(a) Notwithstanding Section 81530, or any other provision of law, a community college district may lease an offsite commercial building that does not meet the requirements of Section 81130, for use as a school building, as defined in Section 81130.5, if the governing board of the district finds that all of the following conditions have been met:

(1) The building was constructed in accordance with seismic safety standards for commercial buildings constructed within an earthquake zone.

(2) The building permit for the initial construction of the building was issued on or after January 1, 1990.

(3) A structural engineer has inspected the building and submitted a report to the governing board of the community college district that certifies that the building is in substantial compliance with the requirements of this article. For purposes of this section, substantial compliance with this article means that the building is likely, without catastrophic collapse, to resist earthquake forces generated by major earthquakes of the intensity and severity of the strongest experienced in California, but may experience some reparable architectural or structural damage. This certification requirement is satisfied if the structural engineer affixes his or her seal of approval to the report and he or she attests in that report that to the best of his or her knowledge:

(A) He or she has reviewed the design calculations, construction documents, and the local government construction inspection records of the building, to the extent those items are available.

(B) He or she has authorized testing and has observed or reviewed the test results and the inspections of an adequate sample of the structure’s welds, anchor bolts, and other structural elements deemed necessary for the satisfactory performance of the building.

(C) He or she has observed that the overhead nonstructural elements, including, but not limited to, light fixtures, heating, and air-conditioning diffusers are adequately braced or anchored.

(b) The governing board of the community college district shall forward the report submitted pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) to the Department of General Services for its review. Within 45 working days, the Department of General Services shall review the report for compliance with the above requirements, to provide feedback to the structural engineer regarding any insufficiencies with the report, and to determine whether or not the building is in substantial compliance with the requirements of this article. If the Department of General Services does not respond within 45 working days of the submission of the final and complete report, the department will be deemed to have concurred with the structural engineer’s report. A final decision by the governing board of the community college district to occupy the building for school purposes shall not occur until the governing board has reviewed and considered the feedback of the department, or the 45 workday review period has passed.

(c) (1) No member of the governing board of a community college district, nor any employee of a community college district, shall be held personally liable for injury to persons or damage to property resulting from the fact that the governing board of the community college district used a commercial building pursuant to this subdivision for a school and the building was not constructed under the requirements of Section 81130.

(2) The exemption from personal liability for members of the governing board and employees of a community college district described in paragraph (1) is not intended to limit the liability of the community college district for injury to persons or damage to property resulting from the fact that the governing board or any employee of the community college district used a commercial building pursuant to this subdivision for educational purposes and the building was not constructed under the requirements of Section 81130. The exemption from personal liability for members of the governing board and employees of a community college district described in paragraph (1) is not intended to limit the liability of the community college district, the governing board or the district’s employees pursuant to § 835 of the Government Code.

(3) Section 81144 is not applicable to a person who, pursuant to this section, leases or uses a building for a community college building that meets the requirements of this section but does not meet the requirements of Section 81130. Approval and use of a building pursuant to this section does not constitute a violation of this article.

(Added by Stats. 1998, Ch. 610, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 1999.)