn't even rise to the level of the day-to-day corruption in countries like Turkey. But poor economics breeds corruption--no political system can enforce economically unviable mandates; it'll break down one way or another.