LA County supervisors on Tuesday, Aug. 4, unanimously ordered a comprehensive earthquake preparedness review and public awareness campaign, citing research showing fault stress near the region has hit a 1,000-year high. The vote carries direct implications for Beverly Hills, Bel Air and Holmby Hills residents living in canyon terrain near active fault lines.
Fifth District Supervisor Kathryn Barger introduced the motion, which the board approved without discussion at its meeting at Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration. It directs the county's Office of Emergency Management to present a full readiness assessment to the board on Sept. 29.
"Science is sending us a clear warning and we have a responsibility to listen," Barger said in a statement. "No one can predict when the next major earthquake will occur, but we know with certainty that one will happen."
What the motion requires
The Sept. 29 presentation must cover the readiness of county staff and facilities, identify gaps in current preparedness and lay out a plan for maintaining government services after a major quake. The county's Public Works, Fire, Sheriff and CEO Asset Management departments are all required to participate, along with outside experts including seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones and representatives from Caltech and UCLA.
The motion also directs the Office of Emergency Management to build an online "Know Your Risk" portal using California Office of Emergency Services resources, launch a multilingual outreach campaign timed to the Great ShakeOut earthquake drill on Oct. 15 and develop year-round public engagement strategies beyond annual preparedness events.
No budget was attached to the motion.
Why it matters locally
The motion cites research showing fault stress has reached levels not seen in a millennium. A June 2026 study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, led by Dr. Liliane Burkhard of the University of Bern, modeled 1,000 years of seismic activity along the San Andreas and San Jacinto fault systems and concluded that a large rupture involving both systems is now possible, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Beverly Hills sits atop its own seismic risk. State geological survey data released in January 2018 identified a fault running beneath Rodeo Drive and the city's shopping district.
The last major quake to hit the LA area, the 1994 Northridge earthquake, killed roughly 60 people, injured 9,000 and caused billions in damage. A 2015 USGS estimate put the chance of a magnitude 6.7 or greater earthquake striking the LA region by 2045 at 60%.
Barger's office noted that the southern San Andreas Fault has not produced a major rupture since the magnitude 7.9 Fort Tejon earthquake of 1857, according to MyNewsLA. That amounts to more than 169 years of continuous tectonic loading.
As we reported Aug. 4, the Eaton Fire investigation already highlighted infrastructure vulnerabilities in canyon areas where many Bel Air and Beverly Hills residents live.
What comes next
The Office of Emergency Management will deliver its preparedness assessment at the Sept. 29 board meeting. Residents can contact the Executive Office of the Board at (213) 974-1426 or visit bos.lacounty.gov for meeting details and public comment information.
