LA races the clock on earthquake retrofitting

LOS ANGELES - When Los Angeles two years ago approved the nation's most sweeping earthquake retrofitting regulations, officials knew they were in a race against time.

The law requires the retrofitting of hundreds of brittle concrete buildings, one of the most vulnerable types of structures in California. But experts have worried that a major earthquake will hit Southern California before the deadline to fix the buildings comes.

"Chances are it will happen before that 25-year deadline," California seismic safety commissioner Kit Miyamoto said.

There is a 60 percent chance that a magnitude 6.7 earthquake - the size of the